N. West Moss

N. West Moss is the author of the memoir Flesh & Blood and the short story collection The Subway Stops at Bryant Park. Her essays and short stories have appeared in McSweeney's, The Saturday Evening Post, and The New York Times, among other publications. She lives in New Jersey.

Birdy is her first book for young readers.

Recently I asked Moss about what she was reading. Her reply:

A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer

This is a piece of historical fiction set in 1905 on the North Dakota Prairie, and follows a Jewish family of immigrant pioneers as they struggle to make a go of it in America. I continue to love the Laura Ingalls Wilder books about pioneer life, and this gave me a new angle on that time and place that I found both moving and informative.

Allan Cole is not a Coward by Eric Bell

The narrator of this book is smart, hilarious, vulnerable, and deeply lovable. He is keeping it a secret that he has a crush on another boy, and is trying to find his way in middle school, even as his home life threatens to fall apart. This book is quirky and idiosyncratic – and is wholly original and fun to read.

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

One of my favorite aspects of reading is that it gives me access to worlds I would not otherwise have access to. This book did just that. It’s set during World War II in Iran, not a place I associate with WWII. I appreciated the spareness of Nayeri’s prose, and his artful under-explaining. He gives readers just enough detail to orient us, and then dives into the very specific world of a boy and his sister, who are trying to survive. I read it in one sitting, and am still thinking about it.

Earthrise: The Story of the Photograph that Changed the Way We See Our Planet by Leonard S. Marcus

This is a fascinating, short, nonfiction book about the lasting impact of the photograph now known as ‘Earthrise.’ I learned a lot about the space race, the cold war, the beginnings of the environmental movement, and much more that I had either forgotten or never known. Marcus teaches without coming off as didactic, and the book ends up covering a lot of terrain, considering that it’s ultimately about a single, if iconic, photograph.

Visit N. West Moss's website.

--Marshal Zeringue