Sarah Jessica Parker selects Ayobami Adebayo's 'Stay with Me' for ALA Book Club Central pick

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Dec 13, 2017, 06:15 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest American Library Association (ALA) Book Club Central SJP pick, chosen by Honorary Book Club Central Chair Sarah Jessica Parker, is "Stay with Me" by Ayobami Adebayo, published by Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and named a Notable Book by The New York Times, "Stay with Me" is Ms. Adebayo's debut novel. Set in Nigeria, "Stay with Me" gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage – and the forces that threaten to tear it apart.

Ms. Adebayo's stories have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in literature in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, and has worked as an editor for Saraba Magazine since 2009. She also has a master of arts in creative writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded an international bursary for creative writing. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria.

"Libraries have always been places of comfort and discovery for me, so I'm especially delighted that 'Stay with Me' is Sarah Jessica Parker's pick for this American Library Association initiative," said Ms. Adebayo.

"'Stay with Me' is a wise and deeply humane debut novel that unpeels the layers of politics in a marriage from the inside," says Ms. Parker. "Ayobami Adebayo tells the story of Akin, Yejide, and their families – a powerfully affecting tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal – with both savagery and heart. I can't wait for readers everywhere to read and enjoy this novel as our third selection for Book Club Central."

Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times called "Stay with Me" "[A] stunning debut novel…. At once, a gothic parable about pride and betrayal; a thoroughly contemporary — and deeply moving — portrait of a marriage…. a powerfully magnetic and heartbreaking book." In a starred review, Booklist stated, "Adebayo describes parenthood and love with heartbreaking prose. She deftly reveals secrets and the decisions that set life-altering events in motion. The story's fast pace brings surprising twists to Akin, Yejide, and their families' lives."

In addition to being honorary chair of Book Club Central, Ms. Parker is an Honorary Lifetime Board Member of United for Libraries, a division of ALA, a role she is using to raise awareness about the integral role of Friends groups in the library. Additionally, the Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club is thrilled to announce a limited-edition tote bag to help support libraries, now available exclusively for the holiday season from Out of Print. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to United for Libraries.

Book Club Central, designed in consultation with expert librarians, provides the public with the very best in reading. Book Club Central debuted this past summer and since that time has become a place for engaging content and information for book clubs and readers everywhere. Ms. Parker's previous picks for Book Club Central have been "No One is Coming to Save Us" by Stephanie Powell Watts, and "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid.

Book Club Central Sponsoring Partners are Booklist, the book review magazine of the ALA; United for Libraries, a division of the ALA; and Libraries Transform, the ALA's public awareness campaign, along with Corporate Platinum Partner Penguin Random House. Corporate Gold Partners include NoveList and OverDrive.

Book Club Central can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more information, please visit www.bookclubcentral.org.

About Sarah Jessica Parker: Sarah Jessica Parker recently launched SJP for Hogarth, which will selectively publish high-quality works of fiction by both established writers and distinctive emerging voice with critical and commercial promise. SJP for Hogarth's first acquisition is "A Place for Us," a debut novel by Fatima Mirza to be published in 2018. Ms. Parker is the star and executive producer of "Divorce," which will return for a second season in January 2018. She currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the board of directors for the New York City Ballet. In November 2009, the Obama administration elected her to be a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Parker lives with her husband, three children, and lots of books in New York City.

About the American Library Association: The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

About United for Libraries: United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. To join, please visit www.ala.org/united or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161.

About Knopf: Alfred A. Knopf was founded in 1915 and has long been known as a publisher of distinguished hardcover fiction and nonfiction. Its list of authors includes Toni Morrison, Kazuo Ishiguro, Alice Munro, Orhan Pamuk, Anne Rice, John Updike, Cormac McCarthy, Anne Tyler, Jane Smiley, Julia Child, and Michael Ondaatje, as well as such classic writers as Thomas Mann, Willa Cather, John Hersey, and John Cheever.

About Out of Print: Out of Print is a New York-based apparel and accessories company dedicated to celebrating the world's great books and authors through licensed literary-themed products available at outofprintclothing.com. As part of its mission, each Out of Print item sold helps to fund literacy programs and book donations to communities in need.

SOURCE American Library Association