Fresh off his appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America as the February Book Club selection, Brendan Slocumb recently returned to his childhood home of rural North Carolina to discuss his debut novel The Violin Conspiracy, which tells the story of Ray McMillian, who is determined to become a world-class professional violinist. When his great-great-grandfather’s priceless

Salt in My Soul is Mallory Smith’s posthumously published memoir, the collected diaries of a remarkable young woman who was determined to live a meaningful and happy life despite her struggle with cystic fibrosis and a rare superbug—from age 15 to her death at the age of 25. Mallory’s story of resilience has resonated in classrooms across

Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life is a collection of journal entries by Mallory Smith written over the course of 10 years, beginning at age 15 and ending with her death. Mallory was an intelligent, resilient young woman living with cystic fibrosis, who wrote about invisible and visible illness, mental health, and the challenges those