The summary of Karim Dimechkie’s sophomore novel reads like a modernized spin on Do the Right Thing. The Uproar follows white man Sharif, a certified Good Guy who works for a nonprofit in Brooklyn and comes home every day to a Black wife. When the couple (and their unruly dog Judy, who seems to be lifted from the Michener alum’s own New York Times-published story about his girlfriend’s pit bull) find themselves in an escalating conflict with a Haitian immigrant and his son, however, public outrage forces our main character to question whether he’s really so good after all. This book talk is free, but a purchased ticket gets you a reserved seat and copy of the novel. – Carys Anderson