Summer Reading Feature: Shannon Johnson

Library Assistant Shannon Johnson, featured on the cover of this issue of DCo Life, loves reading.

As the temperatures are warming up outside, you may catch Shannon at one of her favorite reading spots in downtown Durham. She is currently reading Generations, Lucille Clifton’s memoir. Clifton a poet known for her artful expressions, traces her family history and shares her connections to West Africa in prose.

Summer reading is not just for kids, it holds a special place for adults as well. Some embrace the warmth of summer reading as they prepare for vacation and others consider reading a vacation for the mind.

Whether you are looking for a relaxing or thrilling read this summer, the many genres of reading will offer you something that fits your fancy.

"I LOVE HOW ENGROSSING A GOOD BOOK CAN BE WHEN YOU CANNOT STOP READING UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ROMANCE NOVELS THAT END HAPPILY EVER AFTER, AND I ALSO LOVE USING THE MOST RANDOM PIECE OF PAPER I CAN FIND AS A BOOKMARK WHEN I DON’T HAVE ONE."

Shannon says her favorite genres are historical fiction, romance, and memoirs. Her favorite reads are Sula by Toni Morrison, Night Song by Beverly Jenkins, and I Want to Be Mad for A While by Barney Saltzberg.

Shannon was motivated to pursue a career in libraries, particularly on the acquisitions side of the library, profession because she enjoys making sure new books get to their readers.

Being around books her whole life she has often met literature she loves and authors she adores, including her favorite, the Novel and Pulitzer Prizer-winner novelist Tony Morrison. Shannon did not get to meet Morrison before she passed in 2019, however, she is hopeful that she will get to meet authors Beverly Jenkins, Bernice McFadden, Lisa Jewell, and Samantha Irby one day.