The Book of Atlantis Black
The Search for a Sister Gone Missing; A Memoir

Name: The Book of Atlantis Black
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Betsy Bonner
ISBN: 9781094136752

Author: Betsy Bonner

Narrator: Laura Jennings

Unabridged: 5 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 10/03/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, True Crime

Synopsis

For Grace Bonner, the bond of sisterhood is an exquisite, painful thing. In The Book of Atlantis Black, Bonner unravels the mystery of her sister and what happened in the final months before her disappearance, alleged overdose, and death.With access to Atlantis’s email and social media accounts, Bonner attempts to decipher and construct a narrative around the circumstances surrounding her probable death: Frantic and unintelligible notes on Facebook, alarming images of Atlantis with a handgun tucked in the waistband of her pants, Craigslist companionship ads, DEA agent testimony, video surveillance, police reports, and various phone calls and moments-in-the-flesh conjured from memory.Through the construction and deconstruction of these materials and the history only she and Atlantis shared, Bonner finds questions that lead to only more questions, red flags that point in no particular direction, leaving her to decide how far she will go to understand a sister who, like the mythical island she renamed herself for, might prove impossible to find.

About Betsy Bonner

Betsy Bonner is the author of the poetry collection Round Lake. She is a former Director of the 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center, where she now teaches creative writing. She is a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and the T. S. Eliot House. She grew up in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and lives in southwestern Vermont.

About Laura Jennings

Laura Jennings graduated with an MFA in creative writing and has an intrinsic appreciation of the mechanisms and techniques which comprise the art of the tale. A skilled narrator, she is adept at analyzing the underlying moods and currents of a book and bringing these into her interpretation of the author’s work.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on May 24, 2020

I found this to be a rather gripping read that kept me coming back for more. I was always wanting to know what was going on, and what was coming next. Then it was the curiosity of how it was going to turn out. It really pulled me in, for sure. It certainly got my mind off of the stress of the things......more

Goodreads review by Eric on April 07, 2020

The Book of Atlantis Black by Grace Bonner details the mysterious death of her sister, Atlantis Black. Atlantis Black, a troubled thirty-one-year-old woman, is found dead in a Tijuana hotel room. With the death investigation rapidly concluded and death believed to have been caused by a drug overdose......more

Goodreads review by Rhiannon on July 22, 2020

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book was a selection in this year's (virtual) Book Expo Publicist Speed Dating--always my favorite event. The blend of true crime and memoir with allusions to cover ups and conspiracies really caught my attention......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on June 08, 2020

I really hate writing bad reviews, but this book was so disjointed and not at all well written. I was lured in by the promotion of the book. The bio of Atlantis Black and her death was interesting, but by the end I don't think Bonner proved any of the points she set out to make. She writes about an......more

Goodreads review by L on April 26, 2020

This book is hung on the true crime premise of whether it was actually the authors sister found dead in a Tijuana hotel room. While it is certainly the all too familiar, tragic tale of mental illness, pharmacology, substance abuse, with sexual abuse - there seems to be a conspiracy stretch regarding......more

Quotes

“[A] piercing true crime investigation…The Book of Atlantis Black assumes the qualities of the departed musician herself: marked by yearning, it revolves around absences and is irresistible to the end.” Foreword Reviews

“Betsy Bonner has crafted a terse, urgent page-turner that is equally ode, elegy, and mystery.” Chelsey Johnson, author of Stray City

“This memoir is as haunting, as memorable, and as magnetic as the tragic young woman at its core. I tore through it at lightning speed but I also didn’t want it to end.” Amanda Fortini, freelance journalist

“A haunting, profound investigative memoir that will resonate with readers as both a compelling true crime story and an affecting literary work. Bonner creates a sense of closeness with readers that makes this book a challenge to put down or forget.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Carefully crafted, haunting, and absorbing, this thrilling memoir echoes in the head and heart long after the final page.” Kirkus Reviews

“Fascinating and maddening…The reader is made to feel what it’s like to be denied answers in an essential search.” Amy Hempel, author of The Collected Works of Amy Hempel

“In mournful, meticulous―and sometimes wryly funny―prose, The Book of Atlantis Black gives us an unforgettable portrait of an impossible yet compelling young woman taken down by her own demons, and fighting every step of the way.” David Gates, songwriter and co-lead singer of the musical group Bread

“This lyrical and compelling memoir shows how Atlantis changed both Bonner’s life and the lives of others with her raw talent and electric presence.” Booklist