NPR Book of the Year 2020 Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020 | Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books | Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To Reading | One of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Reads of 2020 | Amazon Book of the Month Pick | Audible Editor’s Pick | Essence’s Pick| Glamour’s Must Read | Ms. Magazine’s Anticipated Read of 2020 A startling debut about class and race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation—part The Handmaid’s Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. When Lena Johnson’s beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan. On paper, her new job is too good to be true. High paying. No out of pocket medical expenses. A free place to live. All Lena has to do is participate in a secret program—and lie to her friends and family about the research being done in Lakewood. An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away. The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world—but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family. Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.

GHOSTS HAUNT LAKEWOOD LANDS AND BLAYLOCK’S MANSION. WHO ARE THEY? WHY ARE THEY THERE? Straight out of a fairy tale or thriller movie, Blaylock's Mansion leaps into stunning view as one traverses a gentle curve in the road. Surrounded by spellbinding gardens and majestic trees, the 16,000-square-foot Tudor-Revival style architecture deep in the harsh, spectacular mountains of southeastern British Columbia captures the eye and the imagination. Selwyn G. Blaylock learned all about harsh and spectacular things. In 1899 the young metallurgist graduated from Quebec's McGill University and ventured to Trail, B.C. During the next three decades his meteoric rise to President of Consolidated Mining and Smelting (later known as Cominco) had tremendous impact around the world. Yet Blaylock was to pay a price in several ways. His life carried the great weight of expectation and demand, blended with responsibility and accountability. Some might suggest guilt. The controversial death of union organizer Ginger Goodwin remains linked to Blaylock, as does his role in ‘the bomb’ dropped on Japan. Many believed Selwyn to be a haunted man. Blaylock was not the only unique, larger-than-real-life character to live in the mansion or on the large property known as Lakewood. A number of fascinating characters also resided there before and after him. Some of them never left. From First Nation hunters, Hudson Bay Company workers, two mayors, freemasons, and a Civil War hero to a smooth-talking, high-rolling con man from California, veteran Canadian writer Charlie Hodge brings to life a variety of real and fictional characters and their common denominator in Lost Souls of Lakewood - The History and Mystery of Blaylock’s Mansion It features several spellbinding tales within the main story, each one worthy of its own novel. Lost Souls of Lakewood is a must read for anyone with an interest in history, mystery or ghosts.