Welcome to the Afternoon Shift Book Club. Here’s how it works: each month, we pick one book that’s our selection of the month. They’re books about Chicago, our region or by authors who are from here. If the author’s still around, we have them on to talk about their book.

The book of the month for June 2015 is ‘Balm’ by New York Times bestselling author, Dolen Perkins-Valdez. The novel blends historical fiction and magical realism centering on three former slaves that have migrated to Chicago from the South at the end of the Civil War.

Have a question for the author or want to suggest a book? Tweet it to @wbezafternoon. or email afternoonshift@wbez.org.

Previously on the Afternoon Shift Book Club