What to read next: a National Book Award nominee, Sarah J. Maas, an impressive murder mystery debut, and more
When I look at what my colleagues are reading this week, I’m tempted to add to my own (teetering) to-read piles. And, it also happens to be Banned Books Week, so let’s all do something revolutionary (alas) and dig in to these literary delights that challenge, inspire, entertain, and teach. Bon appétit.
The National Book Award longlist was recently announced—and it included Kate Manne’s blisteringly brilliant Unshrinking (which the Amazon Editors also named a Best Nonfiction Book of the Month). So many of us have been fed unhealthy messages about the shape and size of our bodies, which Manne makes her mission to reframe. The feminist philosopher doesn’t hold back her own story, sharing intimate details of the agonizing pressure to be small—the mental gymnastics of calculating her weight on her wedding day, the day she gave birth, the day she became a professor... Manne also steps back to expose the devastating ways these seemingly personal struggles actually oppress everyone—and intersect with racism, class, and homophobia, impacting one’s salary, ability to afford housing, and secure a stable life. Forget the hollow call for “body positivity.” Instead, Manne says we should embrace “body reflexivity,” a “radical reevaluation of who our bodies exist in the world for: ourselves and no one else.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Crips, Bloods, crack, and Mormons? While it may seem like one of these doesn’t belong with the others, this combination is exactly what Officer Ron Stallworth (author of Black Klansman, which was adapted into the hit film BlacKkKlansman) faced when he joined the police force in Salt Lake City, Utah. Stallworth is an interesting storyteller, making it clear that he could care less about toeing anyone's party line, and openly expressing his loathing for everyone (from a local NAACP chapter to high-ranking politicians, and the "financial boondoggle" of the Job Corps) who created obstacles to the work he pledged to perform as a police officer and gang expert. He backs his words with factual support, and as the "hip-hop-cop" demonstrates, that understanding of the core issues that make gangs appealing is right there, if you just listen. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
Black River is a debut, and a startlingly good murder mystery set in a small, remote village, hours away from Delhi. It opens with two shocking murders, the second the more devastating because the victim is an eight-year-old child, Munia, who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. Likewise, Mansoor, an itinerant Muslim man whose presence in a mostly Hindu village is enough to make him the prime suspect. Can the understaffed, under-resourced local Sub-Inspector Ombir Singh deal with officials from Delhi and solve the case before the enraged town lynches the only suspect? Religious intolerance, the tensions of city versus country, and mob rule versus cool heads, add layers of suspenseful nuance to a clever plot which combines commentary on modern-day India with a must-read mystery. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
It's Banned Books Week. Over the course of 2023 and 2024, more than 10,000 books were banned, three times the amount censored the previous year. Considering this alarming trend, it might be easier to come up with a list of books that aren’t (yet) banned. And, of all the dubious additions to this growing roster is a particularly surprising (not to mention ridiculous) one: the dictionary. Which word did school administrators in Alaska find particularly galling? (sensitive readers, cover your eyes): balls. Balls indeed. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
In honor of Banned Books Week, I'll be reading a book that has been on my TBR list since 2020, and which never fails to produce a shocked exclamation from fellow readers when they learn I've never read it: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, commonly referred to as ACOTAR. ‘Is ACOTAR a banned book?’ you may ask. Indeed it is, most recently by five school districts in Utah, including my home district of Davis County, which released its first ever list of banned books in August 2024. The unintended effect of banning a book is that, typically, more people are interested in reading it because it was banned. This case is no different—I'd be lying if I said that the banning of ACOTAR in Utah didn't stir my interest in the book. Hats off to the book banning committees for bringing it to the top of my mind. —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
I'll cut to the chase. I'm a Mets fan, which means I'm familiar with heartbreak and blindingly obstinate hope. The Mets, who had a terrible first half of the 2024 season, had a dynamite second and are now just games away from a potential wildcard spot. While I know not everyone's donning their blue and orange like I am this week, it's nonetheless one of the best times in baseball. So, for the fans out there, I'm recommending you pick up The Baseball 100—800 glorious pages of America's pastime and more specifically, the 100 best players in history. It's a delight to dip into, especially while contemplating my 2024 favorites. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Looking for more to read? Check out:
