The Feminist Know-It-All: You know her. You can’t stand her. Good thing she’s not here! Instead, this column by gender and women’s studies librarian Karla Strand will amplify stories of the creation, access, use and preservation of knowledge by women and girls around the world; share innovative projects and initiatives that focus on information, literacies, libraries and more; and, of course, talk about all of the books.
It’s been a rough year … oh wait, it’s only February. This is my Most Anticipated List, not my end-of-year Best Of list! Apologies, it feels as though we’ve already been through it … because we have.
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to think about anything other than violence and injustice lately. Then you add the daily grind of work, caring for children or aging parents, school, politics, book banning, the attacks on education and the rest, and it is no wonder we all feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
Dare I say: Don’t despair?
It’s easy for me to say, and I recognize the luck and privilege I’m afforded. But while many are in the depths, it’s vital for others of us to have hope. To breathe and take up space for them. To use our voices and power for them.
So, gather your person or people around. Cry or laugh or organize. Spend some time alone. Move your body, create or enjoy the art of others. Care for yourself and others. Write and read.
Yes, read.
Reading shouldn’t have to be a privilege or a luxury reserved for some. As a kid, I needed reading to feel safe, seen and whole. I’m not exaggerating when I say it saved my life several times. Even when I couldn’t afford to buy books, I was a regular at the library. Books helped me learn, question and calm myself. I felt like the writers understood me and possessed the otherworldly talent to express what I only dreamed of being able to. Reading encouraged ideas, visualization and imagination.
With books, I wasn’t alone. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels—you name it. I could find myself and others in stories and witnessing from around the world or in my own backyard. Books gave me strength, attention and solace. They taught me the importance of compassion, empathy and action.
I know that when you are just trying to eat and stay safe and live, books are not the priority. We should all be safe enough to wonder what our next book will be, instead of where we’ll find our next meal, our next quiet night’s sleep or our next place to call home. Books can be a comfort in dark times. They can provide understanding and light. They provide ideas, knowledge and the bravery to speak up when others cannot and to act on their behalf.
So I read to feel. Read and reflect. Read and take action. We all have gifts to share and strengths to utilize for others who need our help. Let books inspire you to find and develop your own power and courage to be a support through someone’s dark time. Let them relax you so you can get up and fight another day.
I am looking for these 100 books to be of service to me so that I might be of service to others. I hope you’ll find some here that will do the same for you.
I’m proud to say that I’ve always focused on independent and university publishers, debut writers and, of course, authors of the global majority. By this, I mean writers who are women, queer, aro/ace, intersex, trans, nonbinary or gender expansive; those who are fat, neurodivergent, poly, sex workers, immigrants, justice-involved or speak English as a second or third language; those who have, for any number of reasons, been marginalized or excluded.
While some of the big publishers have slipped in, it’s only on the talent or reputation of the author or because an imprint is doing some valuable work. Because of this focus, you may notice that I’ve not included some of the year’s most talked-about books on this list. It’s not that I think they are not deserving or that you shouldn’t read them; I just want to shine a light on those that are just as deserving (or more so), but that might not have the funding or marketing machines behind them.
But let’s face it, there are so many books and writers who are deserving of your attention this year. So you can’t go wrong with any book you may pick up. And time is short! This is why I described each book with a few words or a phrase that described why or how it stood out to me instead of writing a few lines about each as I usually do. Please note that release dates may change.
So, let’s read. Read and encourage others to do so. Gift books to others. Read one and pass it on. Visit and support your local libraries. But please read. Read as though your life (or someone else’s) depends on it. Because it just might.
January
All In: Cancer, Near Death, New Life
By Caitlin Breedlove (@breedlovecaitlin). AK Press. 152 pages. Out now.
Emergent strategy, memoir, lessons for life.
*
Behind You Is the Sea: A Novel
By Susan Muaddi Darraj (@susandarraj). HarperVia. 256 pages. Out now.
Palestinian, full spectrum, fiction debut.
*
Broughtupsy: A Novel
by Christina Cooke (@christina.j.cooke). Catapult. 240 pages. Out now.
Debut, Jamaican, sisterhood.
*
Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1
By Angela Y. Davis. Haymarket. 300 pages. Out now.
Angela Davis, Angela Davis, Angela Davis.
*
A Short History of Trans Misogyny
By Jules Gill-Peterson (@gpjulesss). Verso. 192 pages. Out now.
Intersectional trans feminism.
*
Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All
By Deborah G. Plant. Amistad. 288 pages. Out now.
Clear-eyed, critical, holistic.
*
The Best That You Can Do: Stories
By Amina Gautier. Soft Skull. 240 pages. Out Jan. 16.
Diaspora, shine, duality.
*
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum
By Antonia Hylton (@ahylton26). Legacy Lit. 368 pages. Out Jan. 23.
Crownsville Hospital, (mis)treatment, legacy.
February
Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir
By Walela Nehanda (@itswalela). Kokila. 400 pages. Out Feb. 6.
Debut, lyricism, determination.
*
Greta & Valdin: A Novel
By Rebecca K Reilly (Ngaati Hine, Ngaati Rehua Ngaatiwai ki Aotea) (@rebeccakreilly). Avid Reader Press. 352 pages. Out Feb. 5.
Queer, Maaori-Russian-Catalonian, family.
*
Imagination: A Manifesto
By Ruha Benjamin (@ruha9). W.W. Norton & Co. 192 pages. Out Feb. 6.
Dreams, possibilities, collective liberation.
*
Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America
By Joy-Ann Reid (@joyannreid). Mariner Books. 352 pages. Out Feb. 6.
Love at first sight, resistance, heroism.
*
Praiseworthy
By Alexis Wright (Waanyi). New Directions. 672 pages. Out Feb. 6.
Carpentaria, donkeys, allegory.
*
Greasepaint
By Hannah Levene. Nightboat Books. 172 pages. Out Feb. 13.
Experimental, butch, anarchy.
*
Wake Up America: Black Women on the Future of Democracy
By Keisha N. Blain (@keishanblain). W. W. Norton & Company. 256 pages. Out Feb. 13.
Essays, empowerment, urgent.
*
Become Ungovernable: An Abolition Feminist Ethic for Democratic Living
By H.L.T. Quan. Pluto Press. 336 pages. Out Feb. 20.
Rooted, radicalism, refusal.
*
Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit: Essays
By Aisha Sabatini Sloan (@aishasabslo). Graywolf. 160 pages. Out Feb. 20.
Blackness, darkness, awakening.
*
Last to Eat, Last to Learn: My Life in Afghanistan Fighting to Educate Women
By Pashtana Durrani (@Afghania_Barakzai) with Tamara Bralo. Citadel. 224 pages. Out Feb. 20.
Educate, inspire, LEARN.
*
Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan
By Ruby Lal. Yale University Press. 280 pages. Out Feb. 27.
Original, trailblazer, rediscovery.
*
Whiskey Tender: A Memoir
By Deborah Taffa (Quechan (Yuma) Nation and Laguna Pueblo) (@deborahtaffa). Harper. 304 pages. Out Feb. 27.
Tradition, legacy, survivance.
March
Inside the Mirror: A Novel
By Parul Kapur (@parulkapurwriter) University of Nebraska Press. 358 pages. Out Mar. 2.
Gender roles, art, reimagination.
*
Metaracism: How Systemic Racism Devastates Black Lives―and How We Break Free
By Tricia Rose (@proftriciarose). Basic Books. 288 pages. Out Mar. 5.
Meta, pioneering, just.
*
Thunder Song: Essays
By Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe (Coast Salish). Counterpoint. 256 pages. Out Mar. 5.
Proudly, queerly, Indigenously.
*
You Get What You Pay For: Essays
By Morgan Parker (@morganapple0). One World. 224 pages. Out Mar. 12.
Memoir, existence, (de/re)construction.
*
Love the World or Get Killed Trying
By Alvina Chamberland (@alvinachamberland). Noemi Press. 274 pages. Out Mar. 15.
Raw, generous, autofiction.
*
Fighting Mad: Resisting the End of Roe v. Wade
Edited by Krystale E. Littlejohn and Rickie Solinger. University of California Press. 392 pages. Out Mar. 19.
Voice, choice, autonomy.
*
Mother Island: A Daughter Claims Puerto Rico
By Jamie Figueroa. Pantheon. 272 pages. Out Mar. 19.
Assimilation, (un/re)learning, reclamation.
*
Who’s Afraid of Gender?
By Judith Butler. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 320 pages. Out Mar. 19.
Iconic, fear, refusal.
*
Wilderness and the American Spirit
By Ruby McConnell (@rubygonewild). Overcup Press. 288 pages. Out Mar. 19.
Cost, scarcity, (re)creation.
*
Woman, Life, Freedom
Created by Marjane Satrapi. Translated by Una Dimitrijevic. Seven Stories Press. 272 pages. Out Mar. 19.
Uprising, collectivity, continuance.
*
Refusals and Reinventions: Engendering New Indigenous and Black Life Across the Americas
By Daniel Ìgbín’bí Coleman. Ohio State University Press. 186 pages. Out Mar. 25.
Creativity, (de)colonialism, pluriverse.
*
The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920
By Manisha Sinha (@ProfMSinha). Liveright. 592 pages. Out Mar. 26.
Reminder: History repeats.
*
Silver Repetition: A Novel
By Lily Wang. The New Press. 272 pages. Out Mar. 26.
Debut, coming of age, sensory.
April
The Book Censor’s Library
Written by Bothayna Al-Essa (@bothayna_alessa). Translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain (@sawadhussain). Restless Books. 272 pages. Out Apr. 2.
Orwellian, warning, satire?
*
The Jinn Daughter: A Novel
By Rania Hanna (@rania_the_writer). Hoopoe. 274 pages. Out Apr. 2.
Death, magic, debut.
*
The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow: The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sámi
Written by Elin Anna Labba (@elin_anna). Translated by Fiona Graham. University of Minnesota Press. 168 pages. Out Apr. 2.
Scandinavian indigeneity, bággojohtin (forced displacement), sirdolaččat (the displaced).
*
Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World
By Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant (@raewynngrant). Get Lifted Books. 288 pages. Out Apr. 2.
Ecology, balance, responsibility.
*
Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia
By Christi Furnas (@christifurnas). Street Noise Books. 240 pages. Out Apr. 9.
Graphic novel, debut, working on it.
*
To Advance the Race: Black Women’s Higher Education from the Antebellum Era to the 1960s
By Linda M. Perkins. University of Illinois Press. 408 pages. Out Apr. 9.
Groundbreaking, intersections, commitment.
*
In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States
By Ana Raquel Minian. Viking. 384 pages. Out Apr. 16.
Urgency, profit, (unnecessary) loss.
*
My Vietnam, Your Vietnam
By Christina Vo (@stina_vo) and Nghia M. Vo. Three Rooms Press. 320 pages. Out Apr. 16.
Father, daughter, reconciliation, hope.
*
They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories
Written by Sheikha Helawy. Translated by Nancy Roberts. Neem Tree Press. 128 pages. Out Apr. 16.
Palestinian, margins, brave curiosity.
*
Firekeeper: A Novel
By Katłıà (Dene) (@katlia11). Roseway Publishing. 176 pages. Out Apr. 18.
Colonialism, coming of age, community.
*
I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays
By Nell Irvin Painter (@nellpainter). Doubleday. 464 pages. Out Apr. 23.
Critical, artistic, complex.
*
Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire
By Alice Wong (@disability_visibility). Vintage. 384 pages. Out April 30.
Anthology, sex and love and joy.
May
Feminism Against Cisness
Edited by Emma Heaney (@riislover667). Duke University Press. 280 pages. Out May 3.
Anthology, intervention, solidarity.
*
One Second at a Time: My Story of Pain and Reclamation
Written by Diane Morrisseau (Sagkeeng First Nation) with Elisabeth Brannigan. Purich Press. 180 pages. Out May 6.
Residential school, cycles, healing.
*
The Brides of High Hill
By Nghi Vo. Tordotcom. 128 pages. Out May 7.
Queer, gothic, mysterious.
*
How It Works Out: A Novel
By Myriam Lacroix (@myriamontheoutside). The Overlook Press. 240 pages. Out May 7.
Promise, profanity, plurality.
*
Not a River: A Novel
Written by Selva Almada (@selva.almada). Translated by Annie McDermott. Graywolf Press. 104 pages. Out May 7.
Memory, masculinity, magic.
*
Peacocks of Instagram: Stories
By Deepa Rajagopalan (@deerajagopalan). Astoria. 256 pages. Out May 7.
Diasporic, layered, loving.
*
Troubled Waters
By Mary Annaïse Heglar (@mary.annaise). Harper Muse. 384 pages. Out May 7.
Climate, race, resistance.
*
Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition
By Silky Shah (@silkys13). Haymarket Books. 256 pages. Out May 7.
Tear down the wall(s)!
*
Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk
By Kathleen Hanna (@mskathleenhanna). Ecco. 336 pages. Out May 14.
Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin.
*
Woodworm
Written by Layla Martinez (@lay_martinezvicente). Translated by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott. Two Lines Press. 144 pages. Out May 14.
Ghosts, angels, saints.
*
Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir
By Zoë Bossiere (@zoebossiere). Abrams Press. 272 pages. Out May 21.
Class, gender, self-determination.
*
Exhibit: A Novel
By R. O. Kwon (@ro.kwon). Riverhead Books. 224 pages. Out May 21.
Ambition, desire, fire.
*
The Story Game
By Shze-Hui Tjoa (@shzehui). Tin House Books. 208 pages. Out May 21.
Remembering, listening, telling.
*
Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America
By Shefali Luthra (@shefali.luthra). Doubleday. 368 pages. Out May 21.
Fragile, treacherous, revelatory.
*
Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing
By Jennifer Grenz (Nlaka’pamux mixed ancestry). University of Minnesota Press. 280 pages. Out May 28.
Story, ecology, vision.
*
Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor
By Anne Kim. The New Press. 352 pages. Out May 28.
“Corporate poverty complex.”
*
A Witch’s Guide to Burning
By Aminder Dhaliwal (@aminder_d). Drawn and Quarterly. 400 pages. Out May 28.
Balance, burnout, self-care.
June
An Endangered Species: A Novel
By Frances Washburn (Lakota). Bison Books. 304 pages. Out June 1.
Family, survival, swans.
*
Breaking the Curse: A Memoir about Trauma, Healing, and Italian Witchcraft
By Alex DiFrancesco (@Alex_JKPGender). Seven Stories Press. 192 pages. Out June 4.
Struggle, spirituality, security.
*
Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman
By N.S. Nuseibeh (@nswriting.bsky.social). Olive Branch Press. 288 pages. Out June 4.
Feminism, Palestinian heritage, home.
*
We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
By Kellie Carter Jackson (@kelliecarterjackson). Seal Press. 304 pages. Out June 4.
By any means necessary.
*
Tiananmen Square: A Novel
By Lai Wen. Spiegel & Grau. 528 pages. Out June 4.
Friendship, demonstration, idealism.
*
Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance
By Victoria Blanco. Coffee House Press. 328 pages. Out June 11.
Indigenous knowledge, intimacy, testimony.
*
Tongueless
Written by Lau Yee-Wa. Translated by Jennifer Feeley. Feminist Press. 280 pages. Out June 11.
Language, loss, Hong Kong.
*
Zan: Stories
By Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh. Dzanc Books. Out June 11.
Empire, Iran, itinerant.
Winner of the 2022 Dzanc Short Collection Prize
*
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil
By Ananda Lima (@anandalima). Tor Books. 192 pages. Out June 18.
Devilish, divine, debut.
*
Hood Wellness: Tales of Communal Care from People Who Drowned on Dry Land
By Tamela J. Gordon (@shewritestolive). Row House Publishing. 312 pages. Out June 18.
Tremendous, defiant, transformative.
*
Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People
By Tiya Miles (@TiyaMiles). Penguin. 336 pages. Out June 18.
Mysticism, kinship, truth.
*
Systemic: How Racism is Making Us Sick
By Layal Liverpool (@layallivs). Astra House. 320 pages. Out June 18.
Disparity, consequences, facts.
*
Little Rot: A Novel
By Akwaeke Emezi. Riverhead Books. 288 pages. Out June 18.
Nigeria, novel, escape.
*
The Eyes Are the Best Part
By Monika Kim (@monikakimauthor). Erewhon Books. 288 pages. Out June 25.
Feminist, Korean, serial killer.
*
Please Stop Trying to Leave Me: A Novel
By Alana Saab (@alana.saab). Vintage. 384 pages. Out June 25.
Debut, contemporary, queer AF.
July
Age 16
By Rosena Fung (@rosenafung). Annick Press. 312 pages. Out Jul. 2.
Graphic novel, beauty standards, generations.
*
Masquerade
By O.O. Sangoyomi (@oosangoyomi). Forge Books. 352 pages. Out Jul. 2.
Epic 15th-century West African debut.
*
The Night of Baba Yaga
Written by Akira Otani. Translated by Sam Bett (@sambett). Soho Crime. 216 pages. Out Jul. 2.
Explosive, queer, yakuza.
*
The Coin: A Novel
By Yasmin Zaher. Catapult. 240 pages. Out Jul. 9.
Honor, homeland, inheritance.
*
Elevator in Saigon
Written by Thuân (@thuan_ecrivaine). Translated by Nguyen An Lý. New Directions. 192 pages. Out Jul. 9.
Thriller, ghost story, still banned in Vietnam.
*
The Lucky Ones: A Memoir
By Zara Chowdhary (@zarachowdhary). Crown. 288 pages. Out Jul. 16.
India, violence, testimony.
*
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures
By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza). One World. 512 pages. Out Jul. 16.
Imagination, possibility, transformation.
*
A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune
By Noliwe Rooks (@noliwerooks). Penguin Press. 208 pages. Out Jul. 23.
Education, dedication, liberation.
August
Brittle Joints
By Maria Sweeney (@moldovamaria). Street Noise Books. 160 pages. Out Aug. 6.
Disability, creativity, comfort.
*
A Body Made Home: They Black Trans Love
By K. Marshall Green (@drDrummerBoiG). Feminist Press. 208 pages. Out Aug. 13.
Memoir, mythology, transformation.
*
In Exile: Rupture, Reunion, and My Grandmother’s Secret Life
By Sadiya Ansari (@sadeyea). House of Anansi. 224 pages. Out Aug. 13.
Secrets, expectations, belonging.
*
The Italy Letters
By Vi Khi Nao (@vikhinao). Melville House. 192 pages. Out Aug. 13.
Queer, sensual, “literary fantasia.”
*
Bearing Witness: Prison Stories from a Woman’s Fight Against Fascism
Written by Mercedes Núñez Targa. Translated by Nick Caistor and Faye Williams. Pluto Press. 240 pages. Out Aug. 20.
Spanish, radical, remarkable.
*
Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities: An Anthology
Edited by Rachel Kuo (@rachelkuo), Jaimee Swift (@JaimeeSwift) and Tiffany Tso. Haymarket. 384 pages. Out Aug. 20.
Singular, significant, essential.
*
Loving Corrections
By adrienne maree brown (@adriennemareebrown). AK Press. 200 pages. Out Aug. 20.
Reflection, relationship, accountability.
*
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde
By Alexis Pauline Gumbs (@alexispauline). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 544 pages. Out Aug. 20.
Alexis and Audre? Audre and Alexis!
*
The Unicorn Woman
By Gayl Jones. Beacon Press. 224 pages. Out Aug. 20.
Inspiration, idealism, injustice.
*
The Knowing
By Tanya Talaga (Anishinaabe/Polish) (@TanyaTalaga). HarperCollins. 320 pages. Out Aug. 27.
Canada, generations, genocide.
Autumn and Beyond
Frighten the Horses
Oliver Radclyffe (@oliverradclyffe). Roxane Gay Books. Out Sept. 17.
Memoir, identity, truth.
*
We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People
By Nemonte Nenquimo (@nemonte.nenquimo) with Mitch Anderson. Abrams Press. 288 pages. Out Sept. 17.
Ecuador, Amazon, astonishing.
*
Come By Here: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia’s Geechee Coast
By Neesha Powell-Ingabire (@womanistbae). Hub City Press. 224 pages. Out Sept. 24.
Debut, working, witnessing.
*
Dog Days
Written by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (@keumsukgendrykim). Translated by Janet Hong (@JanetHong333). Drawn and Quarterly. 212 pages. Out Oct. 22.
Family, trust, translation.
*
Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant’s Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe
By Deja Vu Prem. Counterpoint. 256 pages. Out Nov. 19.
Philippines, faith, freedom.
*
Up next:
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