As we reach the dog days of summer—a summer of challenge and change—you may be reading more. Some of the 31 books I’ve included may have slipped under your radar. You’re sure to find something of interest, so which will you read?
Author: Karla Strand
Karla J. Strand is the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian for the University of Wisconsin. She completed her doctorate in Information Science via University of Pretoria in South Africa with a background in history and library science, and her research centers on the role of libraries and knowledge in empowering women and girls worldwide. Karla is working on her first book, a history of the Office of the GWS Librarian, due out in 2020. Tweet her @karlajstrand.
Zerlina Maxwell on Her New Book, Identity Politics and the 2020 Election
MSNBC contributor Zerlina Maxwell and Ms. writer Karla Strand talk Maxwell’s new book, identity politics and the November elections.
July 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us
Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically underrepresented groups. Now more than ever, we need to read and buy books by women of color, and let’s continue to buy books by Black women writers. This month, all 24 of the books on the list are written by BIWOC writers, so get to it.
Laurie Halse Anderson on Her New Book, Writing Graphic Novels and Wonder Woman
For her most recent book, New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson teamed up with DC Comics and an amazing group of women artists on a graphic novel telling the story of Diana of Themyscira as a teen, before becoming the iconic Wonder Woman.
June 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us
As I write this, much of the country is burning. As a queer white person who works hard to be an anti-racist accomplice, I sometimes find it challenging to know what to do to best support Black people and to collect and educate white people. But one thing I feel strongly about is this column. The whole goal of these lists is to help boost the signal of books by writers from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Ms. Q&A: Madame Gandhi on Creativity and Feminism—During COVID and Beyond
“Unfortunately, we are in a world that takes so much offense to being feminine, that we try not to be. … We are constantly aspiring to masculine standards, instead of being brave enough to see what it is that femininity brings to the table.”
By 2019, Gandhi had released two EPs as Madame Gandhi, opened for Ani Difranco, toured with Thievery Corporation, played Bonnaroo and numerous other festivals, and been named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in music for 2019.
May 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us
Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically underrepresented groups. This month, I’ve included 32 titles on the list. Which ones strike your fancy?
Poetry for the Rest of Us: 2020 Roundup
Inside: the most exciting poetry collections coming your way this year, all by and for the rest of us: poets who are women, womxn, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, international, LGBIA+, TGNC, queer, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities.
April 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us
So, here we are in the midst of a pandemic: What better way to spend time social distancing than reading? I’ve got you covered on that front! Which will you read?
In New Memoir, Deborah J. Cohan Explores the Complexities of Love, Illness and Parental Abuse
With her new book, “Welcome to Wherever We Are: A Memoir of Family, Caregiving and Redemption,” sociologist Deborah J. Cohan explores the complexities of caring for an aging parent with a history of abusive behavior.