What The Hell America!

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.

Hello, feminist reader friends! Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups. The aims of these lists are threefold:

1. I want to do my part in the disruption of what has been the acceptable “norm” in the book world for far too long—white, cis, heterosexual, male;
2. I want to amplify indie publishers and amazing works by writers who are women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, APIA/AAPI, international, queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities—you know, the rest of us; and
3. I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them! 

This month, I’ve got two great lists for you! This one features my recommendations for books publishing in April (below), and the second will be my annual National Poetry Month list (coming soon). So, I’m doing lots of reading in and amongst the other demands cropping up of late. 

There are so many things on fire! In Wisconsin, liberals won a significant Supreme Court election this week—issuing a a major defeat to President Trump (still can’t get used to typing this) and Elon Musk. At Columbia and other universities across the country, we are strategizing to keep funding for valuable research and to protect our students from arrest. Libraries and schools are attempting to stay afloat with cuts on imperative programming and services at risk. These are just scratching the surface. I hope you’re doing what you can to help those in need, near and far, while also caring for your own well-being.

Reading Ms. is a great start! It’s a way to keep up to date while also getting ideas and suggestions of actions you can take to get involved and make a difference. It’s also a way to get inspiration from others who are doing interesting and imperative work on the ground around the globe. Last but not least, you can read about new music, movies and, yes, books, that you can turn to when you need information, motivation or relaxation.

I hope you find some titles among the 25 here that will provide you with what you need now so that you can continue to keep going in your corner of the world. 

By Vicki DeArmon. Sibylline Press. Out April 1.

Conceived first as a novel, this “nearly true” memoir of Vicki DeArmon’s time building Foghorn Press in 1990s San Francisco is funny, candid and inspiring. DeArmon continues her dedication to independent publishing and collaborative success today through Sibylline Press, which is dedicated exclusively to women writers over 50.

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By Huda Fahmy. Dial Books. Out April 1.

In this third book of the Huda series, Huda Fahmy is a junior, and her parents are divorcing. How is this happening? How will Huda move forward? Like Huda’s first two graphic novels, the answers will be fun, surprising and inspiring. 

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Written by Neige Sinno. Translated by Natasha Lehrer. Seven Stories Press. Out April 1.

In this award-winning translated memoir, Neige Sinno reveals sexual abuse by her stepfather in intense yet reflective candor. Even more so, it’s a heartwrenching exploration of memory, agency and how we use literature to make sense of child abuse, shame and silence.  

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By Natalia Theodoridou. Tin House. Out April 1.

Words used to describe Natalia Theodoridou’s debut novel examining gender, abuse and toxic masculinity: subversive, transgressive, hallucinatory, haunting, razor-sharp and “a dark delight.” And after reading it, I can tell you it’s all of those and more. I would add wickedly wonderful.

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Edited by Rae Garringer. University Press of Kentucky. Out April 1.

Writer, oral historian and goat wrangler Rae Garringer has compiled this imperative volume of trans, queer, Two-Spirit writers and writers of color from Appalachia to challenge and expand our understanding of the region. 

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By Aurora Mattia. Nightboat Books. Out April 1.

I loved Aurora Mattia’s debut, The Fifth Wound, and her sophomore attempt is just as cutting and kaleidoscopic as her first. Filled with trans love and desire, this collection of stories spans time, metaphor and genre to make for an entrancing read.

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By Katie Kitamura. Riverhead Books. Out April 8.

Katie Kitamura, author of Intimacies, is back with a short but sharp novel of perspectives, performances and preconceptions. Full of abstraction and metaphor, Audition is two acts about two acts. Read it and then read it again.

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By Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. Anansi International. Out April 8.

In a stark indictment of imperialism and patriarchy, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s unnamed main character is haunted by visions as she confronts past secrets and stigmas. This outstanding gothic novel explores themes of ancestry, race, mental illness and love. 

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By Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Berkley. Out April 8.

Inspired by actual events, the latest from the award-winning author of Take My Hand is focused on a group of formerly enslaved people who lived as royalty in the mountains of North Carolina. This well-paced historical fiction is lyrical, inspiring and hopeful.  

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Written by Lai Chu Hon. Translated by Jacqueline Leung. Two Lines Press. Out April 8.

In this original body horror, couples are encouraged to surgically attach themselves for the good of society. As the narrator writes her dissertation on conjoined twins, she debates whether to have the surgery herself in this examination of autonomy, freedom and assimilation.

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By Kayla E. Fantagraphics. Out April 8. 

Kayla E.’s remarkable experimental graphic memoir explores the poverty, abuse, neglect and religious fanatacism she endured as a kid. By juxtaposing these horrors with Little Lulu or Archie comics style, Kayla E. has created something simply terrifying and truly unforgettable.

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By Bianca Tylek and Worth Rises. The New Press. Out April 8.

If you’re looking to learn more about prisons and abolition, this is the place to begin. A comprehensive primer, this accessible volume explains twelve key sectors, such as personnel, operations, commissary and healthcare, and how they contribute to extractive, unjust and systemic oppression.

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By Vauhini Vara. Pantheon. Out April 8.

I often tell groups I teach or present to that if they leave more confused and curious than when they walked in, I’ve done my job. Vauhini Vara has done her job and then some. Thought-provoking, accessible and compelling, this collection of essays will have you questioning what you thought you knew about technology in the 21st century. 

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By Saumya Dave. Park Row. Out April 15.

What working mom among us has not dealt with the guilt and imposter syndrome seemingly inherent in juggling career ambitions and family? Saumya Dave imagines a world where there’s a convenient little pill to take care of that problem… maybe too convenient. 

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Written by Sayaka Murata. Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Grove Press. Out April 15.

From the author of Convenience Store Woman comes this wild story of a world where couples no longer have sex but procreate through artificial insemination. Keenly Sayaka Murata, the book grapples with motherhood, family, sex, isolation and gender.    

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Edited by Jyotsna Vaid and Amy Hoffman. Duke University Press. Out April 18.

For decades, Urvashi Vaid was one of the world’s most renowned feminist scholar-activists. This volume collects some of her most important essays, speeches and interviews, which focus on AIDS activism, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality and social justice.

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By Sarah Aziza. Catapult. Out April 22.

In this unique memoir, Sarah Aziza shares her struggles with anorexia, her family’s connection to their Palestinian homeland and the impact that loss, secrets and colonialism have had on generations.

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By Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Band of Wisconsin Ojibwe). Pantheon. Out April 22.

Journalist Mary Annette Pember has been writing about violence, health and trauma in the Native community for many years and her expertise is on full display here. There’s no one more equipped to cover the tragedy of boarding schools, their lasting legacy and the survivance of those forced to attend.

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By Gloria J. Browne-Marshall. Beacon Press. Out April 22.

I consider each volume in Beacon’s ReVisioning History series mandatory, and right now, we need them more than ever. With this one, let the lessons of protest and resistance of the past get us through the present and triumphantly into the future. 

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By Zeina Sleiman. Roseway Publishing. Out April 22.

This debut tells the story of a woman exploring and reconnecting with her Palestinian past, even the long-held family secrets. Lovingly told, Where the Jasmine Blooms explores identity, loss, displacement and home in evocative and robust prose.

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By Morgan Jerkins. Harper. Out April 22. 

The latest novel by Morgan Jerkins is focused on love throughout time, space and circumstance. Full of well-researched history, Zeal explores the intergenerational legacies of slavery and the love and joy that persists throughout. 

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Written by Guadalupe Nettel. Translated by Rosalind Harvey. Bloomsbury. Out April 29. 

This collection from Booker Shortlisted writer Guadalupe Nettel features eight characters who are struggling with mystery, connection and meaning. Nettel showcases her stark and original style throughout these eight evocative and layered stories.

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By Kylie Lee Baker. MIRA. Out April 29.

In this subversive and darkly comical horror, Cora Zeng contends with her sister’s death, hungry ghosts, a serial killer and anti-Asian hate—all during the pandemic. While it speaks to important topics such as systemic racism and police brutality, it also gives you all the gore you’re looking for.

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By Molly Olguín. Red Hen Press. Out April 29.

This debut collection of stories by Molly Olguín lithely crosses genres and conventions, dipping into horror, magical realism, historical fiction and fantasy to create a unique and evocative reading experience. 

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By Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg). Haymarket Books. Out April 29.

If you’ve read this column before, you may recall that I am a huge fan of Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s blending and bending of genre, style and voice. Her latest is an urgent and intimate exploration of water. 

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Also out this month:

A/S/L
By Jeanne Thornton. Soho Press. Out Apr. 1.

Defund: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All
By Sandy Hudson. Pantheon. Out Apr. 1.

Letters from the Edge: Outrider Conversations
By Margaret Randall. New Village Press. Out Apr. 1.

Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered
By Judith Viorst. Simon & Schuster. Out Apr. 1.

Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls
By Gina Rippon. Seal Press. Out Apr. 1.

Small Ceremonies: A Novel
By Kyle Edwards. Pantheon. Out Apr. 1.

Those Who Stayed: A Vietnam Diary
By Claudia Krich. University of Virginia Press. Out Apr. 1. 

Hail Mary: Stories
By Funmi Fetto. Harper. Out Apr. 8.

I Ate the Whole World to Find You
By Rachel Ang. Drawn & Quarterly. Out Apr. 8.

The Influencers: A Novel
By Anna-Marie McLemore. The Dial Press. Out Apr. 15.

Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World
By Jessica Slice. Beacon Press. Out Apr. 15.

Book of Hope: Healthcare and Survival in the North
By Agnes R. Pascal. Fernwood Publishing. Out Apr. 22.

The Edge of Yesterday
By Rita Woods. Forge Books. Out Apr. 29.

One Way Witch
By Nnedi Okorafor. DAW. Out Apr. 29.