The freedom to live life on its own terms is at stake in Omar Youssef Souleimane’s novel "The Last Syrian", about the Arab Spring in Syria. When Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in desperation over the situation in his native... Read More

K-Ming Chang’s "Cecilia" is a surreal novella about the intense, intoxicating memories that surface when an outcast reencounters her childhood best friend. In childhood, Seven’s friendship with Cecilia was passionate to the point of... Read More

Jonathan Corcoran’s poignant memoir "No Son of Mine" chronicles both his life and his mother’s, unraveling the complex emotions involved with grief, family, and acceptance. In 2020, Corcoran received news that his mother, Patty, had... Read More

In David Ciminello’s hilarious novel "The Queen of Steeplechase Park", an Italian American girl’s personality is as big as her heart—and her appetite. In 1930s New Jersey, Bella makes sure everyone knows her name. Her beauty, wit,... Read More

In Molly Ringle’s intoxicating fantasy novel "Ballad for Jasmine Town", humans and fae band together to save their mystical island. In Miryoku, known as Jasmine Town, Rafi feels like two halves of a whole: half human and half fae,... Read More

A vibrant memoir, "It Was Her New York" weaves a tangled web of cultural memories. C. O. Moed’s "It Was Her New York" is a moving, unconventional memoir that blends personal and cultural history to explore the process and aftermath of... Read More

Earth burns, placing billions of people in a state of crisis in Natasha Pulley’s visionary novel "The Mars House". January accepts a spot on a refugee ship to Mars as a means of escaping the “fairy-tale nightmare” of fire-, flood-,... Read More