Gisèle Pelicot, Namwali Serpell, Jon Meacham, and more: 21 new books out today!

I hope everyone enjoyed a hard-earned three day weekend amidst the relentless winter. At the very least temperatures were not dancing around the -15 range, and for this we must celebrate. This Tuesday we welcome a long-awaited biography of Toni Morrison, a vulnerable and revealing memoir by Gisèle Pelicot, a memoir by Mark Haddon, and more. In literary fiction news, there is always cause to celebrate. This week Grant Ginder, Lillian Li, and Claire Oshetsky number among our anxiously anticipated literary authors. Another cold week, another week of warm reads. Enjoy!

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Gisèle Pelicot, trans. by Ruth Diver and Natasha Lehrer A Hymn to Life
(Penguin Press)

“A moving story of survival, testimony, and courage, and an unforgettable portrait of a woman who broke her silence, reclaimed her voice, and forced a reckoning.”
–From the publisher

Namwali Serpell, On Morrison
(Hogarth)

“This is a book that rises to the challenge of extending and expanding a legacy by giving the person at the heart of that legacy time, rigor, and care.”
–Hanif Abdurraqib

Jon Meacham, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Nation
(Random House)

“A panoramic collection of historical writing, illuminating America’s evolving democracy and the dissent that drives it. Broad in scope yet vivid.”
–Kirkus

Grant Ginder, So Old, So Young
(Gallery)

“A resonant exploration of platonic love and what it takes to grow up and grow together. Ginder writes about friendship with his signature wit and insight.”
–Coco Mellors

Mark Haddon, Leaving Home: A Memoir in Full Colour
(Doubleday)

“Haddon’s recollections create a moving cumulative effect; he gives readers the space to savor his epiphanies and arrive at their own.”
–Shelf Awareness

Lillian Li, Bad Asians
(Henry Holt)

“Lillian Li is an unsparing observer of our unsparing times.”
–Susan Choi

Shelley Puhak, The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster
(Bloomsbury)

“A stunning feminist reconsideration of one of history’s most reviled villainesses.”
–Publishers Weekly

Claire Oshetsky, Evil Genius
(Ecco)

“A remarkable exploration of domestic abuse, coming-of-age, and the freedom to build our own lives.”
–Booklist

Christopher Beha, Why I Am Not an Atheist: The Confessions of a Skeptical Believer
(Penguin Press)

“A profound and honest book that proves intelligent belief is not an oxymoron, that both faith and doubt can nurture the soul.”
–Alice McDermott

Jess Shannon, Cleaner
(Scribner)

“A disaffected young woman’s work as a cleaner takes her on an increasingly surreal search for a creative fulfillment, gainful employment, and the meaning of life in this sharp, tragicomic debut.”
–From the publisher

Ryan Gingeras, Mafia: A Global History
(Avid Reader Press)

“A wide-ranging history … A revealing study of organized crime and its many forms.”
–Kirkus

Torborg Nedreaas, Nothing Grows by Moonlight
(Modern Library)

“A striking ode to longing, desire, and heartbreak, and a timeless testament to the power of sharing our stories.”
–From the publisher

Maria Popova, Traversal
(FSG)

“A masterful exploration of life’s meaning by weaving together profiles of visionaries and discussions of science, art, and nature.”
–Publishers Weekly

Mohammed Hanif, Rebel English Academy
(Grove)

“An elegantly spun tale that punctures holes in our every expectation of life in an authoritarian state.”
–Kirkus

Rahul Bhattacharya, Railsong
(Bloomsbury)

“The novel’s witty, slightly Dickensian tone offers both humor and poignancy. This bildungsroman concerning one woman’s quest to define her identity also brings India into sharp focus.”
–Kirkus

Rolan Ennos, The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization
(Scribner)

“A nimble, wide-ranging history of homo faber, skillful man.”
–Kirkus

Lauren J. Joseph, Lean Cat, Savage Cat
(Catapult)

“The book that’s been missing from my reading habits: classically glamorous, timelessly seductive.”
–Torrey Peters

Jack Cheevers, Kennedy’s Coup: A White House Plot, a Saigon Murder, and America’s Descent into Vietnam
(Simon and Schuster)

“A paradigm-shifting work of vast research and scholarship.”
–Booklist

Dan Simon, Ashland
(Europa)

“Simon creates a tapestry of voices and tones with extraordinary skill and emotional resonance.”
–Colm Tóibín

Maria Stepanova, trans. by Sasha Dugdale, The Disappearing Act
(New Directions)

“Captivating and capacious … It’s a stunner.”
–Publishers Weekly

D. S. Waldman, Atria: Poems
(Liveright)

“Thoughtful, meditative, lyrical.”
–Victoria Chang