The best new books coming in April address a wide range of topics, from a sweeping anthology illuminating the history of black farmers in America to the first-hand account of an EMT in New York City. This month welcomes the return of award-winning authors such as Jhumpa Lahiri and Haruki Murakami, as well as first novels by Morgan Jerkins and Joanne Tompkins. here, the best books to read in April.
We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating Black Farmers, Land, and Heritage, Natalie Baszile (April 6)
In her new anthology, Natalie Baszile examines the relationship between Black farming and American culture through essays, photography, first-person accounts, and more. Together, these pieces dissect the legacy of black farmers in the us. uu. and the impact of land loss and food injustice over generations. By illuminating how these farmers persevered in the face of such challenges, baszile creates a poignant collection about identity, food, and community.
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buy now: we are the harvest of each one in the bookstore | Amazon
I’m waiting for you: and other stories, Kim Bo-young (April 6)
The two sets of paired stories in Kim Bo-young’s recently translated work of speculative fiction confront life’s biggest questions: how long can love last? Who decides what makes a person good or bad? And is there really such a thing as free will? These are heavy topics, but Kim tackles them with playful prose and a creative eye. Her narratives, which are set in the future, prompt us to reconsider our present and everything we take for granted.
buy now: I’ll wait for you at the bookstore | Amazon
my broken tongue, quiara joy hudes(April 6)
In her memoir, pulitzer prize-winning playwright quiara alegría hudes details coming of age in philadelphia surrounded by her puerto rican family. In lyrical terms, she describes the stories that filled her life, told in both English and Spanish, and examines her relationship to language. In the process, she considers how these stories have informed her art and sense of home. The result is a moving self-portrait of an author who analyzes the worlds she traveled and the communities she encountered along the way.
buy now: my tongue broken in bookstore | Amazon
caul baby, morgan jerkins (April 6)
In her debut novel, Morgan Jerkins tells the story of the notorious Melancons, a family in Harlem who gain special powers from Caul, an amniotic layer of skin that gives them miraculous healing properties. Preoccupied with questions of motherhood, fertility, and race, Jerkins captures the melancholies and her hold on the community, which begins to unravel as the youngest member of the family begins to question where she really came from.
buy now: caul baby in bookstore | Amazon
The Tough Crowd: Essays 2000-2020, Rachel Kushner (April 6)
novelist rachel kushner combines journalism, memoir, and criticism in her new collection of essays. the 19 pieces, which are from the last 20 years of the author’s career, are broad in scope. in one, Kushner recounts a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp; In another, she reflects on the music scene of her youth in San Francisco. Throughout, her energetic voice transports the reader as she ponders art, nostalgia, writing, and more.
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buy now: the hard crowd at the bookstore | Amazon
first response: a memoir of life, death and love on the front lines of new york city, jennifer murphy (april 6)
as an emt in new york city, jennifer murphy can provide an intimate look at what it’s like to be on the front lines. In her memoir, she offers a window into the world of EMTs, describing the pain and chaos that comes with being a first responder (along with some unexpected but necessary moments of humor). The book is a harrowing account of Murphy’s experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, catapulting readers into scenes of crisis and rescue efforts.
buy now: first response in bookstore | Amazon
first person singular: stories, haruki murakami (April 6)
The highly anticipated new book from celebrated author Haruki Murakami features eight short stories, and as described in the title, each is told by a first-person narrator. the question of perspective is important, as these narrators can offer glimpses into the author’s own thoughts. Featuring the magical realism he is best known for, Murakami’s latest collection ranges from narratives about music to baseball to jazz albums and more.
buy now: first person singular in bookstore | Amazon
good company, cynthia d’aprix sweeney (april 6)
While preparing for her daughter Ruby’s upcoming high school graduation, Flora Mancini discovers an envelope with her husband’s wedding ring inside, which is curious because she claimed to have lost the ring in a pond during a trip. summer many years before. The reappearance of the ring has unforeseen consequences, which extend throughout the second novel by cynthia d’aprix sweeney, author of the nest. Navigating the many fissures in her relationships with her husband and her best friend, Flora must come to terms with everything she didn’t know about those closest to her.
buy now: good company in bookstore | Amazon
what comes next, joanne tompkins (april 13)
Joanne Tompkins’ gripping debut novel begins with the most unpleasant ending: the apparent murder-suicide of best friends Jonah and Daniel. The teens leave behind a devastated Quaker community in Washington state where Daniel’s father, Isaac, encounters an unlikely guest, a 16-year-old pregnant girl. tompkins shifts perspective, including the distressing thoughts of one of the children before her death, to reveal the harrowing intersections of her characters’ lives. what comes nextis equal parts a thrilling mystery and a painful examination of pain and guilt.
buy now: what comes next in the bookstore | Amazon
i am a girl from africa, elizabeth nyamayaro (april 20)
when she was 8 years old, elizabeth nyamayaro was surrounded by death and devastation when a wind current swept over her village in zimbabwe. a united nations humanitarian worker saved her from starvation. In her memoir, Nyamayaro explores this transformative moment in her childhood and how it led her to become a fierce advocate and activist for change. She shares personal stories of perseverance as she reflects on what it took to get to the UN. herself as senior advisor, where she went on to launch the heforshe campaign.
shop now: i’m a girl from africa in the bookstore | Amazon
From a whisper to a rallying cry: the assassination of vincent chin and the trial that launched the asian-american movement, paula yoo (april 20)
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In 1982, Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was beaten to death by two white men in a club. Mixing court transcripts, interviews and more, Paula Yoo revisits this horrific murder and the trial that followed. From a whisper to a rallying cry, written for young readers, is a painful account of the aftermath of chin’s death, from the outrage it provoked over hate crimes and racism to the protests that shaped the Asian-American movement. .
buy now: from a whisper to a rallying cry in the bookstore | Amazon
crying at h mart: memoir, michelle zauner (april 20)
Expanding on her 2018 viral essay of the same name, Michelle Zauner poignantly explores her relationship with her mother, food, and identity in her new memoir. Zauner, the indie pop star who performs under the moniker Japanese Breakfast, describes her difficult adolescence as one of the only Asian-American girls at her school in Oregon. When Zauner was 25, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, forcing the singer to grapple with her Korean American identity and her mother’s presence in her life. In her book, she captures, in penetrating terms, the powerful connections between food and family.
shop now: crying at h mart in bookstore | Amazon
You Are the Best You Have: Vulnerability, Resilience to Shame and the Black Experience, tarana burke and brené brown (editors) (April 27)
curated by tarana burke, the founder of the ‘me too’ movement and bestselling author brené brown, this powerful new collection of essays brings together a group of influential black voices, including kiese laymon, imani perry, austin Channing Brown and Jason Reynolds. his pieces focus on vulnerability and resistance to shame, and ask pressing questions about the impact of white supremacy on black lives.
buy now: you are the best of the bookstore | Amazon
whereabouts, jhumpa lahiri (April 27)
In her first novel in nearly a decade, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jhumpa Lahiri tells the story of an anonymous woman who questions who she is and where she fits in the world. The reader gets to know this contemplative storyteller through a series of vignettes showcasing her artful observational skills and Lahiri’s penetrating prose. whereabouts finds the protagonist often wandering around her European city, reflecting on her relationship with her mother and the people who come and go in her life. is a calm and emotional text, originally written in Italian and translated into English.
buy now: whereabouts in bookstore | Amazon
white magic: essays, elissa washuta (April 27)
ten interconnected essays make up elissa washuta’s new electric nonfiction collection. In them, the author, who is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, reveals her efforts to heal after years of battling sobriety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder. She asks haunting questions about intoxication, love, pain and more, all while interjecting references to the pop culture that has informed her life, from Twin Peaks to Stevie Nicks. These are seemingly disparate threads, but Washuta ties them together in her quest to understand the impact of all she has endured.
buy now: white magic in bookstore | Amazon
write to annabel gutterman at annabel.gutterman@time.com.
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