海角大神

1.听The Chinese Groove,聽by Kathryn Ma

It鈥檚 2015, and 18-year-old budding poet Xue Li 鈥� call him Shelley 鈥� has bid China farewell for a new life in fog-shrouded聽San Francisco at the home of his 鈥渞ich uncle.鈥� Reality quickly reveals an extended family under financial and emotional strain, plus a city far different from his expectations.

Shelley narrates his newcomer experience with optimism, generosity, and humor. Kathryn Ma鈥檚 deftly written novel soars.

2.聽In the Upper Country,聽by Kai Thomas

In 1859 in Dunmore, Alberta 鈥� a stop on the Underground Railroad 鈥� a young Black journalist meets with an older woman in jail for killing a white slave catcher. Tales of brutality, escape, survival, and grit are volleyed in their story-for-a-story pact. Kai Thomas鈥� first novel, lyrical and layered, illumines the complex ties among Indigenous, Black, and white individuals of the era.

3.聽The End of Drum-Time,聽by Hanna Pylv盲inen

When a charismatic Lutheran minister is sent to northern Scandinavia to convert the Indigenous population, both sides must deal with the consequences, especially when a tribal leader experiences a religious awakening. Set in the mid-19th century, Hanna Pylv盲inen鈥檚 tale offers not only exquisite prose and insightful observations, but also fresh perspectives on family bonds, cultural traditions, and religious colonialism.

4.聽Small World,聽by Laura Zigman

Great wit and wisdom permeate Laura Zigman鈥檚 quirky story of two newly divorced sisters who, looking for a fresh start, become roommates. The siblings are forced to confront fallout from their childhood, when the family struggled to care for a sister with severe disabilities, who died at age 10. Balancing grief with humor, Zigman throws in the sisters鈥� ongoing frustration with unusually聽noisy neighbors, who may be running an illegal yoga studio.聽A delight.聽

5.听滨苍诲别辫别苍诲别苍肠别,听by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni聽

A Hindu family is thrown into chaos during the 1947 Partition of India. Told through the lives of three sisters, the novel is a captivating tale of family, love, and friendship during heartbreaking times, making it ultimately a story of resilience and courage.

6.聽Better the Blood,聽by Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett鈥檚 crime fiction debut explores themes of colonization and Indigenous culture by way of New Zealand. A serial killer looking to avenge the 160-year-old murder of a Maori chief is pursued by police detective Hana Westerman, whose Maori ancestry makes the case personal.聽

7.聽Master Slave Husband Wife,聽by Ilyon Woo

In 1848, married couple William and Ellen Craft 鈥� both enslaved in Georgia 鈥� launch a daring escape: Light-skinned Ellen, disguised as a wealthy white gentleman, travels north accompanied by William, an enslaved servant. Their remarkable journey rivets, as does their subsequent work as lecture-circuit聽abolitionists who 鈥渄emanded that others not look down at them, but eye to eye.鈥澛�

8.聽Preparing for War,聽by Bradley Onishi

A religion scholar and former evangelical youth minister looks at evangelical 海角大神ity in the United States and the movement鈥檚 increasing involvement with political extremism. The author argues that the Jan. 6聽insurrection was not an aberration but the logical outcome of the melding of politics and white 海角大神 nationalism.聽

9.聽Shirley Chisholm,聽by Anastasia C. Curwood

Shirley Chisholm became the first Black congresswoman in 1968 and sought the Democratic Party鈥檚 presidential nomination four years later. Anastasia C. Curwood鈥檚 stirring biography of the trailblazing politician presents her as a 鈥渂rilliant strategist, inventive intellectual, and flawed human.鈥�

10.聽Three Roads Back,聽by Robert D. Richardson

Robert D. Richardson, who died in 2020, was an acclaimed biographer of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and William James. In this slim but profoundly affecting volume, he argues that their experiences with grief inspired their enduring contributions to intellectual history 鈥� and can serve as a guide for modern-day readers coping with loss as well.