The book world lost some greats this week, including Leon F. Litwack (a Pulitzer Prize winning U.S. slavery and segregation historian), Eloise Greenfield (a lifelong activist for African American representation in children’s literature), Stephen Oates (author of many bestselling biographies on American Civil War-era leaders), James Loewen (a renowned educator and racial justice activist who wrote the bestselling book Lies My Teacher Told Me), and Jill Murphy (beloved children’s book author and creator of The Worst Witch).
In industry news, PRH’s Penguin Classics imprint has launched its Green Ideas series, with 20 short books about the environment written by activists like Wangari Maathai, Jared Diamond, Rachel Carson, Greta Thunberg, and more, and McNally Jackson is launching McNally Editions, a paperback reprint series for overlooked classics and hidden gems.
In Catalyst news, two of our authors are making some great appearances elsewhere. Barbara Boswell, author of Unmaking Grace, has a new essay in Brittle Paper. And also in Brittle Paper, a great review of Surfacing: On Being Black and Feminist in South Africa, an anthology (published by Wits University Press) edited by Desiree Lewis and Gabeba Baderoon, which features essays by Barbara and Yewande Omotoso, author of Bom Boy.
Victor Le Valle’s bestselling The Changeling is getting A-lister TV treatment, and the family of Lois Duncan, late author of Who Killed My Daughter, finally has the answer: the killer confessed this week over 30 years after Kaitlyn Duncan’s brutal murder. NPR’s most recent reader poll ranked the best 50 sci-fi/fantasy reads of the last decade, and at long last, someone is making my book soundtrack dreams come true.
And it’s not really book news, but did you know that only 57 of the more than 900 people who have won the Nobel Prize are women? Here’s a comprehensive list of all female Nobel laureates.
This week’s best reading recs round-up: check out these 9 books by Afghan women, 10 new books written and translated by women (speaking of which, did you know we’re having a 20% off sale on Sacrificed by Chanette Paul, translated by Elsa Silke, through the end of August?), and 5 female writers from the UAE making waves in the country’s literary scene. PopSugar ranked the Bridgerton series by sexiness, Lucy Ellmann at The Guardian ranked her favorite literary rants and writers ranked the most memorable trees in literature on LitHub.
Here’s 4 Afro Latinx children’s book creators to watch and 7 books that reimagine the literary western in progressive ways. Take this 90s food quiz for a throwback 90s book set recommendation, then buy your mom one of these 5 books for dog lovers or 20 cozy mystery series for cozy weather (Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death? Count me in).
In thought-provoking reads, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers traces her family lineage and Steve Edwards rereads Thoreau as neurodiverse. On Book Riot, educate yourself on the Brontës and the narrative structure of kishōtenketsu. At LitHub, Jessie Gaynor recommends Lord of the Rings subplots for the series’ new expanded universe TV show, and Michelle Jana Chan explores how the possibility of parental readership shaped her narrative.
PSA: Book Riot says don’t merge your bookshelves with your partner. And finally, my favorite good news of the week: a Turkish woman who learned to read and write at the age of 70 is releasing her memoir.
