An explosive work of magical realism, Michael J. DeLuca’s novel "The Jaguar Mask" is about surviving amid cycles of corruption. In Guatemala City, Cristina, an artist stricken by visions, grieves for her mother, Eufemia, who was... Read More

Family wounds are reopened in Leonard Pitts Jr.’s gripping historical novel "54 Miles", a coming-of-age story set during the civil rights movement. Adam was raised in New York by his attentive white father and somewhat distant Black... Read More

The threat of climate change looms over the short stories of Ashley Shelby’s "Honeymoons in Temporary Locations", resulting in a zesty mix of humor, speculative science fiction, and melancholia. Set in a future wracked by environmental... Read More

A literary oxygen mask and a paean to health care workers, psychiatrist David Kopacz’s understanding self-help book illustrates how relatable and treatable issues like burnout are. Kopacz, having himself experienced burnout, notes that... Read More

Based on a true story, this touching picture book demonstrates that hate can always be overcome by love and community—and suggests some age-appropriate methods for being part of the solution. When a lesbian couple’s home is... Read More

Tamela J. Gordon’s memoir-cum-self-help book radically reimagines community care. Living in New York City, working as a server, and self-medicating with alcohol and drugs, Gordon was “Tired of everything.” “My Body wore... Read More

In Ella McLeod’s coming-of-age fairy tale Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair, a Black girl is split between adolescent anxieties and a battle against evil in her magical dreams. In Xaymaca, as foretold by prophecy, the Black witches... Read More

"We Had Fun and Nobody Died" is Amy T. Waldman’s adventure-filled biography of music promoter Peter Jest, who brought legendary rock and folk acts to Milwaukee. Before he became well-known in the music industry, Jest was a prankster... Read More