Literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends five books to read this fall. (Courtesy the publishers)
Who am I? Where do I belong? Are algorithms going to bring my downfall? These are just some of the questions on the minds of authors this fall. From wacky “Freaky Friday”-like body swaps with poignant self-reflection to searing indictments of the American education system to not-so-distant technological futures, these books stare into the abyss and the abyss stares back.
‘Flip‘
Ngozi UkazuSept. 23
The movie “Freaky Friday” explores what’s more cringe than swapping bodies with your mother? “Flip,” the latest graphic novel from Yale University alumna Ngozi Ukazu, answers: switching bodies with your crush. After a video promposal gone wrong, Chi-Chi Ekeh suddenly finds herself walking in the shoes of the boy who publicly rejected her. Flip Henderson — a rich, white, star athlete — has a lot to learn about navigating the life of an awkward, nerdy, K-pop-loving Black girl. With both teens struggling with mental health, unexplainable body-swap magic, and finishing senior year, the road to reversing the curse must be paved with self-acceptance.
Oct. 14
In her debut poetry collection “HOME FREE,” Aparna Paul wrestles with multigenerational homesickness. As the child of immigrants, she wonders if her home is the American culture of fast food chains and microaggressions from tennis coaches, bus drivers and baristas? Or is it “mukhwas, fennel seeds & anise & rose leaves, sugared sweet, hard on the teeth,” and living with a name that means both “empty” and “anything might bloom?” Paul is the host of Narrative Bookshop’s monthly “Flow State” open mic series and a seasoned member of the Boston Poetry Slam team. Her written work proves just as evocative, with deft use of white space to punctuate sparse words and cleverly encoding a voicemail from her mom within another narrative. With topics ranging from communing with eldritch horrors at the McDonald’s drive-thru to confronting the English language as a force of both colonization and healing, “HOME FREE” displays masterful talent.
Oct. 14
Between slashed school funding, book bans and ICE raids, many people are worried about education losing its footing as “the great equalizer.” But has the U.S. ever come close to achieving this ideal? Harvard University professor Jarvis R. Givens’ latest history book provides a searing indictment of the American education system. Marginalized students have been more than just underserved by public schools — they’ve been systematically excluded and dehumanized. Givens chronicles horrific ironies. Enslaved Black children were forbidden from reading and writing, yet forced to serve institutions like Harvard built from the profits of slave labor. The U.S. War Department systematically tore Indigenous children away from their families for boarding schools, where they were physically abused, exploited for manual labor, and stripped of their native languages and cultures. Givens reflects how modern attitudes toward BIPOC students and their academic performance are rooted in these traumas. An unflinching portrait of the U.S. education system’s underbelly, “American Grammar” is a warning that rewriting U.S. history is a core part of our curriculum.
Oct. 14
In the near-future setting of Ken Liu’s sci-fi thriller, mandatory tracking hardware is installed in phones and 99% of online interactions occur between AIs. “Data was like pollution: the less of it one generated, the better,” says protagonist Julia Z early in the novel. She has been keeping a low profile since her last large-scale hacking job got raided. But even her wunderkind AI cybersecurity skills may have met their match against a force more sinister than local law enforcement and the big cloud tech giants. To skirt unwanted attention from powerful criminals (and to pay her mounting bills), Julia accepts a high-profile job finding a missing woman who designs bespoke shared dreams. Infusing AI with personalities, traversing virtual realities, and an all-too-realistic AI-driven future, Liu’s latest novel is another triumph. Like his protagonist Julia, Liu lives outside of Boston.
Ken Liu will be in conversation with R.F. Kuang on Oct. 14 at The Brattle Theatre. Tickets are $40 and include a copy of the book.
Oct. 28
Even with an Olympic gold medal around her neck, JT Cox feels like a misfit returning to her small New Hampshire hometown. Her artist parents are clearly more proud of her siblings’ creative careers than her athletic talents. The rest of the town has reclaimed JT the Olympian, conveniently forgetting how poorly they treated her as a gay teen on the boys’ hockey team. Except for Ali Porter. Her best friend’s older sister was always kind to her, inspiring JT’s first crush. The town’s annual holiday contest is the perfect excuse for Ali and JT to get to know each other as adults. Ali is newly divorced from her high school sweetheart and ready to explore her bisexuality — and show up her ex-husband and JT’s siblings in the process. But with careers pulling them in opposite directions, will their romantic feelings be snowed out after the holidays? “Yours for the Season” is a heartwarming romance with Hallmark movie charm. Boston-based author Kate Cochrane authentically captures the beauty of New Hampshire and its people beyond the foliage, skiing and lakes.