#BookClub: 5 New Books by Women of Color

#BookClub is a new series where I share my top literary picks and favorite authors. To kick things off, here are 5 new must-read books by women of color:

1. A Separation by Katie Kitamura 

Katie Kitamura is a Japanese author and journalist, raised in California. In A Separation, Kitamura tells the story of a woman who agrees to help search for her estranged husband, who goes on a remote island near Greece. 

2. Swallow the Fish by Gabrielle Civil 

Gabrielle Civil is an American performance artist, poet, and educator from Detroit, Michigan. Civil has spent her life studying literature, including a master’s dissertation on the poetry of black women. Swallow the Fish can be described as a memoir on performance art with a black feminist twist. 

3. Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose

Too Much and Not the Mood is the first published book by Brooklyn-based essayist and author Durga Chew-Bose. She was born in Montreal, Canada, and her parents are originally from Calcutta. A collection of 14 essays, Too Much and Not the Mood explores “the complications of growing up and establishing oneself.”

4. No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts 

North Carolina native Stephanie Powell Watts wasn’t satisfied with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, so she wrote her own version. Set in rural North Carolina, No One Is Coming to Save Us is full of lovable and memorable black characters. 

5.  A Good Country by Laleh Khadivi

Laleh Khadivi is an Iranian-American novelist and documentary filmmaker. Her newest novel, A Good Country, tells the story of a young son of Iranian immigrants trying to find his place in America in the face of religious radicalization. 

Have you read any of these books? Have a favorite book or author you want to share? Comment down below, or tweet us at @HCValdosta. Check back soon for new additions to the #BookClub reading list! HCXO!

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