March 2022 Reads for the Rest of Us – Ms. Magazine
Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.
The aims of these lists are threefold:
- I want to do my part in the disruption of what has been the acceptable “norm” in the book world for far too long—white, cis, heterosexual, male;
- I want to amplify amazing works by writers who are women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, APIA/AAPI, international, LGBIA+, TGNC, queer, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities—you know, the rest of us; and
- I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them!
March and April are historically big months for new book releases, and this year is no exception. I’ve narrowed down a list of hundreds of books to 36 this month. In addition to some compelling fiction, there’s imperative nonfiction, memoirs and debuts.
I also want to mention two special releases this month. The first is Worlds of Exile and Bliss, a single volume including three complete novels of Ursula K. Le Guin out March 15 from Tor Essentials. And second, don’t miss the 5th edition of Gloria Anzaldúa’s essential Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza out March 1 from Aunt Lute.
So, on to the list! And I hope you find some ways to celebrate women’s history, this and every month.
Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place
By Neema Avashia (@AvashiaNeema). West Virginia University Press. 171 pages. Out March 1.
Neema Avashia has written the book on being a queer Indian woman in Appalachia – and pulls no punches. A timely collection that begins to fill the gap in literature focused mainly on the white male experience.
Black Women and Public Health: Strategies to Name, Locate, and Change Systems of Power
Edited by Stephanie Y. Evans (@Prof_Evans), Sarita K. Davis, Leslie R. Hinkson, and Deanna J. Wathington. SUNY Press. 336 pages. Out March 1.
This expert volume fills an urgent need for in-depth examinations of race, gender and health.
Border Less
By Namrata Poddar (@poddar_namrata). 7.13 Books. 176 pages. Out March 1.
Not only does this resonant feminist debut challenge normative narratives of immigrant life, but it also disrupts the notion of the Western novel in form and function.
Burning My Roti: Breaking Barriers as a Queer Indian Woman
By Sharan Dhaliwal (@sharanshaliwal_). Hardie Grant. 208 pages. Out March 1.
It’s a memoir, it’s a guide, it’s a celebration of South Asian women. And it’s wonderful!
Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work
By Ruchika Tulshyan (@rtulshyan). MIT Press. 296 pages. Out March 1.
By centering women of color, workplaces can begin to tangibly accomplish meaningful inclusion for all. Luckily for us, Tulshyan has written this guidebook to help us get started.