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Secret History
Sadiya Ansari
The death of Sadiya Ansari’s grandmother in 2001 marked a significant turning point in her life. Having shared a bedroom with her grandmother for five years, Ansari was faced with an emotional enigma—her grandmother had a secret past, a narrative that left her family divided. “It was a really simple story that my grandmother had left her children,” Ansari reflects, contemplating the stigma attached to her grandmother’s choices as a mother who departed from her children.
Years later, while visiting home during a break from journalism school, Ansari began to probe her father’s memories of her grandmother. With her journalistic lens, she questioned the circumstances that led her grandmother to leave and why she eventually chose to return to her family, treating her return as an act of reconciliation.
In Exile: Rupture, Reunion, and My Grandmother’s Secret Life (House of Anansi, Aug.) emerges from this exploration, as Ansari conducts extensive interviews and pieces together her grandmother’s hidden history. The narrative oscillates between Ansari’s objective reconstruction of those elusive years and insights from her grandmother’s perspective.
Ansari’s memoir reflects her commitment to transparency, acknowledging the missteps she made during her research. Her unique journey has resonated with many who have sought to connect with their family’s past. She encourages openness in these conversations, reassuring others that imperfection is natural.
House of Anansi’s editor, Shivaun Hearne, describes Ansari’s journalistic approach as a key strength, particularly evident in the book’s informative afterword on trauma-informed reporting. “It’s more than just a story; it’s a story about the act of storytelling itself,” Hearne concludes.
Journey Back to Myself
Andrea Currie
Initially, Andrea Currie hesitated to write a memoir, despite being a survivor of the Sixties Scoop in Canada—a time when Indigenous children were separated from their families and placed in white homes. At 38, she reconnected with her Métis heritage, an experience she describes as deeply transformative. Initially, her ambition was to curate a collection of survivor interviews, but the encouragement from others prompted her to consider her own story.
As a psychotherapist working with Indigenous communities, Currie recognized the healing power of storytelling. This led her to weave her personal narrative into Finding Otipemisiwak: The People Who Own Themselves (Arsenal Pulp, Oct.), combining poetry and prose to reveal Canada’s history regarding Indigenous communities.
Currie emphasizes that her book isn’t strictly a memoir. While it includes her experiences, she aims to accurately represent the broader context of the Sixties Scoop, contrasting her relatively positive journey with the traumatic experiences of others, including her adopted brother.
Currie’s literary agent, Samantha Haywood of Transatlantic, admires her unconventional narrative style, stating that Currie’s deliberate departure from typical memoir frameworks allows her to mirror Indigenous storytelling traditions. Currie believes that Indigenous identity is deeply intertwined with land and heritage, enriching her narrative approach.
Fear Factor
Lyta Gold
Lyta Gold’s association with Current Affairs began while she served as a contributor and managing editor; her impactful essay on Todd Phillips’s film Joker caught the attention of publisher Erik Hane. Recognizing Gold’s deeper insights into fiction and politics, Hane reached out to her to explore a larger conversation.
As a fiction writer, Gold initially considered narrative fiction but gradually expanded her focus to the moral panics surrounding fictional narratives, culminating in her book Dangerous Fictions: The Fear of Fantasy and the Invention of Reality (Soft Skull, Oct.). The work critically examines historical and modern crises concerning literature and its societal implications.
Gold’s experiences as a fiction writer uniquely influence her examination of contemporary challenges within the genre. Reflecting on her discontent in the field, she addresses the disparity between a writer’s freedom to create and the practical barriers they face. Her book touches on various subjects, from bans on romantic fantasy books to the significance of representation in literature.
Hane acknowledges that Gold’s writing is sharply insightful and a vital resource for those who engage in heated discussions about literature and media online. He believes her book can contribute to a more meaningful dialogue on these topics.
An Unusual Success
Hahrie Han
Political science professor Hahrie Han’s exploration of an “unusual success story” in Ohio politics birthed her first trade book, Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church (Knopf, Sept.). Following Donald Trump’s electoral win in 2016, Cincinnati citizens voted to support a tax initiative that primarily benefited low-income Black communities, propelled by volunteers from a megachurch called Crossroads.
Han’s research revealed a robust program called Undivided, focused on racial justice, fostering an exploration of how this predominantly white evangelical church became invested in racial equity efforts in a predominantly black socioeconomic context.
Incorporating her previous findings into her writing, Han shares the story of Crossroads’s response to social inequality by closely examining the lives of several program participants. “Most of my career has revolved around understanding how to mobilize people toward social change,” Han reflects, highlighting the innovative ways the church fostered community engagement.
Han’s commitment to writing for a broader audience resonated with Knopf’s Jonathan Segal, who encouraged her to delve into this deeper narrative of racial solidarity and activism.
Outside Issues
Jessica Hoppe
In her memoir First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream (Flatiron, Sept.), Jessica Hoppe reflects on the complexity of the American dream and its pitfalls. With nearly eight years of recovery, she found the candidness of Alcoholics Anonymous refreshing but noted its focus on erasing discussions of significant issues like racial trauma and sexual abuse.
Written in fragments to reflect the storytelling method often found within recovery narratives, Hoppe’s work navigates her path to sobriety while highlighting America’s broader struggles with substance misuse, particularly within marginalized communities. She uncovers the Indigenous roots of contemporary addiction treatment, emphasizing the historical significance of storytelling in supporting recovery.
Hoppe’s journey to writing the book unfolded quickly after her writing gained traction through an online article that resonated with many. The warm reception proved the potential impact of her story, leading to an enthusiastic publication proposal from her literary agent, Johanna Castillo.
Labor of Love
Tia Levings
Author Tia Levings began her first book project, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy (St. Martin’s, Aug.), as a novel at her therapist’s suggestion, but it gradually transformed into a memoir. It captures her experience of domestic abuse within the Quiverfull movement and her subsequent journey toward independence as a single mother of four.
Drawing on a decade’s worth of personal storytelling, Levings blends her life experiences with her creative writing. Her hope is for her memoir to reach those who may be isolated in their conditions, mirroring her own past struggles.
St. Martin’s editor Eileen Rothschild was immediately drawn to Levings’s compelling narrative, seeing the importance of her story reflected in her proposal. Rothschild recognizes Levings as an exceptionally talented writer who still has much to share with the world.
A Chorus
Rebecca Nagle
Rebecca Nagle’s passion for a landmark case affecting the Muscogee reservation ignited in 2017, leading her to extensive research and reporting on the subject. This began with the murder trial of Patrick Dwayne Murphy and evolved into a significant Supreme Court decision regarding tribal land rights.
Nagle’s insights culminated in her podcast, This Land, which further expanded into the book By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight For Justice on Native Land (Harper, Sept.). The work intertwines judicial history with Indigenous narratives, showcasing Nagle’s dedication to fostering a deeper understanding of these critical issues.
Her meticulous research included a comprehensive examination of legal documents and personal interviews with key stakeholders in the ongoing struggle for Indigenous rights. Nagle’s efforts are seen as a collective voice for Native justice and resilience.
Something Ambitious
Aaron Robertson
Aaron Robertson’s journey towards writing his first book, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America (FSG, Oct.), shifted from a novel to a detailed exploration of Black utopian movements upon discovering the Shrine of the Black Madonna’s significance in his hometown of Detroit. This pivot arose as he uncovered the broader historical context of Black countercultural initiatives throughout American history.
Despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Robertson adapted his research methods, utilizing remote interviews to gather essential narratives regarding the ’60s and ’70s. His writing aims to illuminate the transformative visions that have emerged from Detroit, emphasizing the city’s historical role as a site for social change.
FSG’s executive editor Alex Star was captivated by Robertson’s narrative approach and the vital exploration of subjects often overlooked in mainstream discourse.
A Knife and A Pen
Neurosurgeon Theodore Schwartz seamlessly juggles his medical responsibilities and his writing endeavors. His book, Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery (Dutton, Aug.), aims to demystify the complexities of neurosurgery while illustrating the human stories behind the profession.
Schwartz challenges misconceptions about brain surgery, ensuring readers appreciate the dedication, sacrifice, and empathy integral to the practice, illustrating the rigorous training and passion required to succeed.
His book intertwines personal experiences with historical narratives and notable case studies, aiming to provide readers with insights into the significance of a life devoted to the field of neurosurgery.
Through his unique perspective, Schwartz hopes to inspire a sense of wonder about the intersections between science, healing, and human resilience.
What Is Life?
Astrobiologist and theoretical physicist Sara Imari Walker seeks to unravel the mysteries surrounding the concept of life in her book Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence (Riverhead, Aug.). Through her unique assembly theory, she posits that life can be quantified by the number of “steps” required to form an entity.
Dedicated to making advanced scientific concepts accessible, Walker’s writing is enriched by ongoing discoveries in her field, allowing her to address the complexities of existence in real-time.
Riverhead executive editor Courtney Young notes that Walker’s approach fosters a deeper understanding of life’s origins, aiming to engage readers in profound discussions surrounding fundamental questions about existence.
Walker’s educational journey shaped her desire to reach broader audiences, emphasizing the importance of making science engaging and relatable to inspire curiosity in others.
Her progression through various academic milestones, coupled with encouragement from mentors, spurred her to articulate her findings in a manner that resonates with both scientists and general readers alike.
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