The Feminist Know-It-All: You know her. You can’t stand her. Good thing she’s not here! Instead, this column by gender and women’s studies librarian Karla Strand will amplify stories of the creation, access, use and preservation of knowledge by women and girls around the world; share innovative projects and initiatives that focus on information, literacies, libraries and more; and, of course, talk about all of the books.

Hello, feminist reader friends! 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:

1. 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;
2. I want to amplify indie publishers and amazing works by writers who are women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, APIA/AAPI, international, queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities—you know, the rest of us; and
3. I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them! 

This month, it’s back to school and back to heavy book-publishing schedules. This, as you know, makes it that much harder to choose the 10 to 15 books I am trying to limit myself to each month. 

One book I want to mention off the top is Gloria Steinem’s new memoir, An Unexpected Life, coming out Sept. 22 from Random House.

I am pretty good at keeping up with forthcoming titles within my scope, but I hate to admit that even I miss occasional outstanding titles. I have two other examples this month.

• I was ready to put this column to bed when I came across a new book by Tananarive Due, Mazywood, publishing on Sept. 22 by S&S/Saga Press. 
• Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, I found another after I’d already sent the draft to my editor! This one is a memoir by Claudia Castro Luna, The Flowers Along the Way, releasing Sept. 15 from Curbstone Books.

I totally missed these titles, and by the time I requested copies to consider, it was too late for me to spend time with them. Bummer. So I didn’t get a chance to read them (yet!), but I’m still saying you should give them a look!

I can’t wait for you to check out the 15 other books I’m recommending this month. So get to it.  

By Amanda Peters. Catapult. Out Sept. 1.

The award-winning author of The Berry Pickers returns with this reflective and gracefully written story of a woman’s exploration of love, motherhood, loss, tradition and family secrets. Through her signature captivating storytelling, Peters reflects on themes of home, family and purpose. 

*

By Guadalupe Rosales. One World. Out Sept. 8.

In her beautiful full-color debut memoir, artist and educator Guadalupe Rosales has brought together stories, photos and other ephemera from her time growing up in East Los Angeles. From poverty, parties and community, to art, freedom and chosen family, from LA to NYC and back again, Rosales captures coming of age in the 1990s with candor, love and hope.   

*

By R. F. Kuang. William Morrow. Out Sept. 8.

Kuang’s latest centers on a young woman who spends her summer in Taipei as part of a Chinese language immersion program. It turns out that Lily must learn a lot more than just her vocabulary words as she grapples with life abroad, crushes, friends and family.

*

By Karishma Jobanputra. And Other Stories. Out Sept. 15.

This short story collection by British Indian writer Karishma Jobanputra made me sublimely uncomfortable. These are defiant, visceral stories that challenge existing conceptions of relationships, motherhood, sex, death, beauty and embodiment from an original new voice.

*

By Lydia Mathis. Roxane Gay Books. Out Sept. 15.

This stunning debut collection centers Black girls and women facing sadness, fear, tenderness, love, disappointment, joy and wanting. From a young girl’s reckoning with adultification, to a first-time mother’s birth experience, these stories are raw, unsettling and evocative.

*

By Alexia Nader. University of Iowa Press. Out Sept. 15.

This lyrically written debut spans three generations of women, their relationships and their art. Across time and space, the women define and redefine their identities while grappling with marriage, motherhood, gender roles, autonomy, desire and love.

*

By Elizabeth Alexander. W.W. Norton & Co. Out Sept. 15. 

In this thoughtful and tender collection of essays, Elizabeth Alexander reflects on the art, poetry and literature of June Jordan, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde and other brilliant creators in search of connection, community and courage. Alexander is in her element as she encourages readers to read, learn history, create, wonder and hope alongside her.    

*

By Laleh Khadivi. Ecco. Out Sept. 22.

After receiving photos from an anonymous sender, Heti begins to question everything she thought she knew about her mother. As the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death approaches, Heti contends with tradition, inheritance and the masks we wear as women.

*

By Kelly Lytle Hernández. W.W. Norton & Co. Out Sept. 22.

In her latest, MacArthur genius Kelly Lytle Hernández does her part to sabotage the machine of immigration and the white nationalism and racial capitalism intentionally baked into its components. Expertly researched and accessibly written, Racist By Design is a book for our times. It’s this month’s #RequiredReading.  

*

By Min Jin Lee. Cardinal. Out Sept. 29.

Don’t let its size deter you! American Hagwon is every bit the immersive epic that Pachinko was, and you’ll be drawn into the Koh family’s story quickly. With themes of education, tradition, class, family, love, loss and more, you don’t want to miss it.

* 

By Marcia Chatelain. Pantheon. Out Sept. 29. 

This is the deeply researched and long-overdue history of the women who helped make the March on Washington possible. In Marcia Chatelain’s capable hands, women such as Rosa Parks, Marian Anderson, Daisy Bates, Anna Hedgeman and Mahalia Jackson receive renewed attention for their imperative roles and humble resilience.

*

By Liza Black (Cherokee). Beacon Press. Out Sept. 29. 

For this one-of-a-kind examination, historian Liza Black conducted fastidious research into five cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people. Leaning into sharp deconstruction and reassemblage of archival records, oral histories, police reports and more, Black reveals vital new perspectives and methods for interrupting the epidemic of settler violence.  

*

By Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Yale University Press. Out Sept. 29.

Alma Thomas (1891-1978) was many things, including a sibling, teacher, artist and brilliant color theorist. In her latest, Alexis Pauline Gumbs shares her experiences studying Thomas’ work and life, creating poetry and prose that evocatively reflects on community, creativity, relationships and wonder.

*

By Deesha Philyaw. Mariner Books. Out Sept. 29

In Deesha Philyaw’s first novel after her hit story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, fierce First Lady Scharisse Freeman sets out to prove her worth to the other pastor’s wives by winning the First Lady USA pageant. What ensues is a cheeky, hilarious and endearing romp that cements Philyaw as one of our most exciting contemporary authors.  

*

By Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau (Bear Clan Anishinaabe). Broadleaf Books. Out Sept. 29.

When journalist Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau began covering Indigenous life for her local Michigan newspaper, she knew the work would be challenging, but she was dedicated to writing stories for Indigenous people from an Indigenous perspective. Part memoir, part reportage, her debut book is a straightforward and gentle account of the intergenerational–and very personal–trauma of Indian boarding schools. 

*

A note from Ms. editors: We want to hear from you for The Majority, a new campaign collecting stories about how reproductive freedom has enabled readers to build the lives they want and need. Poll after poll shows a majority of Americans support reproductive healthcare access. Yet public debate overlooks the lives shaped by abortion access, contraception, IVF, miscarriage care, maternal healthcare or comprehensive sex education—countless women who chose to pursue an education, have children, not have children, protect their health and chart their own future. Add your voice and complete the sentence: “Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to….” Together, these stories will help show not only why reproductive freedom remains a majority value, but also what it makes possible.