7 New Reads To Add To Your Bookshelf For The Holidays

Amanda Gorman’s monumental 2021 started with a life-changing poetry performance at the presidential inauguration and it is finishing with the release of her first two books. In October, the poet and activist unveiled Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem – a joyous, lyrical picture book – and now she shares Call Us What We Carry, a compelling collection of poetry, which includes her inauguration poem, The Hill We Climb. The 70 poems span themes of identity, history, hope, grief and healing, as Gorman continues to establish herself as one of the most exciting and inspiring voices of her generation. Out on December 7

In one of the most talked-about releases of the year, model and actor Emily Ratajkowski pens a courageous collection of essays, following the blistering piece, Buying Myself Back, that she wrote for The Cut earlier this year. In an examination of body politics, feminism, sexuality and power, she recounts her own appalling experiences, while reflecting on society’s commodification of women and the obsession with, and fetishization of, female beauty. Out now

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s searing debut has already been picked up by Netflix for an adaptation, having received wide critical praise for its haunting storytelling. Set in the near future, the plot follows a violent racist attack by white supremacists in Charlottesville and the days of refuge that follow. Led by Da’Naisha, a young Black descendent of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, a group seeks shelter at the historic plantation home of Jefferson, while a nation unravels around them. Out now

The Rothschild dynasty has been the subject of years of speculation across media and literature for its synonymity with power and wealth, but now the influence of the oft-overlooked side of the family is being brought to the fore. Historian Natalie Livingstone delves into the family members’ astounding lives between the 19th and 21st centuries, taking readers from the East End of London and Bletchley Park to the Vatican and Palestine. Out now

Another pertinent essay collection and memoir comes from the Women’s Prize for Fiction-winning author of The Dutch House. This time, Ann Patchett explores family, friendship, marriage, loss and everything in between in an illuminating and penetrating series of personal and broader reflections. Out now

Renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei shares extraordinary stories from his and his father’s lives, set within the past century of history in China and encompassing the forces that have shaped it. In a deeply intimate but equally epic portrait, it incorporates the roots of his creativity to his impassioned political views. Out now

The latest release from Helen Oyeyemi (Gingerbread; Boy, Snow, Bird; and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours) is a captivating story set on a bizarre sleeper-train journey, where a couple take a trip well beyond their wildest imaginations, fusing their pasts and, ultimately, changing their futures forever. Out now