"Break the System"

New from the University of Chicago Press: Break the System: Criminalized Black Mothers and the Reproductive Politics of Abolition by Susila Gurusami.

About the book, from the publisher:

Upends the “broken systems” myth and reveals how the law deliberately criminalizes and punishes Black women, inflicting lasting harm on Black communities in the process.

The United States has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world, with Black Americans representing a disproportionate share of theimprisoned. Many view this statistic as evidence of a broken system. But sociologist Susila Gurusami argues that the carceral system that so disproportionately harms Black families is not broken at all. In fact, it works just as it was intended. Looking closely at the lives of formerly incarcerated Black mothers, Gurusami shows how state institutions―the criminal-legal, child welfare, and healthcare systems―keep Black mothers from their families, harming Black communities in the process. She also shows how Black women work towards conditions that seem impossible―and even utopian―as part of their everyday mothering labor, but find themselves criminalized for these same actions.

Drawing on ethnographic data and interviews with formerly incarcerated Black women in South Los Angeles, Gurusami challenges dominant assumptions about mothering and criminal justice reform. Gurusami finds that criminalized Black women endure multigenerational political, social, and embodied assaults–what she calls “reproductive warfare”― and still, they build networks, practices, and theories of radical care that protect Black maternal life, legacies, and futures. With incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and system-impacted Black mothers at the forefront of the growing movement to abolish prisons and jails, Gurusami demonstrates how their everyday mothering work―what she calls “abolitionist motherwork”―is essential to imagining the end of incarceration and ultimately achieving it.

Written with a tender and honest voice, Break the System shares moving vignettes that underscore why we must break the system, rather than reform it, and why we must imagine a future that is radically different than the one we’re told we must accept or salvage.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Dead Girls"

Coming September 22 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers: Dead Girls by Beck Kubrick, illustrated by Beck Kubrick.

About the book, from the publisher:

The teen daughter of an infamous serial killer must prove she isn’t the one behind recent copycat murders in this witty and laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that’s a campy, feminist send-up of slashers that both celebrates and subverts classic tropes.

In the cozy town of Clossdale, a serial killer rampages! Five girls missing in as many weeks! Bodies turning up on the forest floor! And all fingers point to one vile fiend: Ash Hargreeves.

Except Ash didn’t do it. She may be the daughter of the infamous Clossdale Killer, and these copycat killings aren’t exactly convincing proof of her innocence—and okay, she’s kind of a weirdo who has two friends total, but when the murders strike a little too close to home, Ash decides to take a stand.

With the help of her besties, Ash is going to hunt down the killer, clear her mother’s name, and stop there from being any more dead girls—now and forever. After all, WWJLD: what would Jamie Lee do?

Visit Beck Kubrick's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay"

Coming in October from Rose Metal Press: The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay: Insights and Prompts from Contemporary Writers and Teachers, edited by Heidi Czerwiec and Lee Horikoshi Roripaugh.

About the book, from the publisher:

FEATURING ESSAYS FROM: Chelsea Biondolillo • KJ Cerankowski • Ching-In Chen • Oliver de la Paz • Danielle Cadena Deulen • Camille T. Dungy • Jeannine Hall Gailey • Rigoberto González • torrin a. greathouse • Kimiko Hahn • Lily Hoàng • Michael Kleber-Diggs • Rowan McCandless • Sarah Minor • Rajiv Mohabir • Vi Khi Nào • Aimee Nezhukumatathil • Natanya Ann Pulley • Diane Seuss • Sun Yung Shin • Brian Turner • Katrina Vandenberg • Julie Marie Wade • chaun webster • The Cyborg Jillian Weise • Marco Wilkinson

The fifth volume in the immensely popular Field Guide series, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay gives readers an extraordinary window into the methods of 26 expert practitioners at the leading edge of this ever-evolving genre.

With original craft essays, exercises, and examples, each contributor offers reflection and instruction on how lyric essays can be constructed and what makes them unique. As experts in the field, they offer their various approaches to creative nonfiction that uses an essay form, but is lyric in function, meaning that it pays special attention to patterning in language and the resonances of sound and imagery. The anthology’s expertise spans possible forms (braid, fragment, hermit crab, zuihitsu), lyric techniques (anaphora, fractal repetition, word associations, use of white space), and lyric processes (incorporating research or visual elements, engineering leaps, sustaining a longform lyric essay). Editors Heidi Czerwiec and Lee Horikoshi Roripaugh further illuminate the genre in their introduction, exploring the history of the lyric essay and its vital place in contemporary literature. This field guide is an indispensable addition to the bookshelf of any reader, writer, or instructor intrigued by this inventive and expressive genre.

Learn more about the book at the publisher's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Our Common Thread"

Coming July 7 from Little A: Our Common Thread: A Novel by Kahli Scott.

About the novel, from the publisher:

In this enchanting tale of modern love and timeless romance, a young woman’s extraordinary discovery whisks her away to alternate timelines―a multitude of possibilities, a singular love story.

Disconnected and listless, Mattie Bridges is fraying at the edges. Working as a wardrobe assistant on a charming Christmas movie in an even more charming small town should be a balm to her turmoil. But she still can’t find her footing.

And after getting lost in her own closet, her life―or more accurately, her lives―becomes a lot more unsteady.

Following a passageway hidden behind her clothes hangers, Mattie uncovers a portal to all the paths her life could have taken. Each reality sees her in a different career, different headspace, and sometimes, a different romance.

Meanwhile, in her current reality, she’s trying to untangle her feelings for her coworker, charming actor Austin Farrow. Between professional decorum and past trauma, Mattie doesn’t feel ready to explore that story further.

But if she’s been paying attention, she might see that her multiple realities aren’t that different after all. There’s a common thread running through them, and Mattie needs to decide whether to knot the thread, or let it unravel.

Visit Kahli Scott's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Price of Justice"

New from the University of California Press: The Price of Justice: Money and the Limits of Sexual Violence Lawsuits by Benjamin R. Weiss.

About the book, from the publisher:

Given an unpredictable criminal legal system and a fraying social safety net, sexual violence victims increasingly turn to civil lawsuits to find justice. They sue offenders and responsible organizations directly, seeking recognition, resources, and reform. But at what cost? Benjamin R. Weiss uses in-depth interviews and legal case analysis to reveal how the civil legal system's reliance on financial compensation to remedy sexual harm limits who can seek civil justice and on what terms. He shows that instead of delivering justice, the process often deepens inequalities and compounds suffering, especially for those most in need. In The Price of Justice, Weiss offers victims, advocates, and academics alike an astute assessment of the law's promise to rectify harm and redistribute power―and inspires readers to imagine what it would take to meet all victims' needs and drive lasting social change.

Visit Benjamin R. Weiss's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Clean Slate"

Coming August 4 from Thomas & Mercer: Clean Slate (Book 1 of 1: Olive Hunt) by Brianna Labuskes.

About the novel, from the publisher:

A crime scene cleaner is on the trail of a serial killer in a breathtaking novel of psychological suspense by USA Today bestselling author Brianna Labuskes.

Death pays well for Olive Hunt, a crime scene cleaner who channels her childhood traumas into erasing the suffering of others. After nearly ten years, she’s seen it all. Nothing rattles her anymore.

Until now.

Two back-to-back suicides. A seedy motel. An upscale Atlanta hotel. No connection―except that Olive discovers the same strange item at each scene. Then a third body drops. Olive knows what the police refuse to see: These aren’t suicides. They’re murders staged to perfection.

Then the roses arrive. A vase of bloodred blooms on her doorstep. An anonymous note: Thank you.

She’s found him. A serial killer who’s been leaving breadcrumbs only she can see. A killer who’s been cleaning up his work―knowing she’ll clean up after him. A killer who wants her to follow.

And follow she must. No matter how terrifying the trail becomes.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Television Is Where You Find It"

New from Rutgers University Press: Television Is Where You Find It: A History of Feature Filmmakers in TV by Craig S. Simpson.

About the book, from the publisher:

Television Is Where You Find It is a revelatory journey into the overlooked world of feature filmmakers who brought their cinematic vision to the small screen between 1955 and 1990―long before directing for television became trendy in the age of “Prestige TV.” With ten compelling case studies―from legends like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and Orson Welles to trailblazers like Ida Lupino, Melvin Van Peebles, and Martin Scorsese―author Craig S. Simpson uncovers how these directors reshaped the language of television with style and imagination.

Far from simply dabbling in a “lesser” medium, these filmmakers pushed the boundaries of what TV could do, crafting bold, innovative work that challenges the old notion that television belongs solely to writers and producers. In this fresh, critical study, Television Is Where You Find It makes a case for rediscovering and reevaluating a rich chapter of television history―one in which cinematic artistry quietly flourished, often hidden in plain sight.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Tell Two Friends"

Coming September 8 from Lake Union: Tell Two Friends by Ann Garvin.

About the book, from the publisher:

A wickedly funny and empowering thriller about women, the manipulators who underestimate them, and keeping your dignity while saving the day by the author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.

Jane Baye is a regular person, good at a lot of things, but identifying the serial killer right in front of her isn’t one of them.

In 1990, college senior Jane wrote to an incarcerated woman because it seemed like a nice thing to do. Thirty-six years later, that felon, actually a man, has moved in next door. He’s watching her every move, with a decades-long plan for Jane that a nice person like her would never see coming.

Especially because Jane is wrapped up in her own problems: a small-town golden boy with talk of forever and a diabolical history of cheating. When she exposes her ex, the entire town of Wonder Lake turns against her.

It’s no wonder she doesn’t see what’s coming on the night of the Norwegian heritage festival.

But woe to those who mistake Jane for a pushover. When celebration becomes a fight for survival, the very qualities that make her ordinary become the weapons she’ll bet everything on.

Visit Ann Garvin's website.

Writers Read: Ann Garvin (July 2014).

My Book, The Movie: The Dog Year.

The Page 69 Test: The Dog Year.

Coffee with a Canine: Ann Garvin & Peanut.

My Book, The Movie: There's No Coming Back from This.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Lahore After Modernism"

New from Stanford University Press: Lahore After Modernism: Architecture and Its Histories in Pakistan by Chris Moffat.

About the book, from the publisher:

In the decades after independence in 1947, architects in Pakistan were enlisted to build a postcolonial future―a new world after empire. But the debris of the past could not be so easily swept aside. The recalcitrance of local and regional histories was fiercely evident in Lahore, the centuries-old capital of Punjab and a city scarred by the partition of British India. Studying its streets, neighborhoods and historic buildings, Pakistani architects came to challenge the global consensus around "development" and its close association with modernist architecture. Their designs and structures became opportunities for thinking anew about the power of history, the boundaries of the nation, and the constitution of community in a postcolonial polity.

This book is a pioneering study of architecture and the politics of construction, destruction and conservation in urban Pakistan. Chris Moffat introduces Pakistan's first postcolonial generation of architects―figures born around the time of partition, who began practicing in the 1960s and whose early careers navigated popular rebellions, military coups and emergent, pan-Islamic alignments. Moving from housing schemes to monuments, shrines to shopping malls, Moffat forges a new conversation between histories of architecture and the history of ideas in South Asia, and locates Lahore at the center of debates around contemporary urbanization, postcolonial aesthetics, and the ethics of dwelling in the modern world.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Intercepted"

New from Berkley: Intercepted (Playbook, The) by Alexa Martin.

About the book, from the publisher:

From the USA Today bestselling author of Better Than Fiction comes a football romance that's a winner.

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there's a new player on the horizon, and he's in a league of his own.

Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There's just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.

Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team's wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee's return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.

Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin's relationship to survive the season.

Visit Alexa Martin's website.

--Marshal Zeringue