By Bayley Cornfield, Meg Jones and Genevieve Bernard
Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica L. Schanoes
5 April, Tordotcom
In her debut collection, Veronica L. Schanoes explores the boundaries of genre and society in captivating tales focusing on marginalised women and Jewish culture. Woven together in a delicate blend of fairy tale and speculative fiction, Schanoes balances societal commentary with harrowing and gripping stories. Set against mythological, historical and contemporary backdrops, Burning Girls and Other Stories takes readers on a journey through Baba Yaga and 17th century Germany, up until modern-day America. An award-winning title story, ‘Burning Girls’ examines the true heart of America in an honest and unflinching immigrant narrative. In Schanoes’ tales of vengeance, deceit and empowerment, she crafts incredible female protagonists that everyone can root for.
Everybody: A Book About Freedom by Olivia Laing 29 April, Pan Macmillan
Drawing on the work of figures like Sigmund Freud, Malcolm X and Susan Sontag, Olivia Laing’s Everybody: A Book About Freedom traverses the arduous road to bodily autonomy – from psychoanalysis to gay rights and the civil rights movement. At a time when fears of technology and artificial intelligence are growing every day and freedom seems further away than ever, Laing writes with curiosity and compassion about the ways in which ordinary people can resist and re-imagine life.
Stronger by Poorna Bell 29 April, Pan Macmillan
If you are looking to find some inspiration and inner strength, then look no further than this beautiful and empowering book. Stronger will help to reframe the narrative of what it means to be a strong woman, both mentally and physically. It calls readers to challenge the notions ingrained in human beings from such a young age, like that of strength being solely a male attribute. Bell initiates the crucial conversation about women’s strength and fitness, but one that is not focused on weight loss or the female form. Through telling her own story, as well as those of other inspirational women, Bell’s part-memoire, part-manifesto explores the relationship between the curation of physical strength and the harnessing of mental strength, enabling readers to find the confidence to embrace the best versions of themselves.
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel 6 May, Vintage
In this graphic memoir from the author of Are You My Mother? and Fun Home, Alison Bechdel chronicles her relationship with her body in a bid to discover “the secret to superhuman strength.” Through fitness fads, self-help gurus, philosophy and the teachings of literary figures with a penchant for the great outdoors, Bechdel re-evaluates her lifelong obsession with exercise and what being ‘strong’ in the modern world really means. Beautifully illustrated and characteristically heartfelt as well as humorous, Bechdel’s latest work asks how we can learn to depend on one another again as we come to terms with our own mortality.