July 2025 Reads for the Rest of Us
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: 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; 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 I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them! Last month, I introduced you to Violet Pandya, a student at University of Wisconsin-Madison and inaugural GWSL+Ms. intern. This month, I would like to provide a bit more information about this new initiative. As the GWSL+Ms. intern, Violet works with professional staff in both the UW Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian (GWSL) and Ms. magazine. This innovative partnership allows interns to experience feminism in action by applying classroom concepts to daily work in information fields. Violet and other future GWSL+Ms. interns will learn about feminist periodical publishing, academic and public writing, using social media to highlight feminist work, issues related to intellectual freedom and more. In this role, Violet not only assists me with the monthly Reads for the Rest of Us columns but is also learning more about the inner workings of the Office of the GWSL, one of the country’s premier resources for support of feminist, gender, women’s and LGBTQ+ research and librarianship. In addition, Violet is part of a cohort of Ms. interns who are learning about feminist, solutions-focused journalism throughout the pitching, researching, writing, fact-checking and editing processes. Violet wrote most of the introduction to last month’s column, and I’m thrilled to be working with her in this way. You’ll be seeing the work of all the interns in the coming weeks and months, so please watch the website for more updates. Until then, check out the top 22 books that Violet and I are excited about this month! Annapurna’s Bounty: Indian Food Legends Retold By Veena Gokhale. Dundurn Press. Out July 1. From goddesses to gurus and samosas to curries, this volume is a collection of retellings complemented by vegetarian recipes using the rich legends and ingredients of India. Veena Gokhale feeds us mind, body and soul with this wise and delicious book. * Hot Girls with Balls: A Novel By Benedict Nguyen. Catapult. Out July 1. With all the hubbub surrounding trans friends in sports, this satire about two women in a men’s pro indoor volleyball league is just what we need now. Benedict Nguyen serves up a piping hot cup of tea with this perfect balance of political discourse, irony, drama and humor. * Alterations By Cori Winrock. Transit Books. Out July 8. Best known for her poetry, Cori Winrock has written an extraordinary reflection on grief and mourning. Unique in form and feature, Alterations draws from sewing collectives, the moon landing and the children’s book Goodnight Moon to process and explore the loss of her unborn twin child. * Long Distance: Stories By Aysegül Savas. Bloomsbury. Out July 8. This lovingly written debut collection of stories centers on themes of aloneness, expectations, connections and modernity. In fluid and graceful prose, Savas presents whole, complex characters from across the world as they navigate pregnancy, tradition, friendship, love and transitions. * Putafeminista: A Manifesto of Sex Worker Feminism Written by Monique Prada. Translated by Amanda De Lisio. The Feminist Press at CUNY. Out July 8. This insightful manifesta by Brazilian putafeminist Monique Prada encourages readers to dump the hypocritical, colonial and classist whorephobia in favor of a feminism that values the labor, contributions, innovations and solidarities of sex workers. * Sonita: My Fight Against Tyranny and My Escape to Freedom By Sonita Alizada. HarperOne. Out July 8. Afghan rapper and activist Sonita Alizada has written this brave and candid memoir about almost being sold twice as a girl, so her family could purchase a wife for her brother. In response, she wrote and released her first viral song, “Daughters for Sale,” which ultimately became her ticket to freedom. * Blowfish: A Novel Written by Kyung-Ran Jo. Translated by Chi-Young Kim. Astra House. Out July 15. In Japan, a Korea-based sculptor plans to take her own life by eating poisonous blowfish, as her grandmother did, and crosses paths with an architect also reflecting upon suicide. Languid and moody, this novel explores art, life, love and loss in elegant and deliberate prose. * A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children By Haley Cohen Gilliland. Avid Reader Press. Out July 15. Journalist Haley Cohen Gilliland has written a groundbreaking exploration of a group of Argentinian grandmothers determined to locate their kidnapped grandchildren. Immaculately researched and endlessly readable, this unforgettable debut is a testament to ruthless and unchecked far-right military control and the power of collective strength, courage and protest to overcome it. * The Knowing: How the Oppression of Indigenous Peoples Continues to Echo Today By Tanya Talaga (Fort William First Nation). Hanover Square Press. Out July 15. Journalist and writer Tanya Talaga’s work explores the violence and separation Indigenous peoples have endured since the invasion and colonization of Turtle Island. The Knowing is her most personal book yet, as she tells the haunting story of her own family’s harrowing 80-year search for their missing elder, Annie Carpenter. * Make Your Way Home: Stories By Carrie R. Moore. Tin House. Out July 15. Set in the U.S. South, Carrie R. Moore’s debut collection of stories centers Black characters grappling with the histories of space, place, love and loss. From pregnancy to religion, family to memory, the topics of these stories vary widely, but Moore’s talent is unmistakable. * Raging Clouds By Yudori. Fantagraphics. Out July 15. This debut by Korean comic book artist Yudori is the mid-16th-century Sapphic feminist fantasy graphic novel of my dreams. In rich and sensuous illustrations, Yudori tells the story of a woman in a non-consensual marriage and the liberating relationship she develops with her husband’s enslaved mistress. * Coercion: Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans By Kylie Cheung. Pluto Press. Out July 20. In her latest book, Kylie Cheung takes sharply accurate aim at the violence inherent in abortion bans since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Through rigorous research, Cheung investigates the increase in reproductive coercion, harassment, abuse and trauma inflicted upon pregnant-capable people and how collective action is imperative to achieve reproductive justice. * The Library at Hellebore By Cassandra Khaw. Tor Nightfire. Out July 22. For all my dark academia, monster fantasy, body horror friends, Cassandra Khaw has written this bloody librarian nightmare for us all. Visceral, surreal and exceptionally gory, The Library at Hellebore is also super fun for those of us who aren’t afraid to show our teeth when needed. * Love You To Death: A Novel By Christina Dotson. Bantam. Out July 22. Part beach read, part satirical comedy, this road trip thriller had me on my seat until the showstopping end. Brimming with sharp, witty characters and outrageously ludicrous circumstances, this debut novel is spectacular because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still managing to spin a deliciously gripping tale. * Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: A Novel By Katie Yee. S&S/Summit Books. Out July 22. Told in small fragments, anecdotes, and reflections, this debut novel tackles grief, heartbreak and coming to terms with the unimaginable with the best medicine out there: laughter. At times joyful and loving, at others solemn and contemplative, Katie Yee deftly utilizes dark humor as a form of defiance in times of personal hardship. * Necessary Fiction: A Novel By Eloghosa Osunde. Riverhead Books. Out July 22. Eloghosa Osunde’s second novel is for all of us for whom chosen family—while often messy, has always got your back – is our heart and soul. Evocative, original, and fierce, Osunde’s storytelling centers the queer Nigerian experience in its rich setting, vivid language, honest relationships and compassionate heart. * Salt Bones: A Novel By Jennifer Givhan. Mulholland Books. Out July 22. Based on the myth of Persephone and Demeter, Salt Bones is an exceptional reflection on motherhood, secrets and intergenerational trauma. Givhan’s strengths lie in her blending of cultural elements, mystery and magical realism, all layered within lyrical and immersive storytelling. * The Tilting House By Ivonne Lamazares. Counterpoint. Out July 22. Cuban-born author Ivonne Lamazares has written this lush and lyrical coming-of-age novel about two estranged sisters raised under vastly different circumstances. Against the backdrop of a chaotic Cuba, this is a sweeping exploration of immigration, exile, mother-daughter relationships, loss and home. * Beasts of Carnaval: A Caribbean Historical Fantasy Tale of Mystery and Magic at El Carnaval De Bestias By Rosália Rodrigo. MIRA. Out July 29. Rosalia Rodrigo’s debut novel is a haunting story full of magic, mythology and dazzling prose. Following freedwoman Sofia as she searches for her twin brother, this enchanting tale explores the path towards reclamation and justice in the wake of colonization. * The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic By Lindsey Stewart. Legacy Lit. Out July 29. In her latest book, philosophy professor Lindsey Stewart explores the historical roots of conjure women, their ingenuity and their lasting legacy in American culture and life. Through in-depth research and primary narratives, Stewart provides a fascinating account of conjure women’s influences from VapoRub salve and midwifery to hair and textiles. * My Clavicle: And Other Massive Misalignments Written by Marta Sanz. Translated by Katie King. The Unnamed Press. Out July 29. This is a wholly unique, refreshingly candid and often funny autofiction in which Marta Sanz reflects on a small bump she finds on her chest near her clavicle. As she tries everything to determine the cause of her discomfort, the bump moves and morphs over time, as do her reflections on work, anxiety, health and capitalism. * Spirit of the Rainforest: How Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Curiosity Reconnects Us to the Natural World By Rosa Vasquez Espinoza. Gaia. Out July 29. Born in Peru, Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza is a chemical biologist, conservationist and NatGeo Explorer working to protect Amazonian ecosystems and indigenous knowledge. She’s also a remarkable storyteller, which she showcases in her phenomenal debut filled with traditional wisdom, scientific explorations and transformational connections. * Also out this month: Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child StarBy Tamara Yajia. Bloomsbury. Out July 1. Wanting: A NovelBy Claire Jia. Tin House Books. Out July 1. The Lake’s Water Is Never Sweet: A NovelWritten by Giulia Caminito. Translated by Hope Campbell Gustafson. Spiegel & Grau. Out July 8. New and Decolonial Approaches to Gender Nonconformity: Forging A Home For OurselvesEdited by Kit Heyam and Jonathan Ward. Bloomsbury Academic. Out July 10. The BewitchingBy Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Del Rey. Out July 15. Get It Out: On the Politics of HysterectomyBy Andréa Becker. NYU Press. Out July 15. Jamaica Road: A NovelBy Lisa Smith. Knopf. Out July 15. My Train Leaves at Three: A NovelBy Natalie Guerrero. One World. Out July 15. We Are Pregnant with Freedom: Black Feminist Storytelling for Reproductive JusticeBy Stacie Elizabeth Selmon McCormick. University of California Press. Out July 15. The Women’s CourtyardWritten by Khadija Mastur. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. Penguin Classics. Out July 15. Everyone Leaves: A NovelWritten by Wendy Guerra. Translated by Achy Obejas. HarperVia. Out July 22. The House of Madelaine: A NovelBy Elaine Kraf. Modern Library. Out July 22. Mendell StationBy J.B. Hwang. Bloomsbury. Out July 22. Lonely Crowds: A NovelBy Stephanie Wambugu. Little, Brown and Company. Out July 29. Love Forms: A NovelBy Claire Adam. Hogarth. Out July 29. The Memory HuntersBy Mia Tsai. Erewhon Books. Out July 29.