The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
Les was a tremendous investigative journalist and a mentor of mine. This biography is rigorously reported—amplified by Les’s incisive voice—and will help readers understand Malcolm more completely. His daughter Tamara heroically finished the book after Les died unexpectedly in 2018. The Paynes’ book won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography and Autobiography this year.
Postcolonial Love Poem
by Natalie Diaz
Poets are some of our most underappreciated writers, and Natalie Diaz is simply brilliant. This collection is both arresting and enlightening. A beautifully rendered education on Native Americans’ experience and sensibilities, and a scorching look at America. Natalie’s book won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry this year.
Dissent: The Radicalization of the Republican Party and Its Capture of the Court
by Jackie Calmes
Jackie is a Los Angeles Times journalist who spent four decades covering politics and policy, including Congress and the White House. This book was just released June 15, and I am looking forward to reading Jackie’s authoritative account of the Republican Party’s rightward evolution and its shaping of the federal judiciary.
