Books Update: Poems for the Moment

New work by Claudia Rankine and Jericho Brown reflecting their thoughts on the current moment

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 18, 2020 Dear Reader, This week, the Book Review is bookended by two poems. We asked Claudia Rankine and Jericho Brown each to write a poem for us reflecting their thoughts on the current moment. Rankine, whose poem “Weather” appears on the front cover, is the author of “Citizen: An American Lyric” and other poetry collections, as well as two plays and various essays. She teaches at Yale. Her new book, “Just Us: An American Conversation,” will be published in September. Jericho Brown’s third volume of poetry, “The Tradition,” won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. His poem “Say Thank You Say I’m Sorry” appears on the back page of this issue. Both writers appear on this week’s podcast to read the new poems. This may be the first time the Book Review has done this in its 124-year history; certainly it’s the first time in my tenure here. But these are not ordinary times. Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find plenty of fiction and nonfiction to keep your reading nights well tended. Joyce Carol Oates has a new book, “Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars.” Mary Morris and Wayétu Moore have both written new memoirs. We review recent debut novels. And Marilyn Stasio is on top of the latest in Crime. Please stay in touch and let us know what you think — whether it’s about this newsletter, our reviews, our podcast, our literary calendar, our Instagram or what you’re reading. We read and ponder all of it. I even write back, albeit belatedly. You can email me at books@nytimes.com. Pamela Paul Editor of The New York Times Book Review @PamelaPaulNYT Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Sign-up here or forward it to your friends. Have a suggestion or two on how we can improve it? Let us know at newsletters@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. THE BOOK REVIEW PODCAST André Leon Talley on ‘The Chiffon Trenches’ Talley talks about his new memoir; Claudia Rankine and Jericho Brown read new poems; and Megha Majumdar discusses her debut novel, “A Burning.” FICTION crime Beautiful Places to Die In these new crime novels, the settings — mountain hamlets, Antarctic ice fields, French sheep farms — may look bucolic. They are not. By Marilyn Stasio Joyce Carol Oates Takes On Racism and Grief in Her New Novel “Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars.” spotlights a well-heeled white family and their ugly predilections after a tragic loss. By Bret Anthony Johnston the shortlist Debut Novels Reveal the Fragility of Female Bonds From Paris to São Paulo to a Buddhist camp for teenagers, the relationships among girls and women in these stories are passionate, and painful. By Sarah Gerard Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NONFICTION nonfiction Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: America’s No. 1 Literary Celebrity In his new biography, “Cross of Snow,” Nicholas A. Basbanes makes a case for the man and the poet. By Charles McGrath nonfiction Will Miami Be Around in 2067? In “Disposable City,” Mario Alejandro Ariza reckons with what climate change has in store for the spicy city on the Atlantic. By Jack E. Davis nonfiction Stacey Abrams Has a Message for You: Get Involved She isn’t Georgia’s governor — she will tell you herself — but in “Our Time Is Now” she still has a blueprint for effective leadership. By Tayari Jones nonfiction Wayétu Moore Escapes a Civil War in Liberia. In America, She Encounters a New Kind of Danger. “The Dragons, the Giant, the Women” is a migration memoir of separations, relocations and reunions. By Grace Talusan nonfiction An American Writer Goes Into the Jungle to Commune With a Tiger In her new memoir, “All the Way to the Tigers,” Mary Morris, acting on dreams she’s had since she was a child, travels to India to come eye to eye with a big cat. By Deborah Levy nonfiction America Is Obsessed With Cuba. But What Do We Know About Its Citizens? “The Cubans,” by Anthony DePalma, paints a detailed, novelistic portrait of a handful of ordinary Cubans — their hopes, political beliefs and struggles to get by. By Marie Arana CHILDREN’S BOOKS children’s books Crushing: A Schoolgirl’s Beloved Teacher Crosses the Line In Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno’s “Rules for Being a Girl,” a high school senior is delighted to be alone with a teacher she has a crush on — until he kisses her. By Courtney Summers children’s books Parachuting In, Then Speaking Out In Kelly Yang’s “Parachutes,” two very different girls at the same prep school take a sledgehammer to rape culture. By Karen Valby Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT FEATURES poem ‘Weather’ The poet Claudia Rankine writes for the Book Review about the climate in America at this moment. poem ‘Say Thank You Say I’m Sorry’ The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown writes for the Book Review about life during the pandemic. by the book ‘Odd, Unpopular and Reticent’: The Books That Sing to Wayne Koestenbaum “When I was younger, I craved novels. … Now, I read more poetry and nonfiction.” group text An Unlikely Friendship, All Thanks to Pickles You’ll root for the characters in Jean Kyoung Frazier’s funny and bittersweet debut novel, “Pizza Girl,” which focuses on a pregnant teenager who’s deeply ambivalent about motherhood. By Elisabeth Egan New & Noteworthy, From Dorothy Strachey to Musical Gender Bending A selection of recent titles of interest; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading. Remembering Wallace Stegner and Other Letters to the Editor Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review. 10 New Books We Recommend This Week Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times. inside the list A 23-Year-Old Book About Race Landed on the Best-Seller List Because It’s Still Relevant In “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria,” Beverly Daniel Tatum asks hard — and timeless — questions. By Elisabeth Egan New in Paperback: ‘Patsy’ and ‘Information Wars’ Six new paperbacks to check out this week. By Jennifer Krauss Best Sellers Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All Lists New International Books Illustration by Thoka Maer Your sneak preview of books coming out in 2020 from around the world. Get globetrotting. Continue reading the main story Need help? 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