10 New Books for September
This month, we’ve got our eyes on I Love Hearing Your Dreams, Dispossessed, and eight other titles by writers on and of the West.
COLORED TELEVISION, BY DANZY SENNA
Senna’s fourth novel—the California Book Club’s September selection—revolves around Jane, a mixed-race writer and professor whose second novel isn’t working out. As her life slips increasingly out of control, she connects with a television producer and begins to develop a comedy series with parallels to her own life. Senna is brilliant at writing about characters in the middle, caught between their responsibilities and desires. Jane is one such, and as the novel progresses, she finds her life upended in all kinds of ways she could not expect. Riverhead Books, September 3
CREATION LAKE, BY RACHEL KUSHNER
Sadie Smith, a former U.S. intelligence agent, is on assignment to infiltrate a French green-rights activist group that opposes construction of a “megabasin.” It’s an ambitious setup, but Kushner’s novels have always trafficked in big ideas, and Creation Lake is no exception, especially after Sadie intercepts correspondence from the group’s spiritual leader, a hermit who idealizes a Neanderthal society balanced in nature. Scribner, September 3
DISPOSSESSED, BY DÉSIRÉE ZAMORANO
This historical novel, based on actual events, chronicles a largely forgotten chapter of Mexican American history. Zamorano traces the life of Manuel Galvan, who as a young child in the 1930s endures the forced expulsion of Mexicans from California. Navigating Los Angeles without his family, he eventually becomes a loving husband who tries to make sense of his past. Rize, September 9
I LOVE HEARING YOUR DREAMS: POEMS, BY MATTHEW ZAPRUDER
In his new collection, Zapruder investigates the nature of dreams while also celebrating the power of transformation that sleep affords. Moving from philosophical arguments to whimsical observations (the future is “just the past in a suit / that will never be in style”), these poems capture that most mysterious quality of dreams: their mingling of absurdity and clarity that can sometimes reverberate into waking hours. Scribner, September 24
MADWOMAN, BY CHELSEA BIEKER
At the center of Bieker’s novel is Clove, raised in a household where terror was a constant. Now enjoying a peaceful life with her husband and two children, she has worked hard to leave all that behind. But when she receives a letter from a women’s prison, her past collides with her present, and Clove must confront the buried traumas of her childhood. Little, Brown and Company, September 3
OLIVE DAYS, BY JESSICA ELISHEVA EMERSON
When Rina Kirsch’s husband suggests wife-swapping, he does not anticipate the powerful feelings it will awaken in his spouse. Soon, she is entangled in an addictive love affair with a married art teacher named Will Ochoa. As their relationship deepens, Rina must choose between following her own desires and preserving the life she has carefully built. Emerson’s debut novel addresses these complexities and contradictions with empathy and grace. Counterpoint Press, September 10
A REASON TO SEE YOU AGAIN, BY JAMI ATTENBERG
Spanning 40 years, Attenberg’s new novel examines the trauma and pain of the Cohen family, as well as the love they continue to share. After the death of Rudy Cohen, the patriarch, his wife, Frieda, moves to Miami, where she seeks solace in alcohol. One daughter, Nancy, gets married young, to a traveling salesman, while the other, Shelly, escapes to the West Coast—throwing herself into the tech industry. Ecco Press, September 24
THE SKY WAS ONCE A DARK BLANKET: POEMS, BY KINSALE DRAKE
Drake’s award-winning collection explores Southwest history, tradition, landscape, and arts. It underscores the erasures of abstracted anthropological and musicological studies while claiming its own world in songlike verse, relating a human experience that is ancestral and joyful. University of Georgia Press, September 15
STOLEN PRIDE: LOSS, SHAME, AND THE RISE OF THE RIGHT, BY ARLIE RUSSELL HOCHSCHILD
Hochschild assesses the social landscape of Pikeville, Kentucky, a small town that was once politically centrist and dominated by mining, until the coal mines shut down and poverty, Trumpism, and opioid use escalated. She analyzes these shifts by focusing on a specific group: blue-collar men. Reflecting on pride and how communities misconstrue or misdirect blame, Hochschild seeks to explain the growth of Trumpism and white nationalism while also opening a window on a brokenhearted community. New Press, September 10
WHEN THE WORLD TIPS OVER, BY JANDY NELSON
In Northern California, three siblings struggle to move forward after their father’s strange disappearance. Wynton, the eldest, dreams of becoming a famous violinist. Miles, an intelligent athlete with a talent for connecting with dogs, yearns for a romantic relationship. And Dizzy, the youngest, spends her days baking cakes and seeing spirits. But when a rainbow-haired girl appears, the characters in Nelson’s captivating novel are irrevocably changed. Dial Books, September 24
Ajay Orona is an associate editor at Alta Journal. He earned a master’s degree from USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism in 2021 and was honored with an Outstanding Specialized Journalism (The Arts) Scholar Award. His writing has appeared in Los Angeles Review of Books, Ampersand, and GeekOut.
Will Garrett, Alta Journal's 2024 summer intern, has written for Colorado College's Cipher magazine and the Catalyst newspaper.
Elizabeth Casillas is an assistant editor at Alta Journal. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, she has previously written for the Poly Post and Enspire Magazine.
14 New Books for September
15 New Books for August
New Releases for July
Upcoming Releases: Moderation and Cozy Dystopias
