New Releases for May
Here are 14 books by authors on and of the West, including So Many Stars, The Words of Dr. L, and The Last Great Dream.
AMERICAN GIRL, AMERICAN DREAMS: MY LIFE WITH TOM PETTY, BY JANE PETTY WITH PAMELA DES BARRES
In the 1960s, two teenagers from tragic, broken homes met in Gainesville, Florida, and fell in love, inspiring some of America’s most iconic songs about young romance and perseverance. Jane Petty would be Tom Petty’s muse for the first 25 years of his career, the woman behind hits such as “American Girl” and “Here Comes My Girl.” Although they were split apart by drug abuse and depression and eventually divorced, the couple’s love story lives on in Jane’s memoir. Dey Street Books, May 5
THE WORDS OF DR. L AND OTHER STORIES, BY KAREN E. BENDER
National Book Award finalist Bender’s third story collection examines the fundamental relationships that make up a life. Insights pierce depictions of the intrinsic connections of parents and children, family and friends. Bender’s stories take place not only in present-moment America and the COVID pandemic but also in speculative worlds in which, for instance, the titular character holds the secret, magic words that can facilitate her clandestine abortion. The Los Angeles native’s masterful sleights of hand reveal the dystopian elements of our current reality and the resonant aspects of far-off futures. Counterpoint, May 6
SYMPATHY FOR WILD GIRLS, BY DEMREE MCGHEE
This surreal debut short story collection explores a range of strange and striking situations that Black queer women characters find themselves in. From a girl raised by coyotes to a woman whose daughter correctly predicts the end of the world, these stories delve into themes of identity, alienation, and belonging. McGhee boldly lays out her characters’ lives in a slightly warped version of reality. Feminist Press, May 6
ARE YOU HAPPY? STORIES, BY LORI OSTLUND
In nine richly conceived, highly anticipated stories, lauded San Francisco writer Ostlund examines the ever-present threat of loss and violence in the lives of her mostly queer and female characters. Described in her characteristic dry yet revelatory prose, scenes unfold across New Mexico, Minnesota, and California as Ostlund’s affecting characters encounter the intimate disparities between where they come from and how they live now. Astra House, May 6
FUEL, BY ROSIE STOCKTON
Los Angeles poet Stockton showcases capitalism’s quiet shaping of our day-to-day lives in this collection. Exploring themes of labor, desire, gender, and loss, Stockton’s poems trace the emotions and structures that define us. With sharp attention to the everyday—mentions of gas-station gifts, Venmo requests, love letters—Stockton crafts a collection that is as politically urgent as it is deeply personal. Nightboat Books, May 6
RUTH ASAWA AND THE ARTIST-MOTHER AT MIDCENTURY, BY JORDAN TROELLER
California-raised scholar Troeller’s forthcoming monograph surveys the group of 1950s and ’60s San Francisco artists who gathered around the late modernist legend Ruth Asawa (herself a Californian) and celebrated the intersection of art and motherhood. The members of this pivotal yet unexamined collective embraced their roles as mothers as integral to their creative practices, which, Troeller argues, had profound implications on the dominant conception of art-making. MIT Press, May 6
SO MANY STARS: AN ORAL HISTORY OF TRANS, NONBINARY, GENDERQUEER, AND TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE OF COLOR, BY CARO DE ROBERTIS
Trans rights and trans stories are under attack in the United States. De Robertis’s new book is an antidote to the despair this causes and an act of resistance in itself. In these pages, De Robertis excerpts from hundreds of hours of interviews with 20 elders of color, transforming their accounts into a smooth chronicle of generations of people existing outside the gender binary. The book affirms that trans and nonbinary people have existed throughout history while staying grounded in specific stories of living history. Algonquin Books, May 13
AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY, BY SUSANNA KWAN
Years of rain leave San Francisco uninhabitable, but Bo finds herself hesitant to leave her city, even after the evacuation of nearly all of its inhabitants and the loss of her mother to the floods. Just as she reluctantly prepares for her departure from the deteriorating city, her 130-year-old neighbor Mia gives her an opportunity to stay by hiring Bo as her caregiver. The two strike up a profound friendship, which clarifies Bo’s relationship to her art. Attentive to the value of connection, Kwan’s debut novel imagines an altered version of her native city, asking a poignant question: How can you leave after everything’s gone? Pantheon, May 13
THE LAST GREAT DREAM: HOW BOHEMIANS BECAME HIPPIES AND CREATED THE SIXTIES, BY DENNIS MCNALLY
For 13 years, McNally toured with the Grateful Dead, working as the band’s publicist as they came to define the hippie era of San Francisco. He chronicled that history in A Long Strange Trip, and now he’s taking a step back, looking at the age of the counterculture movement as a whole. McNally’s storytelling pillars are Golden Gate Park, Jimi Hendrix, psychedelics, and more, and he offers a kaleidoscopic vision of a colorful and iconic period of American history. Da Capo, May 13
NO STRAIGHT ROAD TAKES YOU THERE: ESSAYS FOR UNEVEN TERRAIN, BY REBECCA SOLNIT
Solnit has some thoughts on our current moment. In a collection of essays, she returns to familiar themes for her work: the collapse of our environment, the necessity of feminism, the critical demand for democracy and dissenting voices. But the new perspective she offers is a plea for taking things slow and witnessing the results—waiting to see where this rocky terrain might lead rather than charging ahead in the dark. In doing so, she reminds readers to look to the past for lessons—and for inspiration. Haymarket Books, May 13
GREEN GOLD: THE AVOCADO’S REMARKABLE JOURNEY FROM HUMBLE SUPERFOOD TO TOAST OF A NATION, BY SARAH ALLABACK AND MONIQUE F. PARSONS
Avocados are a status symbol and a key ingredient to California cuisine, and—in the time of tariffs—they might become an expensive delicacy. In their deep dive into the surprise success of the green fruit, Allaback and Parsons uncover how agriculture entrepreneurs followed the California-citrus playbook to create a cultural phenomenon that can’t quite shake its reputation. They take history and geopolitics into consideration as well as the obsession with and memeification of the avocado, each element contributing to the fruit’s journey to its current status. Counterpoint, May 20
THE FATE OF OTHERS: STORIES, BY RICHARD BAUSCH
Wildly prolific Chapman University professor Bausch’s latest collection—his 10th, alongside 13 published novels—showcases the revered writer still at the sharpest of his craft after a long career. These sincere, reflective stories, which at times revolve around alcohol, literature (including an encounter with Hemingway in Cuba in the opening story), or both, depict fully fleshed-out personhoods and the minor and complex decisions in their lives, illustrating that, ultimately, the fate of others is the fate of ourselves. Knopf, May 20
NIGHTSHADE, BY MICHAEL CONNELLY
Get ready to meet a brand-new character in Connelly’s universe: Detective Stilwell. Because of department politics, Stilwell is stuck policing Catalina Island, where his days are usually filled with petty thefts and drunken calls—until a woman’s body is found in the harbor. At the same time, poachers on a nearby protected reserve pull Stilwell into a second case, one that forces him to dig deeper into the island’s history—things take a dangerous turn as Stilwell begins to uncover the shady past of a powerful island figure. A gripping, atmospheric read. Little Brown and Company, May 20
GAIA WAKES: EARTH’S EMERGENT CONSCIOUSNESS IN AN AGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION, BY TOPHER MCDOUGAL
University of San Diego professor McDougal brings readers an optimistic view of what our planet could look like in the future. Drawing on his background in economics, McDougal explores the idea of an upgraded Earth—one shaped by technology and rooted in both the global economy and the long history of the planet. He argues that today’s environmental crises and the rise of AI may be part of a natural cycle that drives the increasing complexity of our planet. A riveting read for anyone curious about Earth’s next chapter. Agenda Publishing, May 22
Jessica Blough is a freelance writer. A former associate editor at Alta Journal, Blough is a graduate of Tufts University where she was editor in chief of the Tufts Daily.
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.
Maisie Hurwitz is a freelance contributor to Alta Journal living in Los Angeles. She is a recent graduate of Wesleyan University, where she received her bachelor's degree in English and creative writing.
California Bestsellers List (September 18, 2025)
Poetics of Fighting
California Bestsellers List (September 11, 2025)
Charting One’s Own Course
