15 New Books for October
Here are works by authors on and of the West—including Archive of Desire, The High Heaven, and Crawl—that we’re excited to see published this month.
GIRL WARRIOR: ON COMING OF AGE, BY JOY HARJO
Harjo is back with a powerful new memoir, this time written directly for Native girls and women. In Girl Warrior, she shares stories from her own coming-of-age and the pivotal moments that shaped her into the person she is today. Reflecting on themes like forgiveness, failure, and honoring family, Harjo offers an inspiring guide for navigating the complexities of growing up. W.W. Norton & Company, October 7
THE FOUR SPENT THE DAY TOGETHER, BY CHRIS KRAUS
When three teenagers commit murder in a small town, Catt Greene is caught up in the media frenzy. In the middle of her own upheaval, moving nearly across the country with her husband, she throws herself into the true-crime story as a form of distraction, simultaneously reflecting on her own life and her parents’ past. Here, Kraus examines the era of social media, our constant online connectedness, and the growing divide between the wealthy and the impoverished. Scribner, October 7
ARCHIVE OF DESIRE: A POEM IN FOUR PARTS FOR C.P. CAVAFY, BY ROBIN COSTE LEWIS
C.P. Cavafy was the most iconic Greek poet of the 20th century, and his work often depicted his queer love affairs. Exploring Cavafy’s archive in Athens inspired an entire book of poems for Lewis, who brings her own experience directly into conversation with Cavafy’s work. As with her previous books, Lewis presents readers with an intimate and immersive experience, breathing fresh life into history and art. Knopf, October 7
SHADOW TICKET, BY THOMAS PYNCHON
One of America’s most elusive authors, Pynchon returns at last. In his new novel, a private detective from Milwaukee hunts for an heiress in the middle of the Great Depression, waiting for Prohibition to be repealed. But in a twist, he ends up in Hungary, where war is on the horizon, enemy forces threaten to derail him, and new characters appear around every corner. It will take excellent detective work and a stroke of luck to get him back to where he began—provided that place exists. Penguin Press, October 7
AND I’LL TAKE OUT YOUR EYES, BY A.M. SOSA
Sosa’s debut novel takes its cue from a Mexican proverb: “Raise crows and they’ll take out your eyes.” Christian grows up in Stockton, surrounded by violence and haunted by a curse. Since he was seven, he’s noticed signs of the same darkness that consumed his father, slowly turning Christian into a “crow.” Now he’s desperate to escape both the city and his fate. This work of literary fiction explores violence, mental illness, and the legacies we inherit. Algonquin Books, October 7
THE HIGH HEAVEN, BY JOSHUA WHEELER
Izzy is born into chaos and mystery that seem to follow her wherever she travels: from her birth in a cult to her childhood next to rocket launches to her unstable reality as an adult traveling across the southern United States. Overlapping with the space age, Izzy’s life is defined by her search for something bigger. In telling her fictional story, Wheeler plays with genre and integrates speculative fiction with the width of the American West and the unknown possibility of the heavens. Graywolf Press, October 7
CALIFORNIA REWRITTEN, BY JOHN FREEMAN
Freeman has hosted Alta Journal’s California Book Club since it began nearly five years ago, each month penning an essay to pair with the guest author’s book. Now he’s collected these writings into a collection that reveals the heart and breadth of Golden State literature, from Tommy Orange to Rebecca Solnit to Michael Connelly. The book pays tribute to the success of the book club and the beauty of the state’s literature. Heyday Books, October 14
A SCHOOL LUNCH REVOLUTION: A COOKBOOK, BY ALICE WATERS
Farm-to-table pioneer Waters, founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project, presents a cookbook for both adults and children that reinterprets the school lunch. Inspired by global food trends, Waters’s recipes highlight fresh, locally sourced ingredients and the value of teaching the next generation the importance of eating whole foods. She calls for healthier school lunches and a more sustainable future for communities everywhere. Penguin Press, October 14
CRAWL, BY MAX DELSOHN
In this debut story collection, Delsohn offers a vivid portrait of trans life in 2010s Seattle. His transmasculine characters wrestle with new challenges—from navigating their attraction to men to being asked to talk someone out of transitioning—while confronting personal dilemmas in dive bars, parks, music venues, and more. Delsohn captures the messy, layered realities of sex, romance, and gender expression in a complicated city. Graywolf Press, October 21
POPPY STATE, BY MYRIAM GURBA
California native Gurba returns with a powerful new work, this time turning her attention to the state’s flora, memory, and Indigenous knowledge. Blending anecdotes, lists, incantations, and even newspaper clippings, Gurba crafts a thoughtful exploration that challenges how we see the world. The result is a striking meditation on the connections between the human soul and the natural life surrounding us. Timber Press, October 21
ON LOOP: BLACK SONIC POLITICS IN OAKLAND, BY ALEX WERTH
Sound is inseparable from the movements it becomes defined by—that’s what Werth argues in his dive into the struggles around race and freedom in Oakland, soundtracked to Black dance music. This music has leaped from Oakland’s clubs to its streets, becoming both a target of discrimination and a force for revolution. Werth traces the terrain of the city to find the zones that play this music the loudest. University of California Press, October 21
A PLACE CALLED YELLOWSTONE: THE EPIC HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK, BY RANDALL K. WILSON
Everyone knows Yellowstone National Park, but few understand its complex history. In his latest book, Wilson sets out to change that, tracing the park’s origins and examining both its triumphs and controversies. From early conservation efforts and battles over commercialization to the dispossession of Native lands, Wilson delivers a full portrait of the forces that shaped—and continue to shape—the crown jewel of the National Park system. Counterpoint, October 21
THE WATER REMEMBERS: MY INDIGENOUS FAMILY’S FIGHT TO SAVE A RIVER AND A WAY OF LIFE, BY AMY BOWERS CORDALIS
When the salmon population of the Klamath River was wiped out a few years ago, it devastated the Yurok Tribe in Northern California, leaving them with pressing questions about what caused the kill and how to seek justice. Cordalis eventually became general counsel for her tribe, but her family was intertwined with the struggle for a safe river long before that. In this history, Cordalis reveals the Yurok Tribe’s long push to keep their land and resources safe, and the corporations they had to battle to do so. Little, Brown and Company, October 28
THE DEVIL IS A SOUTHPAW, BY BRANDON HOBSON
Two boys—Milton and Matthew—grew up together in a juvenile detention center. One escaped and became a talented artist. The other was left behind and now recounts their childhood together, a narrative tinged by jealousy. Their experiences in the detention center are abusive and frightening, and in the retelling, the scars that prison left on them begin to show. Sprinkling in his own illustrations, Hobson has written a book that captures the long shadow of trauma and the beauty and complications of friendship. Ecco, October 28
SACRAMENT, BY SUSAN STRAIGHT
In August 2020, a crew of ICU nurses live in RVs parked outside a hospital in San Bernardino, giving up the comforts of home and family to stay isolated and tend to their patients. In Sacrament, Straight forms the lives of three of these nurses and the worlds they tentatively hold together, the strain growing as the number of COVID deaths increases. But when the daughter of one of the nurses goes missing, the nurses are pulled together and apart, trying to unite in the most dire of circumstances. Counterpoint, October 28
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.
14 New Books for September
15 New Books for August
New Releases for July
Upcoming Releases: Moderation and Cozy Dystopias
