114 Time November 30/December 7, 2020
- Caste
ISABEL
WILKERSON
An instant classic,
Wilkerson’s latest
book examines
race in America
through the
prism of caste,
comparing the
rigid system that
suppresses Black
people in the U.S.
to those that have
ruled India and
Nazi Germany.
3. The Dragons,
the Giant, the
Women
WAYÉTU MOORE
In an unflinching
look at survival,
Moore traces her
family’s journey
from fleeing Liberia
on foot in the midst
of civil war to
their experiences,
years later, as
immigrants
acclimating to life
in Texas. - Minor Feelings
CATHY PARK
HONG
In piercing and
lyrical essays,
Hong unravels
the quiet yet
corrosive set of
experiences and
emotions so many
Asian Americans
endure in the face
of racism, lending a
voice to struggles
that are often
dismissed. - Memorial
Drive
NATASHA
TRETHEWEY
Trethewey was
just 19 years old
when her former
stepfather killed
her mother, and in
combing through
her tragic family
history, she
investigates the
intersection of
grief, legacy and
identity. - The Dead
Are Arising
LES PAYNE AND
TAMARA PAYNE
This masterly
biography of
Malcolm X details
the man behind
the many myths,
uncovering through
vivid storytelling
not only how the
events of his life
shaped him, but
also how he shaped
his country. - Vesper Flights
HELEN
MACDONALD
Macdonald’s
stunning short
essays address the
“constant grief”
that now overlays
an appreciation of
the natural world,
using nature as a
means of better
understanding
herself—and
recognizing it as
its own entity.
8. Having and
Being Had
EULA BISS
After purchasing
her first home,
Biss begins to
dissect the ethics
of capitalism. Her
essay collection
culminates in a
powerful look at
the ways in which
we assign value to
the people, places
and things that
make up our lives. - The
Undocumented
Americans
KARLA CORNEJO
VILLAVICENCIO
Drawing on years of
reporting, a DACA
recipient examines
the nuanced
realities of the lives
of undocumented
immigrants,
a group rarely
afforded the
chance to tell its
own stories. - Hitler:
Downfall
VOLKER ULLRICH
The second
volume of Ullrich’s
biography of the
dictator explains
how the seeds of
Hitler’s downfall
sprang from the
very same qualities
(obsession,
fanaticism, deceit,
refusal to listen to
others) that helped
him rise to power. - Just Us
CLAUDIA RANKINE
Rankine’s
lacerating
condemnation of
anti-Black racism
across American
society—from
preschools to
college campuses
to police
precincts—makes
Just Us one of the
most timely and
vital texts on race
to arrive this year.