April 2026 Reads for the Rest of Us
Check out the 25 books we’ve chosen to highlight this month, with special shoutouts to friends and colleagues with books releasing as well.
Hello, feminist reader friends! Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups. The aims of these lists are threefold:
- I want to do my part in the disruption of what has been the acceptable “norm” in the book world for far too long—white, cis, heterosexual, male;
- I want to amplify indie publishers and amazing works by writers who are women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, APIA/AAPI, international, queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities—you know, the rest of us; and
- I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them!
Note: This article was originally published by Ms. magazine on Apr. 3, 2026.
It’s April, and spring has almost sprung here in Wisconsin—but only after Blizzard Elsa had her way a couple of weeks ago!
April, to me, means a new season, with plants sprouting and leaves returning to deciduous trees. It means lots of wildlife and lots of babies, signs of renewal and fresh beginnings.
It also means new books—and lots of them! It was very hard to narrow down the list this month, friends. I’m sorry we can’t get to them all, but we appreciate all of the books we considered this month!
April also means National Poetry Month—so be on the lookout for our annual poetry list coming in the next few weeks.
Until then, check out the 25 books we’ve chosen to highlight this month, with special shoutouts to friends and colleagues with books releasing: Jessica R. Pliley and John McKiernan-Gonzalez with their edited volume, Capturing Labor: A History of Unfree Work in the Southwest (out April 14 from University of Texas Press) and Aurora Santiago Ortiz and Jorell A. Meléndez-Badillo’s edited volume, Interrogating the Future of Puetro Rican Studies (out April 21 from Duke University Press).
Aviary
By Maria Dong. Severn House. Out April 7.
Creepy and captivating, this feminist thriller follows undocumented immigrant Hee-Jin as she steals the passport and plane ticket of her mysteriously dead sister and takes her place at a secretive art program in the United States. Exploring themes of exploitation, transformation and power, this novel will hook you and not let you go.
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The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie
By Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. Pantheon. Out April 7.
Cosmologist and particle physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explores the wonders of the cosmos through Black feminist, anti-colonial and historical frameworks. She presents topics such as space-time, quantum mechanics, black holes, and more in fun and relatable ways that even the most unscientific mind (mine) can understand.
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Hexes of the Deadwood Forest: A Novel
Written by Agnieszka Szpila. Translated by Scotia Gilroy. Pantheon. Out April 7.
This ferocious debut will eat you up and spit you back out, and you will be forever grateful for it. Focusing on ecofeminism through a lens of pleasure and history, and told with a biting, satirical voice, this novel made me want to laugh, cry and dance in the rain.
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Hmong: A Graphic History
Written and illustrated by Vicky Lyfoung. Translated by Kao-Ly Yang. Graphic Universe. Out April 7.
This debut graphic novel offers an accessible and memorable introduction to Hmong history and culture. Against a backdrop of war, colonialism, displacement and migration, this story honors the resilience and strength of Vicky Lyfoung’s own family, as well as that of all Hmong people.
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Labor: One Woman’s Work
By Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari. Avid Reader Press. Out April 7.
With reproductive rights on the line, ob-gyn Mary Fariba Afsari converted an RV into a mobile health clinic to take her work to those who need it most. This remarkable and nuanced memoir illustrates the complex interplay among family secrets, individual agency, and the precarities of pregnancy and why Asfari’s work is more vital now than ever.
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My Dear You: Stories
By Rachel Khong. Knopf. Out April 7.
In the opening story of Rachel Khong’s stunning collection of the same name, a woman creates the face she will use after dying in the jaws of a crocodile. Clever and thought-provoking, all the stories in this volume by the author of Real Americans are wonderfully surreal and challenge emotion, limitations and mortality.
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My Dreadful Body
Written by Egana Djabbarova. Translated by Lisa C. Hayden. New Vessel Press. Out April 7.
In her debut novel, Egana Djabbarova tells the story of a young woman whose neurological disorder makes her life in a strict Muslim Azerbaijani community in Russia even more challenging, but also brings unexpected liberation.
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No!: The Art and Activism of Complaining
By Sara Ahmed. The Feminist Press at CUNY. Out April 7.
In her latest book, Sara Ahmed examines complaints and complaining as powerful tools for challenging oppressive institutions. By tuning her “feminist ear” to complaints concerning sexual harassment, hostile work environments and more, Ahmed makes a strong case for the liberating possibilities of complaint as resistance.
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Tailbone: A Novel
By Che Yeun. Bloomsbury Publishing. Out April 7.
This bold debut is set in Seoul at the outset of the 2008 global financial crisis. As the main character flees her home of abuse, she encounters new challenges at a boarding house for single women. Centering on themes of capitalism, imperialism, violence and relationships, this outstanding debut is a story for our time.
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The Divining Season
By Gwendolyn Paradice (Cherokee-Caucasian). Aunt Lute Books. Out April 14.
Having recently moved to Larissa, Texas, young Emily is unsure where or how she fits in. She has her fears and quirks—but so does Larissa—in this beautifully rendered story of missing girls, intergenerational trauma and unresolved conflicts.
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It Wasn’t Meant to Be Perfect: A Memoir
By Gaelynn Lea. Algonquin Books. Out April 14.
Since winning NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest in 2016, Gaelynn Lea has spent years on the road and has worked with the likes of Low, The Decemberists and Michael Stipe. In her fantastic debut memoir, she shares stories of her youth, health, relationships, activism and the inspirations behind her music.
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Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, and Liberate Yourself
By Ericka Hart. Storehouse Voices. Out April 14.
This book would be recommended if it were only focused on sexual education, but it gives so much more! By incorporating colonialism, racism, homophobia and more, Ericka Hart provides a candid, refreshing and liberating examination of embodiment, sex, desire and pleasure.
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The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War
By Adriana E. Ramírez. Scribner. Out April 14.
In The Violence, Adriana E. Ramírez relates her family’s history against the backdrop of Colombia’s brutal civil war.
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Nonbinary Life: An Autotheory
By Marquis Bey. Bloomsbury Academic. Out April 16.
I must admit that I just learned about this one the day before I am submitting this list, so I haven’t read it. But Bey’s previous works have been creative, incisive and insightful, and I am excited to get my hands on a copy of this one.
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Cultural Capital Doesn’t Pay the Rent: A Queer Memoir
By Jessica Lawless. PM Press. Out April 21.
Jessica Lawless, co-founder of the Seattle-based self-defense collective Home Alive, has written this rich and radical memoir full of ‘80s and ‘90s queer anti-capitalist anarcho-punk care and healing.
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Drag Thing: A Memoir of Mania and Mirrors
By Gabe Montesanti. Arsenal Pulp Press. Out April 21.
This is the memoir of a bipolar Midwestern drag king who evolves into a “drag thing,” exploring the fluidity, art, intensity and rebellion of survival. With candor and humor, Montesanti offers revelations of self-care and resilience.
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Eco Revolution: Climate Justice, Community, and the Fight for Our Planet
By Maya Penn. Balance. Out April 21.
Activist, animator and entrepreneur Maya Penn is back with this valuable primer on climate justice and what we all need to do to save the planet. Packed with examples, reflective questions and suggestions, Eco Revolution is a fierce call to action.
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Magdalena Is Brighter Than You Think
By Grace Spulak. Autumn House Press. Out April 21.
Selected by K-Ming Chang, this insightful debut collection won the 2025 Rising Writer Prize. The stories honestly reflect upon queerness, trauma, gender, (in)justice and resilience through characters on the margins of the New Mexican landscape.
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All Flesh: A Novel
Written by Ananda Devi. Translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. FSG Originals. Out April 28.
This novel won’t be for everyone, but those who venture in will find an intense, darkly humorous rule-breaker of a book. Centering on themes of embodiment, beauty standards, consumption, obsession and the gaze, All Flesh is a stunner.
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Boring Asian Female
By Canwen Xu. Berkley. Out April 28.
After a rejection from Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Zhang cannot fathom why fellow student Laura Kim was accepted, and sets out to understand what makes Laura special. What follows is an addictive, at-times cringeworthy romp, perfect for anyone who hates to see the words, “We regret to inform you…”
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Everything in Color: A Love Story
By Stephanie Stalvey. 23rd St. Out April 28.
I’m not normally one for love stories, but this stunningly beautiful graphic memoir is not your typical romance. Stephanie Stalvey was raised in evangelical Christianity, but as she grew older, she began questioning its tenets, especially patriarchal purity culture, hell, and the shame and guilt used to indoctrinate followers.
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The Gloria Wekker Reader
Written by Gloria Wekker. Edited by Chandra Frank, Nancy Jouwe and Mikki Stelder. Duke University Press. Out April 28.
If you’re new to Gloria Wekker’s work, as I was, this volume of interviews, essays, letters and more will be an excellent introduction to the Afro-Surinamese Dutch theorist and activist.
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If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light
Written by Kim Choyeop. Translated by Anton Hur. Saga Press. Out April 28.
In this collection of literary science fiction short stories, Korean writer Kim Choyeop dazzles with kaleidoscopic speculation and originality. While each is distinctive in its own right, the seven stories center women and coalesce around themes of space, ethics, limitations and human(e) possibility.
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Minerva
By Keila Vall de la Ville. Regal House Publishing. Out April 28.
As the only child in a queer poly family, Minerva’s life is an enigma in the face of her patriarchal, politically oppressive country. As her life is upended, Minerva must decide what’s most important to her moving forward. Choreographed as a beautiful dance Minerva might perform, this novel is creative, cyclical and nimble.
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When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine
Written by Francesca Albanese. Translated by Gregory Conti. Other Press. Out April 28.
In her latest book, Francesca Albanese shares stories of 10 people she encountered during her time in Jerusalem as the first woman to serve as United Nations special papporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory that profoundly affected her. Empathetic, humane and urgent, this is necessary reading.
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Also releasing this month:
Inheritance
By Jane Park. Pegasus Books. Out Apr. 7.
Killing Radicalism: Anti-Rape Advocacy Reimagined
By Melinda Chen. NYU Press. Out April 7.
When It’s Your Turn for Midnight
By Blessing Musariri. Carolrhoda Lab. Out April 7.
The Witch: A Novel
Written by Marie NDiaye. Translated by Jordan Stump. Vintage. Out April 7.
Year of the Mer
By L.D. Lewis. Saga Press. Out April 7.
God Bless the Pill: The Surprising History of Contraception and Sexuality in American Religion
By Samira K. Mehta. University of North Carolina Press. Out April 14.
Japanese Gothic
By Kylie Lee Baker. Hanover Square Press. Out April 14.
Names and Faces: A Graphic Memoir
By Leise Hook. Henry Holt & Co. Out April 14.
They Made Us Blood and Fury
By Cheryl S. Ntumy. Rosarium Publishing. Out April 14.
Black Studies on 135th Street: The Founding and Future of the Schomburg Collection
Edited by Barrye Brown, Laura E. Helton, and Vanessa K. Valdes. Yale University Press. Out April 21.
The Memory Museum: Stories
By M Lin. Graywolf Press. Out April 21.
Odessa: A Novel
By Gabrielle Sher. Little, Brown and Co. Out April 21.
Somewhere Soft to Land: A Novel
By kai alonté. Ballantine. Out April 21.
The Life of a Creature
By Nadja Lubiw-Hazard. Arsenal Pulp Press. Our April 28.
A Place for What We Lose: A Daughter’s Return to Tule Lake
By Tamiko Nimura. University of Washington Press. Out April 28.
