5 illuminating books to read in April

As bright and cheerful as April weather may be, some of this month's book releases  dabble in the darker end of the literary spectrum. This list of spring books includes a mental disorder memoir, Salman Rushdie's account of his harrowing attack, and the reclamation of a part of Harlem's history.

'The Cemetery of Untold Stories' by Julia Alvarez (April 2)

Julia Alvarez, the critically acclaimed author of classics like “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” and “In the Time of the Butterflies,” released her seventh adult novel, "The Cemetery of Untold Stories," earlier this month. Traces of Alvarez's path to fame can be found in the protagonist, a Dominican writer named Alma Cruz, who moves back to her homeland intending to retire after decades in American academia. She builds a graveyard on a small piece of land she's inherited, but finds it more complicated than expected to bury her stories. The "often witty, occasionally somber and elegiac" novel begins with a "simple exhortation" and ends on a "melancholy and evocative note," said The New York Times. Order here.

'You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World' edited by Ada Limón (April 2)

April is National Poetry Month, so it's the perfect time to add this collection, curated by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, to your list. Published in association with the Library of Congress, these 50 previously unpublished poems explore the way we relate to our natural environment and feature contributions from Joy Harjo, Jericho Brown, Rigoberto González and more. The anthology is part of Limón's signature project as Poet Laureate, alongside poet Diane Seuss' installations in seven national parks. Limón has said she hoped to curate something that could "praise our sacred and natural wonders" while also speaking the "complex truths of this urgent time." The anthology stands out for the "breadth of its superb meditations on a pressing theme," Publisher's Weekly said. Order here. 

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'Sociopath: A Memoir' by Patric Gagne (April 2)

In her debut memoir, author and former therapist Patric Gagne gives a candid account of her struggle to understand and live with her own sociopathy. She was diagnosed with the often stigmatized mental disorder now known as antisocial personality disorder in college, but admits there were signs long before that. Gagne details a childhood of violent outbursts and near run-ins with police throughout her teens and 20s. "Most of the time, I felt nothing," Gagne said, "so I did bad things to make the nothingness go away." "Sociopath" is "peppered with colorful language and a touch of lyricism," said The Boston Globe. Gagne's "thought-provoking memoir" reminds readers that "everyone deserves supportive treatment, love and acceptance," said the Globe. Order here. 

'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder' by Salman Rushdie (April 16)

The prolific author gives a detailed account of the harrowing events of Aug. 12, 2022, when he was violently attacked onstage during a speaking engagement in New York by a knife-wielding assailant. Rushdie writes about the assault that left him with PTSD, limited mobility in his left hand and loss of sight in his right eye. In a statement, Rushdie said the book was a necessary part of his healing and a way to "take charge of what happened and to answer violence with art." The attempted murder trial for Rushdie's alleged attacker has been postponed because the memoir could be considered potential evidence for the case. Pre-order here. 

'The Swans of Harlem' by Karen Valby (April 30)

Journalist Karen Valby chronicles the history of the Dance Theater of Harlem, created by Arthur Mitchell — the first Black principal dancer of George Balanchine’s famous City Ballet — in 1969. She details the careers of five Black ballerinas, dubbed the "swans," whose tumultuous journeys unfold in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Together, the ballerinas weathered colorism, sexual harassment and their founders' "tyrannical training techniques," Kirkus Reviews said, "all of which complicated their idolization of the man they credited with the success of their careers." Valby delivers a "rich, detailed and complex history of Harlem’s first prima ballerinas." Pre-order here.