Spring is in full swing, and renewal comes in many guises.If you are looking for new bookshelf additions, May's essentials include poet Ocean Vuong's third novel, an ode to Marsha P. Johnson's impact on the LGBTQ community, and an unflinching look at 21st-century womanhood.
'The Emperor of Gladness'
Poet and essayist Ocean Vuong's second novel, "The Emperor of Gladness," follows the unlikely pair of Grazina, an elderly widow with early-stage dementia, and Hai, the teenager who becomes her caregiver after she saves him from taking his own life. It's a "messy but worthy exploration of how hurt and self-deception leaches into everyday life," said Kirkus Reviews. (May 13, $30, Penguin Random House)
'Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson'
Transgender activist Tourmaline follows up her 2018 short fictional film about Marsha P. Johnson, a pioneer of gay and transgender rights, with a biography. The book is a "culmination of decades of archiving and sharing Marsha's story and four years of quietly writing," said Tourmaline. The book will explore the historic figure's "powerful life not only as a Black trans activist but also as a mother, lover, friend and so much more," said Women.com. (May 20, $30, Penguin Random House)
'Aggregated Discontent'
Cultural journalist Harron Walker delves into many facets of 21st-century womanhood, examining "pinkwashing, girlbossing and other Frankenstein-ass portmanteaus designed to contend with our modern era," said Vulture. Walker's take, as always, comes from a "better angle, somewhere unexpected yet inevitable." (May 20, $29, Penguin Random House) | 
