Some books magnificently evoke the past, whether recent or distant. Others offer a refreshing perspective on the present day, illuminating facets of the contemporary experience some may have ignored. Still others direct us towards the future, either literally or by reinventing tried-and-true forms for a new generation. In our recommended reading for April, you’ll find examples of all three — so whether you’re looking to soak up history or get a new perspective on the here and now, these 10 books should offer plenty to think about.
Zito Madu, The Minotaur at Calle Lanza (Apr. 2)
It would seem there are few subjects that Zito Madu has not written deftly about. You might know him from his incisive writing on sports or music, which veer outside of many readers’ expectations in the process of seeking larger truths. Madu making a foray into the travel memoir, then, promises something wholly unexpected — and this surreal narrative about wandering Venice during the early days of the pandemic absolutely qualifies.
José Vadi, Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens (Apr. 16)
It’s been three years since José Vadi’s essay collection Inter State hit the shelves of bookstores across the country, helping to redefine the way we think about skateboarding. With his new book Chipped, Vadi goes even deeper into both the sport and his own life, chronicling how his relationship to it has changed as he’s gotten older and looking back at its ’90s heyday.
Ryan Chapman, The Audacity (Apr. 2)
Ryan Chapman’s debut novel, Riots I Have Known, told the story of its narrator’s unconventional life as a prison riot escalates. Chapman has followed that one up with a story of a different world crumbling — in this case, a tech company that proved too good to be true. If you enjoy your satire blistering, your characters memorable and your prose searing, you’ve come to the right place.
Amanda Montell, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality (Apr. 9)
Where do you go after you’ve written a landmark book about cults? For Amanda Montell, the answer involves the inner landscape of the human mind. Her new book chronicles the ways in which our minds react to a state of constant sensory overload, and the coping mechanisms we’ve come up with to deal with (or not deal with, as the case may be) the occasion.
Joshua Charow, Loft Law: The Last of New York City’s Original Artist Lofts (Apr. 30)
If you read enough about New York City’s history in the second half of the 20th century, eventually you’re going to find yourself reading about artists’ lofts and the transformative effects that they had on the city’s art and culture. Joshua Charow’s new book includes images and stories from the artists who have held on to these singular spaces over the years — and offers a glimpse into one of the city’s most complex legacies.
Becca Rothfeld, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess (Apr. 2)
Upon the release of All Things Are Too Small in the U.K., The Guardian hailed this book as a “bracing, original and intellectually poised collection of essays.” Rothfeld uses the essays to explore contemporary tendencies towards austerity and minimalism — and to question what we might have lost along the way.
Ellen van Neerven, Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity (Apr. 9)
“There are very few stories that are just about trans people enjoying their sport, or their achievements in sport,” Ellen van Neerven said in a 2023 interview about their book Personal Score. This wide-ranging volume is set for release in the United States this month, and chronicles a vast array of experiences, from van Neerven’s own involvement in sport to international drama that’s played out on the highest level of the game. It’s a thought-provoking and complex look at the different factors that come into play whenever sports are involved.
Remembering the Night the Disgraced Hit King Was Crowned at First Base
An excerpt from Keith O’Brien’s “Charlie Hustle” from Pantheon Books
Geoffrey Mak, Mean Boys: A Personal History (Apr. 30)
Geoffrey Mak has written about a wide variety of subjects over the course of his career, from the joys that can come from perpetual motion to the enduring presence of normcore. His new book Mean Boys chronicles his own life through a series of essays — an account of his travels far from home and his growing understanding of what makes for an enduring community.
Brad Balukjian, The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania (Apr. 2)
If you grew up watching wrestling in the 1980s, there may well be a series of personalities permanently etched into your mind. Brad Balukjian’s The Six Pack is an unlikely road narrative, describing its author’s travels around the country connecting with those icons of a bygone era. And while it may be a faux pas to allude to blurbs here, it does seem relevant that both Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Mick Foley have had good things to say about this book.
Gabriel Brownstein, The Secret Mind of Bertha Pappenheim: The Woman Who Invented Freud’s Talking Cure (Apr. 16)
The ways in which psychoanalysis was born continue to fascinate readers and audiences today, both for the development of a new science and a sense that not every story from that period has been told. Consider Bertha Pappenheim, a patient of Sigmund Freud’s mentor who doesn’t fare well in Freud’s own writings, but who lived a fascinating life in her own right. Gabriel Brownstein’s new book reveals a new chapter in the history of therapy — and rights a historical wrong along the way.
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