A former congresswoman’s memoir about her personal experience of misogyny and double-standards in politics, a novel about a deported “Dreamer” who makes his way back to the United States through an arduous and heartbreaking journey, and the one royal biography (of many this summer) to rule them all.
Here are some suggested reads being published in August.
Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal by Sarah Maslin Nir
Available August 4
In the decade she has worked for the New York Times, Sarah Maslin Nir has reported from terrorist hot spots in West Africa to wildfire-ravaged California. And as soon as she files each story, she chooses to do one thing before heading home: search for the horses. In Horse Crazy (Simon & Schuster), Nir scoured the world for people as obsessed as she, and uncovered their why. From the British socialite who smuggled rare Indian horse semen, to the erased legacy of the Black cowboy, Nir examined love for these animals in all its forms.
She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality by Katie Hill
Available August 11
After resigning from her seat in the House of Representatives amid a controversy in which she was the victim of revenge porn, former Congresswoman Katie Hill shares her experience with misogyny and double standards in politics. But Hill says she does not want women to be discouraged from running for and taking positions of power. On the contrary, in She Will Rise (Grand Central Publishing), Hill argues rampant misogyny is all the more reason for women to lead and to work to change the systems that have prevented women from achieving equality for so long.
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi
Available August 11
A recent work mantra that has emerged is don’t work harder, but rather, work better. But given the state of the world right now, it’s hard to get any work done—even for those privileged enough to work from home. Perhaps then, amid all else combined with the overwhelming heat in the dead of summer, podcast host Kendra Adachi’s new work ethic book The Lazy Genius Way (Waterbrook Press) is perfectly timed for release. Adachi basically encourages readers to live at their own pace in order to establish a routine that works well for them—not to mention scheduling in time for rest. The key is to starting small and asking oneself what is working and what isn’t—and to ruthlessly cut out what isn’t.
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
Available August 11
In the wake of the dramatic departure of two of the most popular figures in the British Royal Family, there are a slew of books being released this summer about the drama brewing in Buckingham Palace. But if you’re going to choose one to read this summer, make it this one from Harper’s Bazaar editor Omid Scobie and Elle correspondent Carolyn Durand, which has already been sitting at the top of the preorder charts for weeks on Amazon in the U.S. and the U.K. Although Finding Freedom (Dey Street Books) is not an officially authorized biography—the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said they have not participated in the book—excerpts published in The Times infer the book is the most major account told from the popular couple’s perspective after a turbulent two years of relentless and overwhelmingly negative press in the British tabloids.
The New American by Micheline Aharonian Marcom
Available August 18
Inspired in part by interviews with Central American refugees, and told in lyrical prose, Micheline Aharonian Marcom’s novel The New American (Simon & Schuster) tracks the heart-pounding and fictional journey of a dreamer, a term referring to young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, who have lived and gone to school here, and who, in many cases, identify as American. Marcom’s protagonist is a young Guatemalan American college student who is undocumented but was never told this by his parents. He gets deported, but then decides to make the long journey, thousands of miles back home to California.
The Nature of Nature by Dr. Enric Sala
Available August 25
COVID-19 is yet another reminder that conservation is not just a luxury for rich countries or a romantic ideal—it’s necessary for our global survival. The world has been brought to a standstill by a novel virus that was transmitted to humans from animals. Dr. Enric Sala, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence and leader of the Pristine Seas project, makes a case for why protecting nature is our best health insurance, why it makes economic sense, and why it is our moral imperative.
