6 new books to read in May

Here are six new books to consider reading this month.

Courtesy of Oxford University Press

Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture by Annelise Heinz

Available May 3

Mahjong takes a deep dive into the history of a game that has deep roots within a number of distinct cultures. Historian Annelise Heinz specifically looks at the game’s role in the lives of Chinese Americans in the 1930s, incarcerated Japanese Americans during the Second World War, Jewish American mothers living in the suburbs, and even the wives of Air Force servicemen during the postwar era.

Courtesy of Metropolitan Books

Persist by Elizabeth Warren

Available May 4

Staying true to her brand, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is taking a different approach with her new book. One of the most anticipated political memoirs of the year, Persist is both a collection of stories and a call to action. Warren writes about six perspectives that she says have influenced her career and personal life, emphasizing the issues that have been core to her political platform, from racial and gender equality to childcare and education.

Courtesy of Harper Business

You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence by Jon Levy

Available May 11

As a behavioral scientist, Jon Levy is used to researching what affects decision-making and how to guide people to healthy behaviors. In You’re Invited, Levy breaks down what he describes as the science of how connection, trust, and belonging help define success. And the topic couldn’t be more timely amid a massive shift in the labor force, as an increasing number of workers are leaving their jobs altogether owing to burnout, loneliness during the pandemic, and the difficulty of navigating the hybrid workspace between office and home.

Courtesy of Henry Holt & Co.

The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan

Available May 11

Even 100 years later, what is now known as the Tulsa Race Massacre remains one of the most overlooked but also most monumental events in U.S. history. It is almost never addressed in history classes anywhere from elementary to high school, and it took HBO’s Watchmen to finally cast a national spotlight on a horrific event—for which there is still no accurate death count—that changed both the face of a city and altered the economic future of the Black community after the decimation of what was once considered Black Wall Street. Originally published in 2003 but being rereleased this month with an all-new afterword, The Burning is a good place to begin to educate yourself.

Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

Available May 11

In a follow-up to his 2014 bestseller The Everything Store, Bloomberg reporter Brad Stone is back with another exhaustive book about one of the most powerful companies in the world: Amazon. Suffice to say, a lot has happened in the past seven years, not least of which includes the acquisition of Whole Foods and a recent shuffle at the top of the corporate ladder. Amazon Unbound also takes a closer look at the man who started it all, Jeff Bezos, and his ambitions within and beyond the company, from his own purchase of the Washington Post to even his multibillion-dollar divorce and fallout in the tabloids.

Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin

What to Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide by Michelle Singletary

Available May 18

This personal finance book might have been helpful for most (if not all) of us non-billionaires last spring, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the future. Michelle Singletary, who writes a column for the Washington Post called “The Color of Money,” offers candid personal financial advice that could be applicable whether we’re in a bear market, a pandemic, a recession—or all of the above simultaneously! Singletary specifically addresses concerns over credit cards, debt, medical insurance coverage, and much more.