A new history of the right to privacy in the United States examined in light of how our data is being used and as protections for journalists come under new threats; a new examination of the evolving future of work and where that work will actually take place; and a new anthology of 22 essays from some of the world’s most celebrated writers on the joys, struggles, and realities of being alone.
Here is a selection of new books being published this month.
At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha
Available April 5
Madi Sinha made her fictional debut with the bestseller The White Coat Diaries in 2020. In her second novel, Sinha sets the stage inside a wellness clinic—you know the kind with the neo-modern, highly stylized interiors that look more like lounges in five-star hotels than offices for medical professionals. Echoing the vibe in some women-only coworking spaces in novels (and sometimes, real life) as well as the questionable science behind some wellness and lifestyle brands, there is something off when protagonist and gynecologist Dr. Maya Rao enters the scene at Eunoia Women’s Health, and its founder, Amelia DeGilles, has plenty of secrets she’d like to keep hidden.
Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy by Amy Gajda
Available April 12
If the 2010s were all about building your brand through social media, the 2020s already look like the decade of reclaiming your privacy. Opinions on social media and just how much should be shared online already started to shift after the 2016 election, and the proliferation of misinformation during the 2020 election and pandemic has made a lot of people rethink what they should be sharing—if anything at all. Instead of a brand, privacy is now the commodity. Legal expert Amy Gajda suggests there is a battle for privacy: Interest in privacy is surging, but there are fewer and fewer protections for it.
The Nowhere Office: Reinventing Work and the Workplace of the Future by Julia Hobsbawm
Available April 12
Despite conflicting headlines and statistics about how much of a threat COVID still poses after Omicron became the dominant strain this winter, now the question is how to get people back to the office. That is, if those employees even want to go back, and the fact that so many people vocally don’t is a clear sign that something was broken well before the pandemic. Julia Hobsbawm, a British entrepreneur and public speaker on social health, examines why we need to rethink the necessity of being in the office and both the benefits and pitfalls of encouraging a work-from-home culture.
Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Lim
Available April 19
Even before China imposed an extensive national security law in June 2020, Hong Kong has been a battleground for democracy, starting with months of mass pro-democracy protests throughout the city starting in 2019, which continue to result in the arrest or exile of countless activists to this day. Journalist Louisa Lim, raised in Hong Kong in a half-Chinese, half-English household, has covered the region for more than a decade. Described as an untold story being published before it’s too late, Indelible City dissects a number of competing myths about Hong Kong, from its history before the British takeover in 1842 through the handover in 1997 to its future under Beijing rule.
The Lonely Stories: 22 Celebrated Writers on the Joys and Struggles of Being Alone Edited by Natalie Eve Garrett
Available April 19
Public health experts were already trying to signal an epidemic of loneliness plaguing adults (and even teens and children) before the coronavirus pandemic, but the aftereffects of lengthy lockdowns have moved the discussion into the spotlight. It sounds clichéd, but if you feel lonely right now, truly, you are not alone in that feeling. Writers, especially, often speak to the loneliness of their profession. A new anthology of essays homes in on solitude—whether by choice or default—from some of the most lauded authors today, including Jhumpa Lahiri, Anthony Doerr, Imani Perry, Aja Gabel, Jesmyn Ward, Lena Dunham, and Lev Grossman.
Dive into stories from Fortune’s print edition:
- Crypto traders anonymous: A new addiction takes hold for many as cryptocurrency goes mainstream
- How Toyota kept making cars when the chips were down
- Ethereum risks it all on going green
- NFTy 50: The most influential builders, creatives, and influencers in the NFT world
- The war to charge your electric car is powering up
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