It’s spring break, and my spouse and I are visiting his family out west. I always love visiting family, seeing people we haven’t had the chance to see in a while, and catching up on all the goings on in their lives. The kids are taller. The adults have a few more gray hairs. And we all have some great conversations. Some of my favorite books are about families. There’s love, messiness, and tough choices to make, just like in real life. So today, I’m sharing a couple graphic memoirs about families set during tumultuous times in history.
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But first, it’s time for bookish goods and new book releases!
Bookish Goods
Tea Bag Bookmark by AChapterOfTea
Whenever I come out to see family, I always like to bring gifts. This adorable, tea-inspired bookmark caught my eye. $10
New Releases
Rabbit Heart: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Story by Kristine S. Ervin
Kristine S. Ervin was only eight when her mother was abducted from a parking lot at the mall and murdered. The family never learned what happened. Now, as an adult, Ervin decides to finally find out what happened to her mother all those years ago.
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
There’s Always This Year is one of my anticipated book releases of the season, and I’m so happy that it’s finally here! Poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib grew up in Columbus, Ohio, during the 1990s. He watches basketball stars like LeBron James rise from places he could recognize. In There’s Always This Year, he discusses ideas around who we think deserves success and what society decides is exceptional.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
In Good Talk, Mira Jacob describes how her son asked her why his Jewish paternal grandparents would vote for Trump, a man who hated immigrants, like Mira and her parents. This question launches her into even more questions that she’s not quite sure how to answer. She works through these conversations in Good Talk, illustrating them on the page and giving readers a fuller picture. I read this graphic memoir while waiting for a delayed flight at the airport. I felt consumed, and barely even noticed spending the extra four hours surrounded by disgruntled passengers.
Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq
Leila Abdelrazaq’s grandfather was one of the thousands of Palestinians who fled Palestine after the creation of Israel and the war of 1948. He and his family spent the next several decades moving from one country to another, facing constant discrimination as they tried to make a life for themselves. At first, they thought that their exile was temporary, but as the years passed, they began to lose hope that they would ever see Palestine again.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra