10 best books of April: The courage to look under the surface
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye,” wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in “The Little Prince.”
This month’s selections include a fictionalized retelling* of the extraordinary life of a man who was born on a slave ship but was determined to chart his own course in life, the unexpected courage of a banker determined to do what was right rather than what was authorized, and what Helen Keller chose to do “After the Miracle.”
Why We Wrote This
The reading life is an inspired one. And this month’s books bring empathy, courage, insight, and a new work highlighting an extraordinary life that should never have been forgotten.
Another author looks at the real price – often paid in pain – of luxury goods, while two writers argue that in America, to achieve lasting change, you might want to start gradually.
Our fiction reviewers have selected a multigenerational family saga about restaurant owners in Minnesota, a sprightly second-chance rom-com, a mystery set during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and a profound novel about creating art and finding home through a West Bank production of “Hamlet.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this quick read miscategorized the tale of a former enslaved man. “The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho” is a fictional account of a real person.
It can, and should, be argued that every life is extraordinary. But April’s best books offer another one of those biographies of a life so compelling you cannot believe it was ever forgotten.
1. Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, by J. Ryan Stradal
This gratifying multi-generational story of two families who own restaurants in northern Minnesota serves up a bounty of humor, heartache, and affection. J. Ryan Stradal’s novel celebrates community, forgiveness, progress, and finding one’s own way.
Why We Wrote This
The reading life is an inspired one. And this month’s books bring empathy, courage, insight, and a new work highlighting an extraordinary life that should never have been forgotten.
2. Enter Ghost, by Isabella Hammad
An actor living in London returns to Israel to visit her sister and join a West Bank production of “Hamlet.” As she warms to the rhythm of rehearsals, the charged political landscape, plus long-ignored tensions with her Palestinian family, tug and test. It’s a patient, emotionally honest novel about creating art – and finding home – amid resistance.
3. Coronation Year, by Jennifer Robson
The financially precarious Blue Lion Hotel may get the boost it needs when Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation procession rolls past its doors. As hotelier Edie, a photographer friend, and a boarder prepare for the celebration, a mysterious conspiracy brews.
4. The Do-Over, by Suzanne Park
Korean American Lily Lee returns to college to complete the degree she thought she’d already earned, only to find that her old boyfriend is the teaching assistant in her class. Suzanne Park has created an empowered, intelligent rom-com with humor and depth.
5. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, by Paterson Joseph
In his debut novel, Paterson Joseph presents the remarkable true life of Ignatius Sancho – born on a slave ship in 1729, raised in London by his enslaver’s sisters, and self-emancipated at age 20. Buoyed by fortuitous encounters, a hunger to learn, and a fierce spirit of survival, he charts his path with determination and brio.
6. Getting Out of Saigon, by Ralph White
On April 14, 1975, Chase Manhattan Bank junior officer Ralph White arrived in Saigon to help evacuate the bank’s 53 Vietnamese employees. His well-documented, true story offers a gripping play-by-play about the choice to do what’s right instead of what’s authorized.
7. The Wounded World, by Chad Williams
This compelling nonfiction book traces civil rights leader and scholar W.E.B. Du Bois’ decades of reckoning with World War I. Du Bois at first encouraged Black men to enlist, believing that their sacrifices overseas would lead to equality at home, but was disillusioned when racist violence escalated after the war.
8. After the Miracle, by Max Wallace
Helen Keller achieved international fame as a deaf and blind child who learned to read and write, but this fascinating biography reveals that her story did not end there. Keller became a radical leftist who used her celebrity to fight injustice, speaking out against Jim Crow, Nazism, McCarthyism, and more.
9. Gradual, by Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox
Activists and politicians frequently call for “radical change” and “bold action.” But what if American democracy was built for incremental change? The authors make a compelling case that a “go-slow” approach can change minds and prevent backlash. (Read our interview with the authors here.)
10. The Ugly History of Beautiful Things, by Katy Kelleher
Katy Kelleher delves into the dark history of luxury goods, along with her conflicting feelings about enjoying them. Beauty, she writes, can be transformative. But lovely objects like silk, diamonds, and marble often come at a cost to the environment and to the workers who produce them.
