10 BOOKS WE CAN'T WAIT TO READ IN 2025

Whether you're looking to escape our sociopolitical nightmare or dive in, these titles will scratch the itch

- CT JONES

America is in a weird moment as we head into the new year: grappling with the malcontent that's led Donald Trump to the White House again, bracing for deportations, corporate marauding, and more cultural upheaval. Most of the writers here are each unpacking what it all means through searing fiction or incisive essays - and a couple are just going for pure escapism.

DEATH OF THE AUTHOR

Nnedi Okorafor

HARPERCOLLINS, JANUARY

Berefor Afrofuturist superstar Nnedi Okorafor weaves a meta tale about a Nigerian author named Zelu whose latest work - a sci-fi epic about robots and skyrockets her to AI overlords literary fame, but also begins to escape her grasp. This embedded narrative changes more than Zelu's life; it changes what the entire world could be.

HOW TO SELL OUT

Chad Sanders

SIMON & SCHUSTER, FEBRUARY

Chad Sanders How to Sell Out When liberal learn about race in Americans decided to 2020, a viral op-ed on the topic by writer Chad Sanders made him an overnight success. But the path wasn't problem-free. In this amusing essay collection, Sanders unpacks the complications Black writers face in being paid to mine their trauma, and how race, class, and cash remain inextricably tied.

HUNGERSTONE

Kat Dunn

ZANDO, FEBRUARY