Highlights of the upcoming fall books season include fiction and non-fiction
August 19, 2020, 5:19 PM
2 min read
NEW YORK -- Five highlights of the fall books season, from literary fiction to topical non-fiction:
Elena Ferrante, “The Lying Life of Adults” — The Italian author has become an international favorite through her “Neapolitan Quartet,” including “My Brilliant Friend” and “The Story of the Child.” Her new novel, translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein, is the story of a teenager who learns the truth of grownup dishonesty, a plot that fits well with Ferrante's stated beliefs that writing fiction is a way of revealing the truth.
Claudia Rankine, “Just Us” — Rankine's followup to her acclaimed “Citizen" continues her personal and historical exploration of race and racism in the United States. Like “Citizen," a collage of poetry, illustrations and commentary that received nominations from the National Book Critics Circle for both poetry and criticism, the new book features multiple art forms as if to mirror and celebrate the country's diversity.
Bob Woodward, “Rage” — A Woodward book has been an election-year tradition for decades. “Rage” continues his investigation of the Trump administration, which he first took on two years ago with the million-selling “Fear.” The new book again draws on interviews with White House officials and internal documents, and even includes the participation of the president, who spoke more than a dozen times with Woodward. Trump may be having second thoughts: “The Bob Woodward book will be a FAKE, as always, just as many of the others have been,” Trump recently tweeted.
Don DeLillo, “The Silence” — The latest novel from the author of “White Noise" and “End Zone” is another story of apocalypse, this time set on Super Bowl Sunday in 2022. The coronavirus is mentioned, but that's just one of many catastrophes, including a digital meltdown that leaves screens blank and minds at a loss.
Megan Rapinoe, “One Life” — The title of Rapinoe's memoir isn't quite the truth. She is a world-famous soccer star, an Olympic Gold medalist and World Cup champion, and prominent activist for LGBTQ rights. In “One Life,” she takes us from her upbringing in a conservative California community to her triumphs on the soccer field and her commitment to social causes.
