Books
When journalist Michelle McNamara passed away unexpectedly in April 2016, she left behind a handful of articles about the Golden State Killer and an unfinished manuscript that compiled all of her investigative work about the unsolved rapes and murders. That book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, was ultimately finished with help from her widower, actor Patton Oswald, and will be released this week on Feb. 27.
Perhaps the most highly anticipated true crime book of the year, I'll Be Gone In The Dark is a breathtaking work that does what too few violent crime-oriented TV shows, documentaries, books, and podcasts fail to do: It centers the experience of the victims. McNamara proves it is possible to write an engagement, entertaining true crime book without exploiting the suffering of the victims.
If true crime isn't your cup of tea this week, there are three other books to get you through until March. Emma Gray, the Executive Women's Editor at HuffPost, is releasing A Girl's Guide to Joining the Resistance, a slim read about the actionable side of political anger; Rose Brock is releasing a YA anthology of stories of hope; and author Dana Mele is releasing People Like Us, a heart-pounding YA thriller about a boarding school, a murder, and a girl with plenty of skeletons in her closet.
Here are the four new books you need to watch for this week:
'I'll Be Gone In The Dark' by Michelle McNamara
A stunning and propulsive narrative of the Golden State Killer, I'll Be Gone in the Dark is a harsh, unflinching view of a violent sexual abuser and killer that somehow manages to brim with humanity. Though she died unexpectedly in the process of writing this book, author and journalist Michelle McNamara has delivered what will surely become a staple of the true crime genre.
'The Girl's Guide To Joining The Resistance' by Emma Gray
It's been over a year since Donald Trump became president — and the outrage hasn't died down yet. But how can that anger be translated to action? In her new book, Emma Gray, the Executive Women's Editor at HuffPost, guides you through the process of figuring out what comes next and how to channel your rage into resistance.
'Hope Nation' edited by Rose Brock
In Hope Nation, literature's most beloved young adult authors — including Gayle Forman, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, David Levithan, and others — share stories of finding light in the darkness and discovering hope in unexpected places.
'People Like Us' by Dana Mele
Bates Academy student, Kay, has plenty of secrets — she just keeps hidden behind her plaid uniform and mean girl/star athlete status. But when she gets unexpectedly entangled in a murder investigation, she discovers that all the clues might lead back to her.. In People Like Us, Dana Mele delivers the Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars young adult novel you've been waiting for.
