Much has been made of America's semiquincentennial (including the spread of that extraordinarily cumbersome word). Next Saturday, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday; in the meantime, many Americans are untangling their complicated feelings about patriotism, legacy, and national identity.
I'm not suggesting that PW has all the answers, but in this week's edition of PW Picks, we're serving up food for thought, including the results of the poll we conducted earlier this year asking critics to name the most essential works of literature that have been published stateside since 1776. Deeper into the newsletter, we examine some important titles that didn't make the top 15 and put forth a suggested reading list for those of you who'd like help mulling over the meaning of America.
Elsewhere, we check in with the ever-prolific Teddy Wayne about his steamy new domestic thriller and hear from comedian Jo Firestone about the books that inspired her latest murder mystery. In observance of the holiday, PW Picks will take next Friday off. We'll see you again on July 10. As always, happy reading!
—Conner Reed
15 Essential Works of American LiteratureIn honor of America’s 250th birthday, we polled PW’s staffers and freelance reviewers, as well as members of the National Book Critics Circle, on the most essential books published in the U.S. since 1776. more
Books for Understanding America at 250As the U.S. semiquincentennial approaches, authors reexamine the nation’s history and legacy. more
Starred Reviews Releasing Next WeekCheck out all the books to receive starred PW reviews that are hitting shelves next week. more
15 More Essential Works of American Literature Picked by PW Reviewers and StaffersOur writers weigh in on the runners-up from our recent critics' poll. more
5 Books That Inspired Jo Firestone’s Wacky New MysteryThe comedian highlights the whodunits and memoirs that influenced Sex on Murder Island. more
Teddy Wayne’s Au Pair AffairThe author investigates the male ego in a thriller about a failing writer who beds his kids’ live-in nanny. more
Not Built in a Day: How Slavery Made the Roman EmpireBy Emma Southon (Simon & Schuster)
Southon’s latest recasts ancient Rome as a brutal slave state, pushing back against other historians’ attempts over the centuries to wave away some of the empire’s worst offenses (which include sex trafficking and running slaves to death on giant wheels to produce energy). It’s a bracing corrective that sheds light on how slaves fought against their conditions in ways big and small, giving due credit to the people who built the empire by the sweat of their brows (and not in a day!). —Dana Snitzky, history and current affairs reviews editor
Red XBy David Demchuck (Hell's Hundred)
This smart, sad, and very scary horror novel interweaves a chilling chronicle of the mysterious disappearances of gay men over the course of four decades with a meta treatise on the appeal of queer horror as a genre. I couldn't put it down. —Phoebe Cramer, SFF, horror, and romance reviews editor
By Paul Tremblay (Morrow)
I can’t wait to crack open Tremblay's latest sci-fi thriller, which combines a Weekend at Bernie’s-style farce with a foreboding vision of AI. —Conner Reed, mystery and memoir reviews editor
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1
Theo of Golden
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2
The Deal
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3
Harvest Season
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
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9
The Mistake
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10
Sing the 50 United States!
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For more PW bestsellers lists, click here.
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