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It’s the new year, and that means a new Read Harder Challenge! This reading challenge encourages readers to push themselves and pick up books outside their comfort zone. For the past couple newsletters, I’ve been giving some of my recommendations for the prompts. Let’s do one more: 1) Read a 2025 release by a BIPOC author.
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry (January 28th)
Imani Perry, the author of the award-winning South to America, is back with a book that examines the color blue and its connection to the concept of Blackness in America. My copy just arrived and I cannot wait to dive in.
Sucker Punch: Essays by Scaachi Koul (March 4th)
I was a huge fan of One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, so I have been eagerly waiting for Koul’s next book. Written in her signature hilarious style, Sucker Punch is a collection of essays about a series of events she never expected—her marriage fell apart, she lost her job, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara (April 8th)
Vauhini Vara may be most well known for The Immortal King Rao, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Now she’s back with a nonfiction all about creativity in the age of technology. From the early days of social media to our current discourse around AI, Vara takes a deep dive into what it means to create art.
The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders by Sarah Aziza (April 22nd)
Back in 2019, Sarah Aziza is hospitalized for an eating disorder and brought back from the brink of death. This near-death experience sends Aziza on the path of growing closer to her Palestinian ancestors and resisting the efforts of on-going colonization.
Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools by Mary Annette Pember (April 22nd)
Ojibwe journalist Mary Annette Pember writes about the history of Indian Boarding Schools through her lens as the daughter of a boarding school survivor. As Pember delves into her mother’s story, she also includes research into the long-lasting impact of generations of Native children being forced to attend these “schools” across North America.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
