What To Read

Every month, we share the books we can't wait to read. Our March staff picks include: Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's compelling argument for an abundance economy, Pulitzer finalist Laila Lalami's dystopian vision of the near future, and Americanah author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's long awaited new novel.

FICTION

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (March 4)

Selected by Fernanda Gorgulho

Imagine stepping off a plane and being arrested—not for something you’ve done, but for something an algorithm predicts you will do. In this haunting dystopian story, a woman lands at LAX and is detained by a dream-surveillance system that claims she’ll harm her husband. Pulitzer Prize finalist Lalami was inspired by a 2013 incident when her phone sent an unexpected yoga practice reminder—no input needed, just algorithms tracking her habits. "Pretty soon," she realized, "the only privacy we will have will be in our dreams." Unsettling and eerily plausible. I’ve been intrigued by this novel since we featured it in our First Dibs Editors' Salon preview. (Sign up for the next salon here.)

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (March 4)

Selected by Lynda Hammes

I gulped down Americanah when it first came out in two sittings, and have been waiting for Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie's next fiction book for a decade. Somehow I failed to get my hands on an advance copy, and am clearing my nightstand to get ready for the book's release on March 4.

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (March 4)

Selected by Romina Raimundo

"Captialism and cannibalism are almost the same," is the unforgettable quote by Agustina Bazterrica to explain her wildly gruesome (and wildly popular) breakout book Tender is the Flesh. She's back with another hair-raising commentary on our society in this novel that follows several women living together in a “Sacred Sisterhood,” where they are subject to various tortures and sacrifices for the protection of their new god. I'm getting ready for some insomnia, as her last book had me sleeping with the lights on!

The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso (March 4)

Selected by Fernanda Gorgulho

Already recognized in my home country of Brazil as a major literary voice, where critics have compared her to Rachel Cusk and Olga Tokarczuk, Giovana Madalosso is the perfect read if you're looking to discover new female authors in translation during Women's History Month. This psychological novel follows a nanny who suddenly disappears with the child she cares for, triggering a crisis in a wealthy São Paulo family. The story cuts right to the heart of feminine guilt, class divisions, and the complex relationship between mothers and those who care for their children, as it lays bare the unspoken pressures shaping women's roles in family and society at large.

Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted by Ben Okri (March 18)

Selected by Fernanda Gorgulho

A masked ball in the south of France, a fortune teller straight out of T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," and a woman hosting a party for those burned by love? Yes, please! What starts as an unconventional 20th anniversary party commemorating the day her first husband walked out, soon turns into a night of revelations with the arrival of a mysterious fortune teller, as guests confront their past and future lives. I’m obsessed with the premise of this modern fable by a Booker Prize-winning author who is a complete blind spot in my library.

NONFICTION

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (March 18)

Selected by Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

For me, these two podcast titans are as good as it gets for understanding what's shaping America today. Everyone is understandably talking about the threat of autocracy, but the angle this book takes is that the lack of effective action by progressives is at the root of our problems. Fellow fans of Ezra will be familiar with his evangelism for an "abundance economy," and this book is his blueprint for how to build it.

Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service ed. by Michael Lewis (March 18)

Selected by Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

I'd read anything by Michael Lewis of Moneyball and Big Short fame, but this timely essay collection is like being at a cocktail party of top public intellectuals hosted by Lewis himself. (Think Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks and John Lanchester.) As we brace ourselves for the continued onslaught of DOGE, this is an essential read on the critical and frequently overlooked work of government experts.

Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America by Jane Borden (March 25)

Selected by Iliyah Coles

I'm obsessed with cults while also wanting nothing to do with them. I'm absolutely fascinated by the phenomenon: What does it take to lead one? What drives its followers? Jane Borden traces the roots of cult-like thinking from Plymouth Rock to the current rise in extremism. With the era we're living in now, understanding doomsdayism just might be the ammo we need to avoid Doomsday.

On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR by Steve Oney (March 11)

Selected by Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

NPR has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up on shows like Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and Car Talk, and to this day I listen to NPR daily to stay informed about politics and culture. As an NPR super fan, I can't wait to dive into the complicated and, at times, messy history of the iconic network.

I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams by Jordan Chiles (March 4)

Selected by Iliyah Coles

Many of us tuned into the summer Olympics to be awed by our dream team gymnasts. But if you paid attention beyond the inspirational stories, you know that two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles had her rightfully earned bronze medal on the floor exercise stripped from her in an intense court battle that many believed to be plagued with racial bias. It was a huge upset and the media ran with it; it became the thing people discussed whenever her name was mentioned. She wrote this memoir to tell her story in its entirety–sucesses and setbacks–and I can't wait to hear it.