For author Lauren K. Watel, “potions” are part poem and part fiction. There are 75 prose-like vignettes with the density and intensity of poems in her "Book of Potions."

The novel is set in 2038 in Three Rivers, Texas. A corrupt industrialist is the mayor. Women are indentured laborers in a fish cannery. Reading books is against the law. Protagonist Neftalí is the last literate citizen of the town. What can she do to reclaim and help her city?

The novel is about race and class and about parents trying to raise their sons in our fraught times.

The protagonist is a supremely talented man who is also deeply troubled. He must emerge from his isolation to help a blind, wounded, helpless horse—but can he also save himself?

Edwidge Danticat discusses her essay collection, We're Alone. The essays cover subjects like environmental catastrophe, the traumas of colonialism, motherhood, and the complexities of resilience.

In the novel, Back After This, a podcast producer in Washington D.C. becomes the host of a new podcast—about dating. It’s a break she’s been waiting for. But will this new opportunity destroy her chances at love instead? Linda Holmes discusses her latest novel on the next episode of Book Public.

A young, pregnant mother tries to leave an abusive husband. Obstacles are everywhere for her and her children. Yvette Benavides reviews Nesting—a tense and emotional novel by Roisín O'Donnell.

Tod Lending joins Yvette Benavides for a discussion about The Umbrella Maker’s Son. This World War II novel is a powerful and poignant story about survival and hope in the face of terror and violence. It's an important addition to modern works of Holocaust literature.

A new Little Golden Book biography immortalizes the story of Selena Quintanilla for a new generation of young readers.

This special issue of the Book Public podcast includes conversations and readings from several contributors whose work appears in issue No. 26 of The Common.