Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In episode 13, we’re making the case for contemporary fiction and engaging with the present. Our culture is obsessed with nostalgia, and it often feels like we’re stuck in a loop of reboots and sequels. In the literary world, that nostalgia manifests in a reflexive distrust of contemporary novels or an insistent belief that books are getting worse.

To counter that narrative, we created a list of 10 excellent contemporary novel recommendations, just in time for summer reading. You’re welcome.

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Ten Great Books From The Last Ten Years

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde

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