Angie Cruz is the author of the novels Soledad and Let It Rain Coffee, a finalist in 2007 for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She has published work in The New York Times, VQR, Gulf Coast Literary Journal, and other publications, and has received fellowships from the New York Foundation of the Arts, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony. She is founder and editor in chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal, and is an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Palace of Eros (2024) Caro de Robertis "Caro De Robertis is the reason I read. It's impossible not to fall in love with her characters, who are fierce, courageous and adventurous. Her powerful storytelling captivates the reader from start to finish."
Broughtupsy (2024) Christina Cooke "I am so excited for Christina Cooke's novel, Broughtupsy; willful women caught in fraught family drama and torn between countries. Cooke's prose is vivid, propulsive, and visceral."
Blackouts (2023) Justin Torres "Blackouts is unequivocally brilliant, bold, and structurally inventive. Like its absorbing narrator, who tells stories to keep his friend alive, Justin Torres has written a shamelessly vital novel that reminds us all not to give up on ourselves, on one another, or on our stories."
Family Lore (2023) Elizabeth Acevedo "Flor is throwing herself a wake and reminding us that 'even a long life is too short.' So while we are here 'let's eat, and dance, and be alive.' Acevedo has written unforgettable characters who breathe new life to how we grieve, age, take care of each other. Family Lore is a big-hearted novel, a wonderful debut!"
Carmen and Grace (2023) Melissa Coss Aquino "In a world fraught with violence, Melissa Coss Aquino brilliantly delivers a heartwarming, loving novel with characters you are inspired to ride or die with. . . . If you love reading novels about creative, ambitious, and relentless women who are committed to community and making a way out of no way, read this book!"
Take What You Need (2023) Idra Novey "It's impossible not to become invested in these characters. The palpable tension between Jean and Leah and those they hold close, burns and burns. Reader, you may be emotionally wrecked by this book, but I assure you-- your heart is in the hand of a masterful storyteller."
Harry Sylvester Bird (2022) Chinelo Okparanta "Arresting, bold, and exactly the kind of book we need right now. Harry Sylvester Bird is haunting in the best way possible. It is truly thrilling to read such an unapologetic point of view from such a masterful storyteller."
Don't Call Me a Hurricane (2022) Ellen Hagan "When I read Don't Call Me a Hurricane with my niece she said: 'a climate change activist love story in verse?! Yes, please.' We both loved taking this journey with Eliza Marino. It is a salve and good company for all of us grappling with uncertainty as we traverse these challenging times."
Neruda on the Park (2022) Cleyvis Natera "Natera has written a powerful and arresting novel with unforgettable characters. Neruda on the Park is the book we need and the reason I read."
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity (2022) Angela Velez "Angela Velez weaves humor and heartbreak gifting us an irresistible, funny and propulsive novel about sisters. Lulu & Milagro's Search for Clarity offers up a fresh take on the road-trip novel. It's a brilliant exploration of girlhood and the challenges young women face when torn between personal dreams and ties to family."
When We Make It (2021) Elisabet Velasquez "This is the kind of book that makes you feel seen, the kind you read around the kitchen table to your sisters and friends. It will make you laugh and cry and remind you that you aren't alone. Elisabet's book will touch so many people's lives. It has already touched mine."
What Storm, What Thunder (2021) Myriam J A Chancy "Myriam Chancy has written a gorgeous and compulsively readable, page-turner in the most haunting and stunning prose. This novel is exactly what we need during this time of uncertainty and crisis. What Storm, What Thunder's characters reveal to us how to bend and not break when facing loss, grief, and displacement. If you love the works of Jesmyn Ward, Edwidge Danticat and J.M Coetzee, this is the book for you! Absolutely breathtaking!"
What's Mine and Yours (2021) Naima Coster "What's Mine Is Yours is a book about parents who try and fail and then try again. An extraordinary cast of characters, nuanced and full of insight. It's about children who hold their loved ones accountable. It reveals in absolutely engrossing and tension-filled prose how a tragedy haunts a family. Coster is a master storyteller through and through. Read this book."
Of Women and Salt (2021) Gabriela Garcia "I am a sucker for intergenerational family dramas and fraught mother and daughter relationships. Garcia's vivid details, visceral prose and strong willful women negotiating how to survive in this world are easy to fall for."
(b.1972)
