Social Issues Fiction

New and recommended books that take on social issues

Updated April 17, 2024
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Social Issues Fiction

New and recommended books that take on social issues

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Jackal : a novel
Adams, Erin E.
Paper Book
RECOMMENDED BY GILLIAN FLYNN ON THE TODAY SHOW * A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she's not the first--and she may not be the last. . . . "I read this thriller that is Get Out meets The Vanishing Half<...
Stay with me
Adebayo, Ayobami
Paper Book
Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage - after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and...
Homeland elegies
Akhtar, Ayad
Paper Book
In every mirror she's Black : a novel
Akinmade Åkerström, Lola
Paper Book
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick! As seen in Vulture, Essence, Good Morning America, The Independent, Goodreads, PureWow, and many more! "A sexy, surprising, searing debut about love, loss, desire, and the many dimensions of Black womanhood."--Deesha Philyaw, 2020 National Book...
The power : a novel
Alderman, Naomi
Paper Book
In this stunning bestseller that inspired the Amazon Prime series, praised as "our era's Handmaid's Tale," a fierce new power has emerged--and only women have it (Washington Post).  In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there's a...
Mother ocean father nation : a novel
Batsha, Nishant
Paper Book
LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST LONGLISTED FOR THE MARK TWIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD "A brilliant debut novel." --Joyce Carol Oates A brother and sister's paths diverge in the wake of political upheaval: one forced to leave, one left behind On a small Pacific...
The personal librarian
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. But Belle has a secret, she is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate...
The vanishing half
Bennett, Brit
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE * VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR New York Times<...
Alone with you in the ether : a love story
Blake, Olivie
Paper Book
From Olivie Blake, the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, comes a literary, intimate study of time, space, and the nature of love. Alone with You in the Ether explores what it means to be unwell, and how to face the fractures of yourself and still love as...
The selfless act of breathing : a novel
Bola, J. J.
Paper Book
A heartbreaking, lyrical story for all of those who have fantasized about escaping their daily lives and starting over. Michael Kabongo is a British-Congolese teacher living in London on the cusp of two identities. On paper, he seems to have it all: He's beloved by his students, popular...
Waiting for Bojangles : a novel
Bourdeaut, Olivier
Paper Book
An "oddball fairy tale" (The New York Times)--shortlisted for one of France's highest literary prizes--a dark, funny, and wholly charming novel about a young boy and his eccentric family, who grapple with the realities of mental illness in unique and whimsical ways. ...
The red arrow
Brewer, William
Paper Book
'It was a strange time. He felt like he was happy. It was strange because it wasn't so long ago that he was convinced the only way out of the depression that had crippled him since he was a child, was death.' But now, he is on a high-speed train travelling from Rome to Modena, a failed...
The lowering days : a novel
Brown, Gregory (Novelist)
Paper Book
"In The Lowering Days Gregory Brown gives us a lush, almost mythic portrait of a very specific place and time that feels all the more universal for its singularity. There's magic here." --Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are A promising literary...
Shades of light : a novel
Brown, Sharon Garlough
Paper Book
"I was desperate. . . . I couldn't turn off the dark thoughts, no matter how hard I tried or how much I prayed. And then I spent a whole weekend in bed, and the crying wouldn't stop, and I got really scared. I've had bouts with depression before--it's kind of a cloud I've learned to...
Starling days
Buchanan, Rowan Hisayo
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD'A singular novel from the poetic and painterly mind of Rowan Hisayo Buchanan.' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti'An exquisite rendering of love, sadness, and misunderstanding . . . I want to share this book with everyone I know.'...
Before you go : a novel
Butler, Tommy
Paper Book
"Hats off to that brave soul daring to write what might be called speculative literary fiction, and willing to venture answers to questions beyond even those of life & death. Tommy Butler's debut novel Before You Go has a big beating heart and a mind all its own." -- Joshua...
An orphan world
Caputo, Giuseppe
Paper Book
In a poverty-stricken neighbourhood wedged between the city and the sea, a father and son struggle to keep their heads above water. Rather than being discouraged by their difficulties and hardship, their response is to come up with increasingly bizarre and imaginative plans in order to get by....
Queenie
Carty-Williams, Candice
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestselling AuthorNamed one of the Most Anticipated Books by Women's Day, Newsday, Publishers Weekly, Bustle and Book RiotQueenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national...
Birnam wood
Catton, Eleanor
Paper Book
Greenwood : a novel
Christie, Michael
Paper Book
A magnificent generational saga that charts a family's rise and fall, its secrets and inherited crimes, from one of Canada's most acclaimed novelists Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize * "A rugged, riveting novel . . . This superb family saga will satisfy fans of...
Under color of law
Clark, Aaron Philip
Paper Book
The murder of a police recruit pins a black LAPD detective in a deadly web where race, corruption, violence, and cover-ups intersect in this relevant, razor-sharp novel of suspense. Black rookie cop Trevor "Finn" Finnegan aspires to become a top-ranking officer in the Los Angeles...
The new wilderness : a novel
Cook, Diane
Paper Book
Bea's five-year-old daughter, Agnes, is wasting away, ravaged by the smog and pollution of the overdeveloped, overpopulated metropolis they call home. Bea knows she cannot stay in the city, but there is only one alternative- The Wilderness State. This vast expanse of unwelcoming, untamed land is...
Blacktop wasteland : a novel
Cosby, S. A.
Paper Book
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * NPR's Best Books of the Year * BookPage's #1 Mystery and Suspense of the Year * Sun Sentinel's #1 Best Mystery of the Year "I loved Blacktop Wasteland...[A] fast-paced,...
How not to drown in a glass of water
Cruz, Angie
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE · A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK · REVIEWED ON THE FRONT COVER From GMA BOOK CLUB PICK and WOMEN'S PRIZE FINALIST Angie Cruz, author of Dominicana, an electrifying new novel about a...
Well-behaved Indian women
Dave, Saumya
Paper Book
Simran has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, and when a highly respected journalist careens into her life, she begins to question everything. Nandini has strived to create an easy life for her children, so much so that she's let herself slip away. Mimi failed her daughter, Nandini,...
Damnation spring : a novel
Davidson, Ash
Paper Book
What strange paradise
El Akkad, Omar
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American War--a beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. "Told from...
The sentence : a novel
Erdrich, Louise
Paper Book
"Dazzling. . . . A hard-won love letter to readers and to booksellers, as well as a compelling story about how we cope with pain and fear, injustice and illness. One good way is to press a beloved book into another's hands. Read The Sentence and then do just that."--USA Today, Four Stars ...
If I survive you
Escoffery, Jonathan
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE. LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION. Finalist for the 2023 Pen/Faulkner Award, the DUBLIN Literary Award, the Southern Book Award, and the Gordon Burns Award. Nominated for the 2022 National Book...
Swimming back to Trout River : a novel
Feng, Linda Rui
Paper Book
A lyrical novel set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution that follows a father's quest to reunite his family before his precocious daughter's momentous birthday, which Garth Greenwell calls "one of the most beautiful debuts I've read in years." "A beautifully...
Unsettled ground
Fuller, Claire
Paper Book
Of women and salt
Garcia, Gabriela
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF 2021A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK WINNER of the Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Fiction Award - International Latino Book Awards * WINNER of<...
Abundance : a novel
Guanzon, Jakob
Paper Book
'A tense, yet tender portrait of a father and son trying to escape life on the margin. Determination and despair collide in this unforgettable debut, with an ending that broke my heart.' Douglas Stewart, author of Shuggie BainEvicted from their trailer on New Year's Eve, Henry and his...
Transcendent kingdom
Gyasi, Yaa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! * Finalist for the WOMEN'S PRIZE Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama...
This other Eden
Harding, Paul
Paper Book
'Masterful . . . This Other Eden has much to say to our times.' Guardian 'A testament of love . . . so real it could make you weep.' Danez Smith, New York Times 'A luminous, thought-provoking novel.' Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black<...
The marsh queen
Hartman, Virginia
Paper Book
For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, this "marvelous debut" (Alice McDermott, National Book Award-winning author of The Ninth Hour) follows a Washington, DC, artist as she faces her past and the secrets held in the waters of Florida's lush swamps and wetlands. Loni...
Open throat
Hoke, Henry
Paper Book
A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion narrates this fever dream of a novel, carrying us on a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing modern day L.A.'A slim jewel of a novel . . . Open Throat is what fiction should be.' - The New York Times Book Review'A blinding spotlight beam of a...
The gifted school
Holsinger, Bruce W.
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Wise and addictive... The Gifted School is the juiciest novel I've read in ages... a suspenseful, laugh-out-loud page-turner and an incisive inspection of privilege, race and class." -J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Friends...
The book of mother : a novel
Huisman, Violaine
Paper Book
'An indelible portrait of a brilliant, beautiful, mad and maddening woman, expressing the joy of holding her mercurial attention and also the terrible cost of that intimacy...No-one who reads this captivating book will ever forget Maman' Andrew Solomon A prize...
The house of Eve
Johnson, Sadeqa
Paper Book
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that...
The last story of Mina Lee
Kim, Nancy Jooyoun
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Riveting and unconventional, The Last Story of Mina Lee traces the far-reaching consequences of secrets in the lives of a Korean immigrant mother and her daughter Margot Lee's mother is ignoring her...
Like wind against rock : a novel
Kim, Nancy S.
Paper Book
A novel of explosive family secrets, regret, and all the little decisions that shape our lives and make us who we are. At the age of thirty-nine, Alice Chang suddenly finds herself living in the last place she expected: her mother's house. But in the face of divorce, eviction, and...
Demon Copperhead : a novel
Kingsolver, Barbara
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE * WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION New York Times Readers' Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century * An Oprah's Book Club Selection * An Instant New York Times Bestseller * An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller * A #1 Washington Post...
Rabbits for food
Kirshenbaum, Binnie
Paper Book
Master of razor-edged literary humor Binnie Kirshenbaum returns with her first novel in a decade, a devastating, laugh-out-loud funny story of a writer's slide into depression and institutionalization.   It's New Year's Eve, the holiday of forced fellowship, mandatory fun,...
Whalefall : a novel
Kraus, Daniel
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR The Martian meets 127 Hours in this "astoundingly great" (Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically...
The leftover woman : a novel
Kwok, Jean
Paper Book
Recommended by The New York Times * Elle * Good Morning America * TIME * People * New York Post * Real Simple * Goodreads * LibraryReads * and many more!  An evocative family drama and a riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different...
Severance
Ma, Ling
Paper Book
Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine: her work, watching movies with her boyfriend, avoiding thoughts of her recently deceased Chinese immigrant parents. So she barely notices when a plague of biblical proportions sweeps the world....
Scatterlings : a novel
Manenzhe, Reesoketeswe
Paper Book
A BEST NEW BOOK from *Vanity Fair *The Root *Vulture *People *The Washington Post *Christian Science Monitor *Los Angeles Times *Essence A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Pick! A New Yorker Best Book of the Year! A lyrical, moving novel in the spirit of...
The deluge
Markley, Stephen
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book "This book is, simply put, a modern classic. If you read it, you'll never forget it. Prophetic, terrifying, uplifting." --Stephen King From the bestselling author of Ohio, a masterful American epic charting a near future...
Sorrow and bliss
Mason, Meg
Paper Book
Spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender, full of pathos, fury and wit, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a dazzling, distinctive novel from a boldly talented writer - now an instant Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Women''s Prize. ''Sorrow and Bliss is a...
How beautiful we were : a novel
Mbue, Imbolo
Paper Book
A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers. ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York...
The god of good looks
McIvor, Breanne
Paper Book
Sometimes you need to clash to make an impact. Bianca Bridge is like an eyeshadow palette. She's a vibrant kaleidoscope of big personality and even bigger dreams, with a tendency towards messiness and fallout. Case in point: ruining her career prospects and hopes...
Migrations
McConaghy, Charlotte
Paper Book
* INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Book of the Year in Fiction "Visceral and haunting" (New York Times Book Review) · "Hopeful" (Washington Post) · "Powerful" (Los Angeles Times) · "Thrilling" (TIME) ·...
The fortune men
Mohamed, Nadifa
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022 'Chilling and utterly compelling, The Fortune Men shines an essential light on a much...
Hot stew
Mozley, Fiona
Paper Book
'Ambitious, clever, brilliant and very funny . . . If Elmet announced the arrival of a bright new voice in British literature, Hot Stew confirms Mozley as a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts' Observer 'A dazzling Dickensian tale. . ....
Scarlet in blue : a novel
Murphy, Jennifer
Paper Book
For Blue Lake's entire life, she and her mother, Scarlet, have been on the run from HIM the man who Scarlet, a talented and enigmatic painter, insists is chasing them. But now, at fifteen years old, Blue has begun to resent the nomadic life that once seemed like an adventure, increasingly unsure...
Our missing hearts : a novel
Ng, Celeste
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book * Named a Best Book of the Year by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more * A Reese's Book Club Pick * New York Times...
Things we lost to the water : a novel
Nguyen, Eric
Paper Book
A captivating novel about an immigrant Vietnamese family who settles in New Orleans and struggles to remain connected to one another as their lives are inextricably reshaped. This stunning debut is "vast in scale and ambition, while luscious and inviting ... in its intimacy" (The New York...
Sunshine nails
Nguyen, Mai
Paper Book
A Real Simple Must-Read Book of Summer 2023 "Mai Nguyen has proven herself to be a real standout." --Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author A tender, humorous, and page-turning debut about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do...
The Dutch house : a novel
Patchett, Ann
Paper Book
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2019 Named one of the Best Books of...
Bewilderment : a novel
Powers, Richard
Paper Book
The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He's also about to be expelled from...
We are not like them
Pride, Christine
Paper Book
"Empathetic, riveting, and authentic, We Are Not Like Them will stay with you long after you turn the last page." --Laura Dave, author of The Last Thing He Told Me "Beautifully heartfelt, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza's book finds hope in the friends' love for one another...
Afterparties : stories
So, Anthony Veasna
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE'S JOHN LEONARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST BOOK  WINNER OF THE FERRO-GRUMLEY AWARD FOR LGBTQ FICTION Named a Best Book of the Year by: New York Times * NPR * Washington Post * LA Times * Kirkus Reviews...
The faculty of dreams : amendment to the theory of sexuality : or Valerie
Stridsberg, Sara
Paper Book
Night of the living rez
Talty, Morgan
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection New England Book Award Winner, Fiction A Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction, The Story Prize, B&N Discover Book Prize A New York...
Where the forest meets the stars
Vanderah, Glendy
Paper Book
An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Award finalist. In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again. After the loss of her mother and her own...
White horse
Wurth, Erika T.
Paper Book
"This ghost story is a perfect example of new wave horror that will also satisfy fans of classic Stephen King." --Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic Erika T. Wurth's White Horse is a gritty, vibrant novel about an...
O beautiful : a novel
Yun, Jung
Paper Book
A New York Times Editors' Choice Book From the critically-acclaimed author of Shelter, an unflinching portrayal of a woman trying to come to terms with the ghosts of her past and the tortured realities of a deeply divided America. Elinor Hanson, a...
Land of milk and honey
Zhang, C Pam
Paper Book
" The award-winning author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold returns with a rapturous and revelatory novel about a young chef whose discovery of pleasure alters her life and, indirectly, the world A smog has spread. Food crops are rapidly...
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