New Books to Read in May

As hopeful as it is heartrending, From Here is a coming-of-age memoir about how refugee advocate Luma Mufleh’s tumultuous journey to reconcile her identity as a gay Muslim woman and a proud Arab-turned-American refugee and her search for belonging and the many meanings of home for those who must leave theirs.

An epic yet intimate novel about a Colombian man caught up in the sweep of global historical and ideological revolutions. Equal parts family saga and epic historical novel, Retrospective reveals the story of one man and his family — based on real people and events — and a devastating portrait of the forces that shaped their lives, and for half a century turned the world upside down.

A chilling novel set in an alternate version of America’s recent past—about two self-made men confronting a world that seems to be moving on without them.

Robert Rubin, former secretary of the Treasury and co-chairman of Goldman Sachs, shares thoughts on decision-making developed over more than six decades in business, government, and politics and offers readers an astute guide for navigating uncertain times.

From one of South Africa’s foremost nonfiction writers comes a deeply researched, shattering new account of Nelson Mandela’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Drawing on never-before-seen material, Steinberg reveals the fractures and stubborn bonds at the heart of a volatile and groundbreaking union, a modern political marriage that played out on the world stage.

What if your two favorite people hated each other with a passion? Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over one day.

An exhilarating debut novel following members of a Dominican family in New York City who take radically different paths when faced with encroaching gentrification.