5. Read Big Girl

Seeking out “real, true things.” Liveright, July 12.

Growing up in 1990s Harlem, Malaya is acutely aware of her weight, mostly because her mother and grandmother Ma-Mère can’t stop obsessing over it. The pressure of cabbage-soup diets, Weight Watchers meetings, and private-school norms don’t deter her, though. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s debut novel weaves Malaya’s joyful friendships and discovery of hip-hop with a measured look at the injuries and shame passed down through generations.