Essays and memoirs

First published in 1974, An Autobiography by Angela Y Davis (£20, Hamish Hamilton) was edited by Toni Morrison and has now been reissued with a new introduction by Davis. Taking us from her childhood in Alabama to her connections to the US Communist Party, the Black Panther Party and the Soledad Brothers, it’s a fascinating insight into this incredible women’s life. You Don’t Know Us Negroes And Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston (£20, HQ) has also been reissued and features essays from the legendary Black author on America’s Jim Crow laws, education and feminism.

Made In China: A Memoir Of Love And Labour by Anna Qu (£14.99, Scribe) is a fascinating memoir of Qu’s difficult teenage experience of being sent to work by her mother in a factory in New York while taking care of younger siblings. Reflecting on her past as an adult, she begins to explore the exploitation of workers, her own mother’s experience and what work means to humans. Burning My Roti by Sharan Dhaliwal (£14.99, Hardie Grant) is part-memoir but also a guide for South Asian women via personal stories.

Essays also form the backbone of Elena Ferrante’s new anthology In the Margins: On The Pleasures Of Reading And Writing (£12.99, Europa) as the author explores the truth behind women’s writing. Two other books that are perfect bedfellows for Ferrante include The Pyjama Myth: The Freelance Writer’s Survival Guide by Sian Meades-Williams (out 17 March, £12.99, Unbound), which has practical advice on independent writing and Your Story Matters: Find Your Voice, Sharpen Your Skills, Tell Your Story by Nikesh Shukla (out 17 March, £16.98, Pan Macmillan), which is a helpful guide to finding your voice as writer – no matter what genre you’d like to try.

March 2022’s best new books, including memoirs, thrillers, essays, poetry and more