Alexis Pauline Gumbs explores the milieu and work of an extraordinary writer in Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde, one of BookPage’s best nonfiction books of 2024. The daughter of Caribbean immigrants, Lorde (1934–1992) was born in New York City. A poet, activist, lesbian and mother, she had an enduring connection to nature that, as Gumbs demonstrates, informed her creative aesthetic and philosophy. Over the course of this lively biography, Gumbs creates a full-bodied portrait of Lorde, taking stock of her essays and poems, social justice efforts and experience with breast cancer. Topics like feminism and activist art make this a rewarding book club selection.
Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley offers a delightful peek into the domestic sphere of the revered writer. Worsley tours the houses and various residences that shaped Austen’s life, including Steventon Parsonage, where she was born in 1775, and Chawton House, where she wrote all of her novels. Along the way, Worsley considers the rooms, objects and personal effects that made each house a home for Austen and her family. Sure to intrigue Austenites, Worsley’s revealing book illuminates the domestic life of an elusive author.
In Becoming Beauvoir: A Life, Kate Kirkpatrick evaluates the remarkable career of French philosopher and feminist Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), author of The Second Sex, a book that shaped modern discourse about gender. Beauvoir, who also wrote fiction and essays, had a long and complicated relationship with the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, and Kirkpatrick recounts in fascinating detail how their connection impacted Beauvoir’s evolution. Using newly released archival materials, she delivers an accessible account of Beauvoir’s personal journey and philosophical perspectives. Themes of women’s fulfillment and relationships will galvanize reading group discussions.
With Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck, William Souder presents a masterful tribute to the celebrated author. In this expertly crafted biography, Souder examines the contradictions that defined Steinbeck, a heavy drinker who could be irascible and remote, and had deep reserves of sympathy for marginalized people. Souder writes about Steinbeck’s growth as a writer and the social causes that drove him, as well as the inspiration behind classics like The Grapes of Wrath. Expansive yet richly detailed, Mad at the World is a satisfying survey of an exceptional life.