This month’s Book Corner delves into recent releases. With winter break on the horizon, now is a great time to start planning what you want to read as this year comes to a close. From “Mutual Aid” to “Girls Against God,” this list covers both fiction and nonfiction works.

“Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change” 

by Maggie Smith

“Keep Moving,” by Maggie Smith, offers a powerful moment of reflection on life after loss, transformation and adapting to difficult moments of change. This meaningful collection of quotes and essays captures what it means to find resilience and beauty in the world around us after experiencing loss. As encouraging as it is genuine, “Keep Moving” is a stunning reminder that every challenge presents an opportunity for renewal.

“Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition”

by Debt Collective

Foreword by Astra Taylor

“Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay” gives insight into the numerous predatory ways in which debt makes social and economic mobility an arduous task, especially for those who are already economically vulnerable. The authors note that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted what many already knew — widespread indebtedness and the acute inequity that comes with it are the result of distinct political choices. Inspired by the knowledge that as a collective, debtors leverage an immense amount of power, the debtors movement looks to challenge the corporate creditor class. Though corporate creditors wield an immense amount of power, it is possible for debtors to organize around their debt in order to obtain universal public goods such as education, healthcare and housing.

“Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)”

by Dean Spade

As governments around the world fail to take care of their own citizens through the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequalities it has exacerbated, people are finding resolute and ingenious ways of sharing a myriad of resources ranging from money to food. This work provides a useful framework of the meaning of mutual aid while explaining how it is an essential component to social transformation and solidarity movements.

“Girls Against God”

by Jenny Hval 

Translated by Marjam Idriss

Jenny Hval’s latest novel is an uncompromising blend of feminist theory, time-travelling magic and horror. Set in 1990s Norway, “Girls Against God” is a surrealist look into how conservative Christianity, witchcraft and alienation come to head in Oslo, Norway. The work, which starts as the monologue of The Artist, is a must read for anyone looking for a mystifying, genre-bending read.