Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
July 4th is right around the corner, and if you’re an American, you might have conflicting feelings about that holiday. Maybe you love your country, but you expect more from it. Or perhaps the entire American experiment is a failed one, and we’re all doomed.
No matter where you are on the hope/despair spectrum when it comes to the United States of America, why not do your patriotic duty and read a book about it? If America is turning into a scary place, then reading horror feels more than appropriate. Here are four horror novels to get you in the mood for the 4th of July this year (…or not).
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
If you’re angered by the way social media and cable news have dictated contemporary politics in America, then reading this book will make your deepest fears a reality. Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is set in an America possessed by the media it consumes. Once taken over by the media, the American people are compelled to commit terrible acts of violence.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
This alternative history horror novel imagines the KKK as literal demons. The release of the film Birth of a Nation in 1915 spread hatred across America and spawned hellish members of the Klan who planned to proliferate violence wherever they went. The only ones who can stop them are Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters. But the Klan has plans for Macon, Georgia, and Maryse and her demon-hunters will have to resist them with everything they’ve got.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng dares to do what few novels have done: confront the realities of the COVID pandemic and America’s handling of the spread. It explores how xenophobia and fear/hate for Asian Americans overcame the country. After that, fear compels a man to throw Cora Zeng’s sister in front of a train. Cora is haunted by the ghost of her sister and the violent crimes that are being committed against Asian women across New York City.
The Fright Stuff
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One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon
Nicola Yoon’s first adult novel examines racism in America. Looking to find a community of like-minded people, Jasmyn and King Williams move to the Black community of Liberty. Jasmyn thought fellow liberals and civil rights activists would surround her. Instead, she is disturbed by how complacent everyone is, happy to just book spa treatments and hide in their little Liberty bubble. Is Liberty truly a racism-free oasis? What is really going on in this community?
Looking for more scary books that also offer social commentary? Check out this introduction to the social horror genre. Or try these social horror novel recommendations for fans of Get Out.
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
This week, we’re highlighting a post discussing why it’s worth pursuing “underconsumption” in your reading life. In this era of amassing special and deluxe editions and crowding your shelves for the Tok, challenge yourself to consider a scaled-back approach to the bookish life. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
One of the things that has provided some comfort for me during the recent horrors is underconsumption content on TikTok. Whether it’s Project Pan or the fact that, according to the Fashion Transparency Index, there is currently enough clothing on earth to clothe the next six generations, it’s a welcome break from being told what I should be buying. As a child, I used to adore watching TLC’s Clean Sweep. As an adult, I think I could probably stand to put all of my possessions out on a tarp on the lawn every so often. TikTok is an engine for consumerism, but somehow, it’s managed to plant a seed in my brain that goes against its own interests.
The why of underconsumption is a belief that we simply do not need all of the things that we have. It’s also a good way to build a practice of taking a breath before we chase that dopamine high of buying a new thing, of finding joy in the things that we create for ourselves. It’s made me look at how many of my hobbies don’t lead to the creation of anything new, not even ideas.
Of course, for some of us, underconsumption is an economic necessity. Most of us don’t live the lives we see reflected on our various feeds. With the will-they-or-won’t they of massive tariffs on many products coming in from other countries, the reality is that things are likely to get more expensive. This “trend” is really just showing how to make the most of what you have. Many books on shelves in the United States are printed in China, but are currently exempt from tariffs.
Why am I ruining a pure, good thing for you in these times, you ask? I’m going to try not to. I am simply here to offer suggestions that I myself will have trouble following. We strive for progress and not perfection. I am pretty sure that if I deleted the Libby app right now, heaven forbid, I would have enough unread books in my home to get me through an entire calendar year.
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English (US) · 