1. All Awakens, by David Graeber and David Wengrow

Launched in Brazil in August 2022, O Despertar de Tudo is authored by historians David Graeber and David Wengrow.

The book takes a new look at human history, bringing little-known aspects to trace a historical timeline from the emergence of agriculture to the present day. Thus, it deals with issues such as inequalities, democracy, freedom, and slavery.

Shortly after being published, the work has already become a sales success and has been receiving praise from specialized critics.

2. When we stop understanding the world, by Benjamín Labatut

This is a book of short stories published in 2022 by the Chilean Benjamín Labatut that promises many reflections.

Each of the stories is about people who revolutionized science and humanity with their discoveries, such as Einstein and Schrödinger.

Using the biographical facts of these thinkers and combining them with fictional narratives, Benjamín creates universes full of plots and relationships between private life and scientific work.

3. The Sound of the Jaguar's Roar , by Micheliny Verunschk

Winner of the 2022 Jabuti Prize, this novel by Micheline Verunschk from Pernambuco brings a mixture of poetry, fiction, and journalistic texts to outline the history of exploitation and helplessness of indigenous peoples in Brazil.

The narrative is about Iñe-e and Juri, two indigenous children who were kidnapped in the 19th century and taken to Europe. An exciting book that brings a difficult facet of the history of Brazil and that talks about belonging and identity.

4. The Lost Daughter, by Elena Ferrante

This novel by Italian writer Elena Ferrante was published in 2006 and won a beautiful film adaptation at the end of 2021.

The author, who keeps her identity confidential, works on difficult and controversial issues that permeate the world of women.

In The Lost Daughter, the protagonist is Leda, a mature woman who decides to travel alone to the coast of Greece. There she comes across a family that ends up taking her peace.

Leda meets Nina and her daughter Elena. The dynamic between the young mother and the child awakens painful memories in Leda and conflicting feelings about her own relationship with her daughters.

A courageous book, with a powerful narrative that presents the idea of ​​motherhood and family in a realistic and raw way.

5. Lonely, by Eliana Alves Cruz

Solitaire is a novel by the Carioca writer Eliana Alves Cruz that was released in 2022 and makes a very specific cut to tell the dramas and challenges of an important part of the population that is usually ignored, that of domestic servants.

The plot brings the protagonists Eunice and Mabel, mother and daughter, who live in an unhealthy maid's room in the house of their rich bosses.

Thus, the author addresses crucial themes such as justice, and exploitation of labor, especially women, in addition to drawing a parallel between the present and the past of slavery in Brazil.

The novel gained the attention of fellow writer Conceição Evaristo, who said: "Eliana narrates with the mastery of the language of someone who knows how to deal with words."

6. Memory of Nobody, by Helena Machado

Helena Machado presents us with a story about loss, memories, and family relationships in this novel released in 2022. The protagonist is a woman who, after losing her father, returns to her childhood home and has to deal with old memories and traumas.

With engaging and fluid writing, the author invites us to enter the life of this character - nameless - and also look at our own history.

7. Torto arado , by Itamar Vieira Junior

The first novel by the Bahian writer Itamar Vieira Junior won a series of important awards, such as the Jabuti Literature Award and the Leya Book of the Year Award, and was released in 2019.

Set in the backlands of Bahia in a rural context, we meet a family of descendants of slaves who continue to be exploited - despite the Áurea law having already been signed more than 100 years ago, in 1888.

The two protagonists, the sisters Bibiana and Belonísia, deal in quite different ways with the condition in which they live alongside their families. While Bibiana has a more resigned attitude towards fate, Belonísia is disgusted with the condition in which the family lives and wants with all her might to fight for the land where they work.

In a context marked by racial and gender prejudice, conservatism, and, above all, exploitation, Belonísia feels that her role is to fight for the emancipation of exploited and oppressed workers.

Torto Arado is a courageous book that aims to portray rural life in Bahia.

8. Rough Times, by Mario Vargas Llosa

The Peruvian writer, who has a Nobel Prize in Literature, this time decided to tell the public a story that took place during the Cold War and mixes reality and fiction.

The work talks about the political coup that took place in Guatemala, in the 1950s, and about the social consequences not only for the country but for Latin America as a whole.

Released at the end of 2020, this historical novel is a bet by the Peruvian writer to try to better understand the contemporary world we live in.

For Vargas Llosa, the fall of the democratically elected president of Guatemala (Jacobo Árbenz) was fundamental to the political radicalization that prevails with increasing force until today.

Former President Árbenz fell thanks to a carefully orchestrated military coup, leaving Guatemala in a dangerous political and social situation.

9. All About Love, by bell hooks

The African-American intellectual and activist bell hooks are one of those names that should be known by everyone. Deceased at the end of 2021, she left behind a powerful work that seeks to transform the world in different areas, looking mainly at the issue of race and gender.

All about love: new perspectives, released in early 2021, brings the author's thoughts on this well-known and at the same time complex feeling that involves relationships between couples, friends, and family.

In an affirmative and grounded way, Bell Hooks relates love to a political attitude that must be naturally present in our lives.

10. The dog , by Pilar Quintana

Launched in 2020 in Brazil, this is a visceral novel by Colombian Pilar Quintana, an important voice in contemporary Latin American literature.

It shows the story of Damaris, a humble woman who shares her life with Rogelio but feels deep loneliness and frustration for not having been able to bear children.

Thus, she decides to adopt a dog, which will put her in front of intense and contradictory situations and emotions, as is also common in motherhood.

Written during the author's puerperium, that is, shortly after she gave birth, A Cachorra was received with great enthusiasm by critics and the public, winning the Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana award in 2018. Read more stories