Fall books previews arrive, heralding the publication of new novels, memoirs, essay collections and other non-fiction books.
Yet reading feels more and more marginal, especially with the presidential election determining the future of American democracy.
The autumn's bounty of new books affirms the validity of reading, whether for entertainment, knowledge or artistic enlightenment.
While fewer and fewer people enjoy fiction, exciting new books by Sally Rooney, Rachel Kushner, Haruki Murakami and other well-known authors will assert the novel's cultural significance.
For pop music fans, Cher's coming out with her first memoir. Former Vanity Fair writer Lili Anolik will explore the tense Los Angeles-flavored friendship of Joan Didion and Eve Babitz in the joint biography "Didion and Babitz." Anolik's profile of the reclusive Babitz led to a rediscovery of her work.
Provocative author Ta-Nehisi Coates will publish his first new book of non-fiction in nearly a decade. Coates' essay collection "The Message" will travel from the American South to the Middle East and Palestine, asking why stories matter in a time of growing strife and injustice, according to the Associated Press.
The fall books previews testify that stories, and writing, are vital.
While readership declines and the publishing industry grows more monopolistic, interesting and important books still appear. A new dark age has not yet arrived.
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