Black Lives Matter activist Alicia Garza on her new book

Also this week: The Trump era in books, critics's picks and more [Supermajority and Black Lives Matter cofounder Alicia Garza]( Getty Images/Getty Images for Supermajority Back in 2013, Alicia Garza had already been an activist and organizer for more than a decade when her social media posts — along with a hashtag drafted and shared by her fellow activists Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometti — helped start what is now the global Black Lives Matter movement. She builds upon that work in her new book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, which is part memoir and part instruction manual for creating a movement. "What I wanted to do was have this book be a tool that we can use to better understand what our role is in making change and how we can use our talents, whatever they are, to contribute to a movement that can change the world," Garza tells All Things Considered's Michel Martin -- [check out their conversation here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [What Were We Thinking, by Carlos Lozada]( Sometimes it seems like the publishing industry has been kept afloat entirely by books about President Trump and his administration for the past few years. The Washington Post's Carlos Lozada took it upon himself to read scores of Trump-adjacent books; he distills his findings in the new What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era. "I think it fits a tradition in American life. And this is a country that defines itself in writing from common sense, right? From Thomas Paine on forward," [Lozada tells Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep](. [The Cold Millions, by Jess Walter]( Jess Walter's new book The Cold Millions is based on real-life labor struggles in Washington State in the early part of the last century. "I always wanted to tell a story about this period when my hometown was the center of the world," Walter tells All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro. "I thought, what if you wrote a Western? But instead of Clint Eastwood riding into town to challenge the forces that be, you had, a 19-year-old pregnant labor activist?" [Check out that conversation here.]( [The Duke Who Didn't, by Courtney Milan]( Romance sometimes gets a bad rap for being predictable -- people meet, they fall for each other, obstacles happen, maybe they break up, but they always end up together for the happy ever after. And we're here to say THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. Sometimes, predictability is exactly what you want. It's comforting. So for this month, our columnist Maya Rodale has [three books that give you just what you expect from a romance]( "relatable characters, families and communities who work hard and love hard to ensure a happy ever after for all." Finally this week, Bryan Washington's eagerly awaited debut novel Memorial is here; [critic Michael Schaub says]( it "reads like the work of a writer who's been working for decades, not one who has yet to turn 30." Gabino Iglesias says the word "definitive" is tricky, because new information can always come out. "That said, Les and Tamara Payne's The Dead are Arising is, for now, [the definitive biography]( of Malcolm X." And we'll end with a little joy -- Lily Meyer says [the picture book version of David Byrne's American Utopia]( illustrated by Maira Kalman, "stands on its own as a soothing and uplifting, if somewhat nebulous, experience of art, as well as an argument for the reincarnation of hope in the American project." [Memorial, by Bryan Washington]( [The Dead are Arising, by Les and Tamara Payne]( [American Utopia, by David Byrne and Maira Kalman]( Oooh, and of course, before I forget -- this weekend is Halloween! Check out our list of [100 favorite horror novels and stories]( for some solidly scary reads (that aren't the headlines). -- Petra --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]