July preview: 4 books you need to read this month

Each month at q, we take a look at the new books we're most excited about. This month, new books from Bill Nye and debut author Zinzi Clemmons hit the shelves. Scroll down to read more about July's must-read books.  

Bill Nye, Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd (July 11) 

Whether you're science-phobic or a diehard science geek, Bill Nye (who was featured on q earlier this year) offers a road map for changing yourself and the world for the better — whether it's solving climate change or achieving personal success. In the process, he shares learning moments in his own life, from Boy Scouts to working as an engineer at Boeing to standup comedy. As Mount Sinai psychiatry professor and PBS host Heather Berlin puts it, "Bill Nye reminds us why he remains the high priest of nerd cool, spreading his irrepressible zeal for science and wonder across every page." — Jennifer Van Evra

Kent Monkman, The Four Continents (July 25)

Cree artist and past q guest, Kent Monkman's work has been garnering a lot of attention in the past few months through his striking Shame and Prejudice art show. Monkman's The Four Continents book project interrogates Eurocentric ideas and features reproductions of Monkman's vividly colourful work that draws on satire for its anti-colonial critique. The Four Continents additionally includes writing that contextualizes Monkman's intensely thought-provoking work. — Del F. Cowie 

Matthew Quick, The Reason You're Alive (July 4)

Matthew Quick's novel The Silver Linings Playbook was developed into a film starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for best actress in her role. The Reason You're Alive is Quick's latest book and focuses on a Vietnam War vet who, following a car accident, confronts his past connection to an Indigenous soldier. Like The Silver Linings Playbook, The Reason You're Alive is already in development for the big screen. — DFC 

Zinzi Clemmons, What We Lose (July 11)

Zinzi Clemmons' first novel has already been dubbed "the debut novel of the year" by Vogue magazine and has been critically acclaimed virtually everywhere else. The book focuses on Thandi, a woman born in the United States who, after the death of her South African mother, wrestles with issues of race and identity. Drawing on some of Clemmons' real-life experiences, the book is being lauded for its unique approach to prose and for its emotional resonance. — DFC

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