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Nicole Chung's 'A Living Remedy' captures a daughter's grief: 5 new must-read books

In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday.

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For more must-read book recommendations, check out the 20 books we were most excited for this spring, including the latest installment of Don Winslow's crime saga, "City of Dreams" and Laura Dern and Diane Ladd's memoir, "Honey, Baby, Mine"our favorite books of 2022 that received perfect four-star reviews; and the juiciest celebrity memoirs released last year from Matthew Perry, Tom Felton, William Shatner, Jennette McCurdy and more. 

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'A Living Remedy'

"A Living Remedy," by Nicole Chung.
"A Living Remedy," by Nicole Chung.

By Nicole Chung (Ecco, nonfiction)

The author of “All You Can Ever Know,” about the Korean American writer's adoption as an infant by white parents, returns with a memoir of family, class and grief. Shortly following her excavation of her family's history, her parents became sick and died in quick succession. Here, she reckons with the rage and helplessness she feels in the wake of her parents’ deaths and her inability to support them as their health failed.

"Memoirs such as this one provide an important record of the emotional cost of the pandemic," reads a positive Kirkus review. "Read in tandem with the author's first book, it underlines the strength of her connection to both her adoptive parents and the birth-family relatives she found. As Chung seeks a way to grieve without self-punishment, this open-hearted, unflinching account will be a boon to others."

More new books:

"Ozark Dogs," by Eli Cranor (Soho Crime, fiction): The author of the excellent crime novel “Don’t Know Tough” returns with a new Southern thriller of two families navigating the aftermath of a murder in the Ozarks, as the notorious Ledford clan seeks revenge on the Fitzjurls by claiming their granddaughter as payment.

"This Bird Has Flown," by Susanna Hoffs (Little, Brown, fiction): The co-founder of the pop-rock band The Bangles makes her fiction debut with a charming rom-com about 30-something one-hit wonder Jane Start in search of her next hit – and love.

"The Lost Wife," by Susanna Moore (Knopf, fiction): Sarah, a white settler in 1800s Minnesota, is abducted with her children in the Sioux Uprising, becoming an outcast to her fellow settlers when she sympathizes and sides with her captors.

"Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams's Greatest Creation," by Nancy Schoenberger (Harper, nonfiction): Vivien Leigh, Jessica Tandy, Cate Blanchett, Patricia Clarkson and many more renowned actresses have brought playwright William's signature creation, Blanche DuBois of "A Streetcar Named Desire," to life. Schoenberger investigates the singular character's cultural resonance over time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nicole Chung's 'A Living Remedy,' 'Ozark Dogs': 5 new must-read books