New and notable reads to satisfy your inner bookworm

The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery

Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley edited this collection of essays about post-slavery life for African-Americans. It’s an indictment of the continued racial injustice and bigotry that has left African-Americans disadvantaged in every category from wealth and health to graduation to incarceration rates. Authors include actor and director Tim Reid, former Detroit News columnist Betty DeRamus, and actress Aisha Hinds. (Wayne State University Press, $27)

Number One Chinese Restaurant

This first novel from Lillian Li, who graduated from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program, is set in a Maryland restaurant called The Beijing Duck House. The story is a deep dive into how lives are impacted when disaster strikes a family-run restaurant. The cast of characters includes Jimmy Han, the owner who…