There is something so satisfying about a clever title. One that sticks to memory like taffy to the roof of your mouth. At first glance, Anelise Chen's Clam Down might look like a typo, but clock the bivalve on the cover and suddenly it's a book you'll remember forever. What's better is that what follows flourishes into a fascinating study of family, mollusks, and so much more, "in the most stimulating, hilarious, and heartfelt ways." Or, take After Happily Ever by Jennifer Safrey, subverting fairy tale endings in a savvy and propulsive epic. Titles can be so hard to perfect, but there are plenty more where these came from in this week's issue.
Plus, don't miss a riveting excerpt from journalist Robert W. Fieseler's American Scare, which offers a fresh and unredacted look into the harrowing Johns Committee, which terrorized marginalized communities in Florida for years.