REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK ¿ New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a
mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a
female artist decades after her suspicious death A Most Anticipated Book of 2024: TIME The
Washington Post Refinery 29 Barnes & Noble Marie Clare Real Simple Entertainment Weekly
LA Daily News LitHub The Millions TODAY.com HipLatina Book Riot Kirkus and more! "
Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a cry for justice. Writing with urgency and rage Gonzalez speaks
up for those who have been othered and deemed unworthy robbed of their legacy." -The
Washington Post " Anita De Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez asks some big questions
like who in art or history is remembered who is left behind or erased and WHY. I have
goosebumps just talking about this story." - Reese Witherspoon 1985. Anita de Monte a rising
star in the art world is found dead in New York City her tragic death is the talk of the
town. Until it isn't. By 1998 Anita's name has been all but forgotten-certainly by the time
Raquel a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill
surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them Raquel feels
like an outsider. Students of color like her are the minority there and the pressure to work
twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret. But when Raquel becomes romantically
involved with a well-connected older art student she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the
social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds she stumbles upon Anita's story raising
questions about the dynamics of her own relationship which eerily mirrors that of the
forgotten artist. Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both
women Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive witty examination of power love and art
daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the
elite.
