Cultures collide in a number of our recommended books this week: There’s an account of Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi Europe thanks to personal ads in a British newspaper, a poetry collection by a Nobel laureate who fled Stalinist Poland, a historian’s look at the complicated relationship between the United States and Latin America, and a satirical novel about U.S. internment camps targeting Vietnamese Americans. Also up: a graphic memoir of childhood trauma, a linguistic tour of pronouns and their evolution, and two books that seem accidentally in conversation with each other: a dystopian novel in which married sex is taboo, and a history of Christian sexual mores in which, surprisingly often, married sex is also taboo. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

Precious Rubbish

by Kayla E.

The art in this graphic memoir by a talented young cartoonist borrows knowingly from the midcentury comic-book series “Little Lulu” — but the subject matter, detailing the protagonist’s childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her older brother, and her religious parents’ tacit acceptance of it, represents a brave stance against old-fashioned cultural norms and enforced silence. If the content of “Precious Rubbish” makes it difficult to read, the playful form and frequent grim humor make that difficulty a pleasure as well. Read our review.