Upper School Reading List
Welcome to our eclectic literary bookstore of the imagination! Browse the cluttered shelves to explore a wide range of genres: fiction, memoir, essays, poetry, drama, journalism, history, religion, science. All titles are alphabetized by the authors’ last names. Each selection has been handpicked for your reading pleasure. A printable version of this list is available here.
Over the summer, each student should read the one book assigned to her/his/their class:
Class IX
Class IX
We Should All Be Feminists
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Class X
Class X
Men Explain Things To Me
by Rebecca Solnit
Class XI
Class XI
The Fire Next Time
by James Baldwin
Class XII
Class XII
Citizen
by Claudia Rankine
Students are asked to avoid reading several books that are part of the Upper-School English curriculum: Selected Poems, by Emily Dickinson; As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner; The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Little Foxes, by Lillian Hellman; Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston; Typical American, by Gish Jen; A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen; Passing, by Nella Larsen; The Eloquent Essay, edited by John Loughery; Sweat, by Lynn Nottage; All’s Well That Ends Well, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare; and The Village Bike, by Penelope Skinner.
Now find a comfy armchair and settle in with your stack of new discoveries. Enjoy!
The English Department
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Friday Black
Adjei-Brenyah’s debut collection announces a bracing talent with satirical chops and a sharp eye for cultural criticism. The title is an inversion of that uniquely American capitalist tradition: the commercial free-for-all and feeding frenzy known as Black Friday. In Adjei-Brenyah’s skillful hands, this darkly hilarious exposé of greed and American mall culture is hard to put down. (Short Fiction)
Adjei-Brenyah’s debut collection announces a bracing talent with satirical chops and a sharp eye for cultural criticism. The title is an inversion of that uniquely American capitalist tradition: the commercial free-for-all and feeding frenzy known as Black Friday. In Adjei-Brenyah’s skillful hands, this darkly hilarious exposé of greed and American mall culture is hard to put down. (Short Fiction)
Disgracedby Ayad Aktar
This 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the emotional and political issues that surround a marriage between an Arab-born, Muslim-American man and a white American wife. Shouldn’t affection and the marital bond be enough? Or do the times we live in make it impossible to overlook the doubts and divisions that the modern world insists upon and that life in contemporary New York makes hard to overlook? (Drama)
This 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the emotional and political issues that surround a marriage between an Arab-born, Muslim-American man and a white American wife. Shouldn’t affection and the marital bond be enough? Or do the times we live in make it impossible to overlook the doubts and divisions that the modern world insists upon and that life in contemporary New York makes hard to overlook? (Drama)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsby Maya Angelou
Angelou shares intimate moments from the first sixteen years of her life growing up as a young African-American girl in the South and fighting against racism and misogyny. This remarkable memoir from one of America’s great writers is full of truth, wisdom, and courage.(Memoir)
Angelou shares intimate moments from the first sixteen years of her life growing up as a young African-American girl in the South and fighting against racism and misogyny. This remarkable memoir from one of America’s great writers is full of truth, wisdom, and courage.(Memoir)
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time by Karen Armstrong
A leading scholar of religion vividly captures the man who inspired the world’s fastest growing religion. This highly readable biography also draws rich comparisons between Muslims and those other two Peoples of the Book, Jews and Christians. (Biography/Religious Studies)
A leading scholar of religion vividly captures the man who inspired the world’s fastest growing religion. This highly readable biography also draws rich comparisons between Muslims and those other two Peoples of the Book, Jews and Christians. (Biography/Religious Studies)
Buddha by Karen Armstrong
This compact New York Times bestseller recounts what is actually known about the founder of one of the greatest religions in history. Armstrong blends history, philosophy, mythology, and biography to sketch a vivid portrait of a man 2,500 years after his death. (Biography/Religious Studies)
This compact New York Times bestseller recounts what is actually known about the founder of one of the greatest religions in history. Armstrong blends history, philosophy, mythology, and biography to sketch a vivid portrait of a man 2,500 years after his death. (Biography/Religious Studies)
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
This Iranian-American public intellectual and professor of religion sifts the evidence to reconstruct a portrait of the historical Jesus, that itinerant rabbi who wandered the ancient Near East some 2,000 years ago. Aslan uncovers what can be deduced about one of the most influential men of all time. (Religious Studies)
This Iranian-American public intellectual and professor of religion sifts the evidence to reconstruct a portrait of the historical Jesus, that itinerant rabbi who wandered the ancient Near East some 2,000 years ago. Aslan uncovers what can be deduced about one of the most influential men of all time. (Religious Studies)
Another Country by James Baldwin
Employing rich imagery and language, Baldwin transports readers to New York City’s Greenwich Village in the 1950s. We meet Rufus Scott, a jazz drummer on the decline, and his various friends and family. Baldwin explores a range of experiences, including interracial partnerships, marital infidelity, and bisexuality. (Fiction)
Employing rich imagery and language, Baldwin transports readers to New York City’s Greenwich Village in the 1950s. We meet Rufus Scott, a jazz drummer on the decline, and his various friends and family. Baldwin explores a range of experiences, including interracial partnerships, marital infidelity, and bisexuality. (Fiction)
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
An American expatriate in Paris, David finds himself pulled between the promise of a conventional life in America with his fiancée and the prospect of gratified emotional and physical desires, which have been awoken by Giovanni, an Italian bartender. (Fiction)
An American expatriate in Paris, David finds himself pulled between the promise of a conventional life in America with his fiancée and the prospect of gratified emotional and physical desires, which have been awoken by Giovanni, an Italian bartender. (Fiction)
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
This first novel by one of the most acclaimed postwar African-American writers is a coming-of-age story, one of the classics of the genre, set in Harlem in the 1930s. John Grimes, a sensitive young man, must come to terms with his religion and his sexuality as he tries to understand his father’s brutal anger. (Fiction)
This first novel by one of the most acclaimed postwar African-American writers is a coming-of-age story, one of the classics of the genre, set in Harlem in the 1930s. John Grimes, a sensitive young man, must come to terms with his religion and his sexuality as he tries to understand his father’s brutal anger. (Fiction)
If Beale Street Could Talkby James Baldwin
So you thought Zora Neale Hurston’s Janie and Teacake chart an achingly beautiful love story? Meet Tish and Fonny. (Fiction)
So you thought Zora Neale Hurston’s Janie and Teacake chart an achingly beautiful love story? Meet Tish and Fonny. (Fiction)
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
One of America’s greatest essayists explores what it means to be black in America at the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. These essays capture moments from Baldwin’s youth as a child-preacher prodigy in Depression-era Harlem as well as from his adulthood as an expatriate in Paris. (Essays)
One of America’s greatest essayists explores what it means to be black in America at the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. These essays capture moments from Baldwin’s youth as a child-preacher prodigy in Depression-era Harlem as well as from his adulthood as an expatriate in Paris. (Essays)
Regeneration by Pat Barker
This first part of an acclaimed World War I trilogy depicts real-life poet and war hero Siegfried Sassoon. When Sassoon refused to continue serving in a war he considered an exercise in senseless slaughter, he was deemed “mentally unsound” and committed to a war hospital, where he wrote some of his most scathing anti-war verse. (Historical Fiction)
This first part of an acclaimed World War I trilogy depicts real-life poet and war hero Siegfried Sassoon. When Sassoon refused to continue serving in a war he considered an exercise in senseless slaughter, he was deemed “mentally unsound” and committed to a war hospital, where he wrote some of his most scathing anti-war verse. (Historical Fiction)
Into Perfect Spheres Such Holes Are Pierced by Catherine Barnett
In her poetic debut, Barnett responds to a tragedy: the plane crash that killed two young members of her family. Barnett is unwavering in her lyrical exploration of grief, offering a moving and elegiac collection. (Poetry)
In her poetic debut, Barnett responds to a tragedy: the plane crash that killed two young members of her family. Barnett is unwavering in her lyrical exploration of grief, offering a moving and elegiac collection. (Poetry)
Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire, translated by Norman R. Shapiro
This landmark of modern poetry was publicly condemned as obscene when first published in 1857; ironically, these poems, written in conventional rhyme and meter, were said to attack conventional morality. This bilingual edition includes engravings by contemporary artist David Schorr. (Poetry)
This landmark of modern poetry was publicly condemned as obscene when first published in 1857; ironically, these poems, written in conventional rhyme and meter, were said to attack conventional morality. This bilingual edition includes engravings by contemporary artist David Schorr. (Poetry)
American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer
This brave, groundbreaking book reckons with the nexus of prison and profit in America; it is set in one Louisiana prison and over the course of our country's history. (Non-fiction)
This brave, groundbreaking book reckons with the nexus of prison and profit in America; it is set in one Louisiana prison and over the course of our country's history. (Non-fiction)
Sonnets by Giuseppe Belli, translated by Mike Stocks
Originally written in the dialect of nineteenth-century Rome, these witty, often outrageous poems depict the proverbial six Ps of the city-state – Pope, priests, princes, prostitutes, parasites, the poor – all of whom Belli praises and derides. Don’t read this book if you are easily offended by profane humor or squeamish about sex, money, or politics. (Poetry)
Originally written in the dialect of nineteenth-century Rome, these witty, often outrageous poems depict the proverbial six Ps of the city-state – Pope, priests, princes, prostitutes, parasites, the poor – all of whom Belli praises and derides. Don’t read this book if you are easily offended by profane humor or squeamish about sex, money, or politics. (Poetry)
The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender
The women in Aimee Bender’s stories navigate a fantastical world, whether in being a mermaid in high school or having a boyfriend who is evolving backward from homo sapiens to salamander. Yet something unmistakably real and ultimately relatable emerges. These are not your typical short stories; they are postmodern fairy tales. (Stories)
The women in Aimee Bender’s stories navigate a fantastical world, whether in being a mermaid in high school or having a boyfriend who is evolving backward from homo sapiens to salamander. Yet something unmistakably real and ultimately relatable emerges. These are not your typical short stories; they are postmodern fairy tales. (Stories)
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Historical fiction at its best, this novel depicts the siege of Leningrad during World War II, during which an estimated one million residents died. Two youths go behind enemy lines in search of a rare commodity in this war-torn city—a dozen fresh eggs. This coming-of-age tale is grim in parts but ultimately uplifting. (Fiction)
Historical fiction at its best, this novel depicts the siege of Leningrad during World War II, during which an estimated one million residents died. Two youths go behind enemy lines in search of a rare commodity in this war-torn city—a dozen fresh eggs. This coming-of-age tale is grim in parts but ultimately uplifting. (Fiction)
Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
This definitive edition collects work by a great American poet known for her striking descriptions and pitch-perfect diction. As a peripatetic traveler who lived in New York, Paris, Key West, Brazil, and Boston, Bishop explores maps, geography, far-flung locales, and the abiding search for a settled sense of home. (Poetry)
This definitive edition collects work by a great American poet known for her striking descriptions and pitch-perfect diction. As a peripatetic traveler who lived in New York, Paris, Key West, Brazil, and Boston, Bishop explores maps, geography, far-flung locales, and the abiding search for a settled sense of home. (Poetry)
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
These lyrical poems memorably question how we’ve become so accustomed to terror in the twenty-first century, both familial and national, domestic and foreign. Even as violence becomes normalized, writes the poet, the “body is a temple in disrepair,” which is “more beautiful than the new bullet / Fished from the folds of my brain.” (Poetry)
These lyrical poems memorably question how we’ve become so accustomed to terror in the twenty-first century, both familial and national, domestic and foreign. Even as violence becomes normalized, writes the poet, the “body is a temple in disrepair,” which is “more beautiful than the new bullet / Fished from the folds of my brain.” (Poetry)
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Published in 1973, Brown’s story struck many people of the time as shocking in its portrayal of Molly Bolt and her love affairs with different women. While perhaps less provocative today, Bolt’s story still enthralls readers as we track her journey from her childhood in the South to her later life in New York City. (Fiction)
Published in 1973, Brown’s story struck many people of the time as shocking in its portrayal of Molly Bolt and her love affairs with different women. While perhaps less provocative today, Bolt’s story still enthralls readers as we track her journey from her childhood in the South to her later life in New York City. (Fiction)
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People by Lenny Bruce
Michelle Wolf and the rest of today’s comics should thank Lenny Bruce for their careers. Bruce swore and told off-color jokes that got him arrested. Now you get a Netflix special. (Autobiography)
Michelle Wolf and the rest of today’s comics should thank Lenny Bruce for their careers. Bruce swore and told off-color jokes that got him arrested. Now you get a Netflix special. (Autobiography)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Influenced by the New Journalism that emerged in the late 1960s, Capote’s “nonfiction novel” tracks Dick and Perry, stone-cold killers who committed a quadruple murder in 1959. (Investigative Fiction)
Influenced by the New Journalism that emerged in the late 1960s, Capote’s “nonfiction novel” tracks Dick and Perry, stone-cold killers who committed a quadruple murder in 1959. (Investigative Fiction)
The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
What Carson describes as “A Novel in Verse” is a beautiful, layered story of Geryon, part boy and part “winged red monster.” Mythical and contemporary, accessible and mysterious, Carson’s narrative is full of wonder, beauty, pain, love, and romance. (Poetry)
What Carson describes as “A Novel in Verse” is a beautiful, layered story of Geryon, part boy and part “winged red monster.” Mythical and contemporary, accessible and mysterious, Carson’s narrative is full of wonder, beauty, pain, love, and romance. (Poetry)
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
This series of shorts lays bare the painfully idiosyncratic people and moments that can characterize romantic relationships. (Fiction)
This series of shorts lays bare the painfully idiosyncratic people and moments that can characterize romantic relationships. (Fiction)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Set in New Orleans in the early 1900s, this novella offers a feminist’s take on women, domesticity, and life in the American South. With plenty of drama in one woman’s life as wife and mother, the story asks readers to think about what would make them happy if their world were limited like Edna’s. (Fiction)
Set in New Orleans in the early 1900s, this novella offers a feminist’s take on women, domesticity, and life in the American South. With plenty of drama in one woman’s life as wife and mother, the story asks readers to think about what would make them happy if their world were limited like Edna’s. (Fiction)
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
Nicole Chung investigates the mysteries and complexities of her transracial adoption. This chronicle of unexpected family is meant for people who have struggled to figure out where they belong. (Memoir)
Nicole Chung investigates the mysteries and complexities of her transracial adoption. This chronicle of unexpected family is meant for people who have struggled to figure out where they belong. (Memoir)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Did you ever wonder what "that black guy" on the subway, on the street, or in the elevator is thinking about? Coates has some revelations to share. As an ostensible letter to his young son, this extended essay offers a scathing explication of that source of cultural anxiety: black men’s bodies. (Essay)
Did you ever wonder what "that black guy" on the subway, on the street, or in the elevator is thinking about? Coates has some revelations to share. As an ostensible letter to his young son, this extended essay offers a scathing explication of that source of cultural anxiety: black men’s bodies. (Essay)
We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This powerful collection of essays interspersed with personal reflections dives deeply into race, Obama’s presidency, and our current political climate. (Essays)
This powerful collection of essays interspersed with personal reflections dives deeply into race, Obama’s presidency, and our current political climate. (Essays)
Chéri by Colette
Léa de Lonval is an aging courtesan at the end of a long, lucrative career in 1920s Paris. Chéri is a handsome, selfish playboy, whom Léa has been having an affair with since he was in his teens. They are more attached to each other than society thinks appropriate in this honest, sophisticated novella by one of France’s great prose writers. (Fiction)
Léa de Lonval is an aging courtesan at the end of a long, lucrative career in 1920s Paris. Chéri is a handsome, selfish playboy, whom Léa has been having an affair with since he was in his teens. They are more attached to each other than society thinks appropriate in this honest, sophisticated novella by one of France’s great prose writers. (Fiction)
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
The early twentieth century in Europe before the Russian Revolution was a time of anarchist assassinations and political turmoil, and Conrad captures the spirit of the times perfectly in this story of a plot gone wrong to blow up the Greenwich Observatory in London. This short, heartrending novel focuses on the innocent bystanders to a terrorist act. (Fiction)
The early twentieth century in Europe before the Russian Revolution was a time of anarchist assassinations and political turmoil, and Conrad captures the spirit of the times perfectly in this story of a plot gone wrong to blow up the Greenwich Observatory in London. This short, heartrending novel focuses on the innocent bystanders to a terrorist act. (Fiction)
The Sleep of Reason by Morri Creech
Readers looking for a worthy successor to British Romantic John Keats may find their answer in American poet Morri Creech. This Pulitzer Prize finalist deploys lush language to explore everyday life: a cigarette lighter, a landfill, a painting, a stone well, a goldfinch, a dream, bedtime reading. (Poetry)
Readers looking for a worthy successor to British Romantic John Keats may find their answer in American poet Morri Creech. This Pulitzer Prize finalist deploys lush language to explore everyday life: a cigarette lighter, a landfill, a painting, a stone well, a goldfinch, a dream, bedtime reading. (Poetry)
I Was Told There Would Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
A drawer full of My Little Pony dolls becomes a metaphor for Crosley’s dating life; the butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum, a place to teach children about death. These essays bring gravity and irony to topics that are often relegated to “chick lit”: romance, female friendships, early career life. (And, yes, there is cake.) (Essays)
A drawer full of My Little Pony dolls becomes a metaphor for Crosley’s dating life; the butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum, a place to teach children about death. These essays bring gravity and irony to topics that are often relegated to “chick lit”: romance, female friendships, early career life. (And, yes, there is cake.) (Essays)
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
This novel weaves together three narratives: the British writer Virginia Woolf crafting her classic novel Mrs. Dalloway in 1923; Los Angeles housewife Laura Brown planning her husband’s birthday party while reading Mrs. Dalloway in 1949; and New Yorker Clarissa Vaughn giving a party in 1999 to celebrate her poet friend Richard, who is dying of AIDS. The three plot lines ultimately converge in a powerful revelation. (Fiction)
This novel weaves together three narratives: the British writer Virginia Woolf crafting her classic novel Mrs. Dalloway in 1923; Los Angeles housewife Laura Brown planning her husband’s birthday party while reading Mrs. Dalloway in 1949; and New Yorker Clarissa Vaughn giving a party in 1999 to celebrate her poet friend Richard, who is dying of AIDS. The three plot lines ultimately converge in a powerful revelation. (Fiction)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron de Hart
The first full life--private, public, legal, philosophical--of the 107th Supreme Court Justice, one of the most profound and profoundly transformative legal minds of our time. (Biography)
The first full life--private, public, legal, philosophical--of the 107th Supreme Court Justice, one of the most profound and profoundly transformative legal minds of our time. (Biography)
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
This novel opens in India, where we meet Jemubhai Patel, a judge educated at Cambridge University, in his crumbling, isolated house. His life is juxtaposed with that of his cook’s son, who lives in New York as a restaurant worker. Ambitious in its broad sweep, this moving story explores issues of class and nationhood. (Fiction)
This novel opens in India, where we meet Jemubhai Patel, a judge educated at Cambridge University, in his crumbling, isolated house. His life is juxtaposed with that of his cook’s son, who lives in New York as a restaurant worker. Ambitious in its broad sweep, this moving story explores issues of class and nationhood. (Fiction)
Drown by Junot Díaz
In the voice of Yunior, Díaz takes us from his young life in the Dominican Republic to his teenage years in Newark, New Jersey. This series of stand-alone, yet interconnected shorts includes some of the most hilarious similes you’ll ever encounter. (Fiction)
In the voice of Yunior, Díaz takes us from his young life in the Dominican Republic to his teenage years in Newark, New Jersey. This series of stand-alone, yet interconnected shorts includes some of the most hilarious similes you’ll ever encounter. (Fiction)
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz
Yunior is back, this time as an adult, and he’s making the same mistakes. Don’t some people ever learn? (Fiction)
Yunior is back, this time as an adult, and he’s making the same mistakes. Don’t some people ever learn? (Fiction)
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
One of the great Victorian writer’s most popular works, this story is every child’s nightmare: being separated from one’s family and carried off to a life of crime and poverty by a gang of scoundrels. A dark, dramatic tale, the novel nonetheless ends with a satisfying resolution and the moral order restored. (Fiction)
One of the great Victorian writer’s most popular works, this story is every child’s nightmare: being separated from one’s family and carried off to a life of crime and poverty by a gang of scoundrels. A dark, dramatic tale, the novel nonetheless ends with a satisfying resolution and the moral order restored. (Fiction)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Set in occupied France during World War II, this compelling novel has two main characters, a blind French girl and a young German soldier. Their stories unfold in parallel narratives, but eventually their paths converge. Elegantly crafted, this is a tale of bravery, ingenuity, passion and sacrifice. (Fiction)
Set in occupied France during World War II, this compelling novel has two main characters, a blind French girl and a young German soldier. Their stories unfold in parallel narratives, but eventually their paths converge. Elegantly crafted, this is a tale of bravery, ingenuity, passion and sacrifice. (Fiction)
Devotions on Emergent Occasions by John Donne
“No man is an island” and “For whom the bell tolls" -- these are just two of the memorable lines from Donne’s Devotions on Emergent Occasions, first published in 1624. Though best known for his poetry, this metaphysical cleric crafts these prose meditations to consider life, sickness, death, and faith. (Essays)
“No man is an island” and “For whom the bell tolls" -- these are just two of the memorable lines from Donne’s Devotions on Emergent Occasions, first published in 1624. Though best known for his poetry, this metaphysical cleric crafts these prose meditations to consider life, sickness, death, and faith. (Essays)
Deep Lane by Mark Doty
The setting of Deep Lane is Amagansett, NY, though there are plenty of poems about New York City, too – on nature, venturing down hidden depths, celebrating beauty and mystery. In arguably one of his most confessional collections, Doty offers the reader memorable imagery in a highly readable style. (Poetry)
The setting of Deep Lane is Amagansett, NY, though there are plenty of poems about New York City, too – on nature, venturing down hidden depths, celebrating beauty and mystery. In arguably one of his most confessional collections, Doty offers the reader memorable imagery in a highly readable style. (Poetry)
Still Life With Oysters and Lemons by Mark Doty
Part essay, part memoir, Doty’s meditative exploration of painting (still life, in particular) is a quick and beautiful read. (Essays)
Part essay, part memoir, Doty’s meditative exploration of painting (still life, in particular) is a quick and beautiful read. (Essays)
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
This moving autobiography of a former slave attests to both the cruelty of slavery and the author’s own humanity in the face of horrific circumstances. This veritable handbook of classical rhetoric is so beautifully written that you may want to read passages aloud. (Autobiography)
This moving autobiography of a former slave attests to both the cruelty of slavery and the author’s own humanity in the face of horrific circumstances. This veritable handbook of classical rhetoric is so beautifully written that you may want to read passages aloud. (Autobiography)
The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy
Meet Mrs. Darwin, Mrs. Icarus, and Mrs. Midas, who doesn’t want her husband to touch her. In this witty and perceptive collection, Duffy gives voice to the unacknowledged wives of more famous husbands, both fictional and real. The twists in these women’s tales enrich the men’s original stories. (Poetry)
Meet Mrs. Darwin, Mrs. Icarus, and Mrs. Midas, who doesn’t want her husband to touch her. In this witty and perceptive collection, Duffy gives voice to the unacknowledged wives of more famous husbands, both fictional and real. The twists in these women’s tales enrich the men’s original stories. (Poetry)
The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman
A neuroscientist explores perceptions, reality, identity, and the trillions of connections that make the human brain the most phenomenal and mysterious organ. Explore the “science” of who we are and how we navigate the complexities of our world. (Science)
A neuroscientist explores perceptions, reality, identity, and the trillions of connections that make the human brain the most phenomenal and mysterious organ. Explore the “science” of who we are and how we navigate the complexities of our world. (Science)
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," initiates Wash into a world where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human. (Fiction)
Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," initiates Wash into a world where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human. (Fiction)
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is as playful as its title. Told in thirteen chapters from thirteen different points of view, this narrative is wild, funny, and modern. Characters range from a kleptomaniac to a music executive to a punk-band guitarist, and New York City is the main setting for this rowdy group. (Fiction)
Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is as playful as its title. Told in thirteen chapters from thirteen different points of view, this narrative is wild, funny, and modern. Characters range from a kleptomaniac to a music executive to a punk-band guitarist, and New York City is the main setting for this rowdy group. (Fiction)
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Absolutely nothing like Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad, this more traditional novel is set on the New York City waterfront during World War II. The main characters are a resourceful young woman named Anna Kerrigan, her father Eddie, and an underworld figure named Dexter Styles. Their stories intertwine cleverly, and the action builds to a satisfying climax. (Fiction)
Absolutely nothing like Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad, this more traditional novel is set on the New York City waterfront during World War II. The main characters are a resourceful young woman named Anna Kerrigan, her father Eddie, and an underworld figure named Dexter Styles. Their stories intertwine cleverly, and the action builds to a satisfying climax. (Fiction)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Eggers has had an illustrious career as a novelist, educator, and founder of McSweeney’s. But before any of that, his parents died and left him to raise his younger brother alone. Bittersweet and hilarious, this memoir details Eggers’ struggle to make it work, while giving readers a view into the life of a 20-something in 1990s California. (Memoir)
Eggers has had an illustrious career as a novelist, educator, and founder of McSweeney’s. But before any of that, his parents died and left him to raise his younger brother alone. Bittersweet and hilarious, this memoir details Eggers’ struggle to make it work, while giving readers a view into the life of a 20-something in 1990s California. (Memoir)
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
In this non-fiction account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, Eggers focuses on Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American owner of a painting and contracting company in New Orleans. Zeitoun sets out in a secondhand canoe to help rescue neighbors but is arrested by national guardsmen and detained for 23 days – a disturbing look at how law enforcement responded in the wake of a major natural disaster. (Non-fiction)
In this non-fiction account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, Eggers focuses on Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American owner of a painting and contracting company in New Orleans. Zeitoun sets out in a secondhand canoe to help rescue neighbors but is arrested by national guardsmen and detained for 23 days – a disturbing look at how law enforcement responded in the wake of a major natural disaster. (Non-fiction)
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Ellison won the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction with this dynamic novel. Narrated by a nameless African-American man whose skin color renders him invisible, the story tracks his journey from the South to Harlem, absorbing all the shock, violence, and adventure in Ellison’s rich, poetic imagery and style. (Fiction)
Ellison won the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction with this dynamic novel. Narrated by a nameless African-American man whose skin color renders him invisible, the story tracks his journey from the South to Harlem, absorbing all the shock, violence, and adventure in Ellison’s rich, poetic imagery and style. (Fiction)
The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander
During Argentina’s civil war in the 1980s, vast numbers of college students and other young radicals began to disappear. Englander’s powerful novel, a familial and a political narrative, tells the story of one father desperate to find out what has become of his son in the face of the right-wing government’s lies and brutality. (Fiction)
During Argentina’s civil war in the 1980s, vast numbers of college students and other young radicals began to disappear. Englander’s powerful novel, a familial and a political narrative, tells the story of one father desperate to find out what has become of his son in the face of the right-wing government’s lies and brutality. (Fiction)
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
Who wouldn't want to listen to what the vagina might say? Before writing this award-winning play, Ensler interviewed hundreds of women of all ages and backgrounds about sex, abuse, reproduction. At times the play is challenging to track, but the voices Ensler captures – some, for example, speaking about orgasm for the first time – are a welcome antidote to the usual silence surrounding such topics. (Drama)
Who wouldn't want to listen to what the vagina might say? Before writing this award-winning play, Ensler interviewed hundreds of women of all ages and backgrounds about sex, abuse, reproduction. At times the play is challenging to track, but the voices Ensler captures – some, for example, speaking about orgasm for the first time – are a welcome antidote to the usual silence surrounding such topics. (Drama)
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Eugenides' first novel is the story of a neighborhood besieged by adolescent angst, young love, and a dysfunctional family. Nostalgic and dark, it explores the consequences of fear and longing in a small community in the 1970s. (Fiction)
Eugenides' first novel is the story of a neighborhood besieged by adolescent angst, young love, and a dysfunctional family. Nostalgic and dark, it explores the consequences of fear and longing in a small community in the 1970s. (Fiction)
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
The title itself should be enough reason to pick up this book, though you will be rewarded from the first page with gems such as “Virgins” and “Snakes.” Only 26 at the time of this debut collection’s publication, Evans is a stunningly talented and precocious voice. (Fiction)
The title itself should be enough reason to pick up this book, though you will be rewarded from the first page with gems such as “Virgins” and “Snakes.” Only 26 at the time of this debut collection’s publication, Evans is a stunningly talented and precocious voice. (Fiction)
Panopticon by Jenni Fagen
Narrated by Anais Hendricks, whom we first meet handcuffed to a police car, this novel explores the dark side of the juvenile detention facility, the bright side of friendship, and much of the range in between. Did Anais put a policewoman into a coma? (Fiction)
Narrated by Anais Hendricks, whom we first meet handcuffed to a police car, this novel explores the dark side of the juvenile detention facility, the bright side of friendship, and much of the range in between. Did Anais put a policewoman into a coma? (Fiction)
Bossypants by Tina Fey
In this quick, laugh-out-loud read, Fey takes readers on a fantastic journey through her childhood and adulthood, covering a range of topics, including teenage attraction, family dynamics, the four rules of improvisation, and stories from the male-dominated world of comedy writing and performing. (Memoir)
In this quick, laugh-out-loud read, Fey takes readers on a fantastic journey through her childhood and adulthood, covering a range of topics, including teenage attraction, family dynamics, the four rules of improvisation, and stories from the male-dominated world of comedy writing and performing. (Memoir)
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published in 1934, Fitzgerald’s novel takes readers to the South of France with Dick and Nicole Diver, an American couple whose marriage is more challenging than it appears. Rosemary, a young Hollywood actress on vacation with her mother, only adds to the complications. (Fiction)
Published in 1934, Fitzgerald’s novel takes readers to the South of France with Dick and Nicole Diver, an American couple whose marriage is more challenging than it appears. Rosemary, a young Hollywood actress on vacation with her mother, only adds to the complications. (Fiction)
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Lucy Honeychurch, an upper-middle class Brit, is accompanied by her overbearing cousin Charlotte Bartlett on a first trip to Italy. Seduced by the landscape and the art, Lucy falls in love not only with Florence, but also with an unsuitable English boy. But how can she resist when the romance of Italy beckons? (Fiction)
Lucy Honeychurch, an upper-middle class Brit, is accompanied by her overbearing cousin Charlotte Bartlett on a first trip to Italy. Seduced by the landscape and the art, Lucy falls in love not only with Florence, but also with an unsuitable English boy. But how can she resist when the romance of Italy beckons? (Fiction)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Rosemary Cooke narrates this fictional story of an eccentric family with a complicated past, thanks to an experiment conducted by Rosemary’s father, a psychology professor at Indiana University. Avoid reading the book jacket of this text so that you can fully experience Fowler’s surprising tale. (Fiction)
Rosemary Cooke narrates this fictional story of an eccentric family with a complicated past, thanks to an experiment conducted by Rosemary’s father, a psychology professor at Indiana University. Avoid reading the book jacket of this text so that you can fully experience Fowler’s surprising tale. (Fiction)
Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly
Set against the backdrop of the Mississippi River flood of 1927, this rousing tale of murder, moonshine, and an abandoned infant is historical fiction at its most compelling. Packed with fascinating facts about this epic event, it also is an unlikely love story that captures the imagination. (Fiction)
Set against the backdrop of the Mississippi River flood of 1927, this rousing tale of murder, moonshine, and an abandoned infant is historical fiction at its most compelling. Packed with fascinating facts about this epic event, it also is an unlikely love story that captures the imagination. (Fiction)
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu
This novel weaves together the stories of four women who, as girls in the 1990s, find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness during an ill-fated kayaking trip at summer camp. Imagine Lord of the Flies: the all-girl reboot. (Fiction)
This novel weaves together the stories of four women who, as girls in the 1990s, find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness during an ill-fated kayaking trip at summer camp. Imagine Lord of the Flies: the all-girl reboot. (Fiction)
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
When Agnes Nutter predicts that the end of the world is days away, the demon Crowley and his angel friend, Aziraphale, team up to save humankind. (Fiction)
When Agnes Nutter predicts that the end of the world is days away, the demon Crowley and his angel friend, Aziraphale, team up to save humankind. (Fiction)
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines
How long can a geriatric black man stand being referred to as “boy”? Read this book and find out how it’s never too late to claim your manhood in the Deep South. (Fiction)
How long can a geriatric black man stand being referred to as “boy”? Read this book and find out how it’s never too late to claim your manhood in the Deep South. (Fiction)
Not that Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxanne Gay
A collection of original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face. (Essays)
A collection of original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face. (Essays)
The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein
Responding to seismic shifts in the literary landscape, Willa Cather wrote, "the world broke in two in 1922 or thereabouts." Follow the letters and diaries of four writers – Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster, and T.S. Eliot – to grasp how this year marked a before-and-after in the literary world. (Literary History)
Responding to seismic shifts in the literary landscape, Willa Cather wrote, "the world broke in two in 1922 or thereabouts." Follow the letters and diaries of four writers – Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster, and T.S. Eliot – to grasp how this year marked a before-and-after in the literary world. (Literary History)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The sixteenth American President’s first move was to organize a cabinet made up of the three rivals whom he had beaten at the Republican National Convention. This is a brilliant biography of all four men. (History)
The sixteenth American President’s first move was to organize a cabinet made up of the three rivals whom he had beaten at the Republican National Convention. This is a brilliant biography of all four men. (History)
Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
How does one compile a biography of a man who was notoriously secretive, even in his own time? Greenblatt places Shakespeare in his historical context and builds, from the precious few clues in public record, the picture of a man whose rendering of the human spirit enraptures audiences 400 years later. (Biography/Literary Studies)
How does one compile a biography of a man who was notoriously secretive, even in his own time? Greenblatt places Shakespeare in his historical context and builds, from the precious few clues in public record, the picture of a man whose rendering of the human spirit enraptures audiences 400 years later. (Biography/Literary Studies)
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The United States’ involvement with Vietnam was marked by “good intentions” from the start. In this short, suspenseful novel, a great British novelist dramatizes just how disastrous good intentions can be when linked to personal and political naiveté and a narrow (typically American?) understanding of good vs. evil. (Fiction)
The United States’ involvement with Vietnam was marked by “good intentions” from the start. In this short, suspenseful novel, a great British novelist dramatizes just how disastrous good intentions can be when linked to personal and political naiveté and a narrow (typically American?) understanding of good vs. evil. (Fiction)
Florida by Lauren Groff
This collection of stories spanning centuries of time in Florida examines the decisions and connections behind life-changing events in the lives of two abandoned sisters and a conflicted family woman. (Short Stories)
This collection of stories spanning centuries of time in Florida examines the decisions and connections behind life-changing events in the lives of two abandoned sisters and a conflicted family woman. (Short Stories)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz-Age Harlem. (Fiction)
Follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz-Age Harlem. (Fiction)
The Past by Tessa Hadley
In this award-winning novel, four adult siblings hold a family reunion in France to decide what to do with their summer house. Will they sell it or keep it? Passion erupts when least expected as the narrative winds down to its inevitable ending. (Fiction)
In this award-winning novel, four adult siblings hold a family reunion in France to decide what to do with their summer house. Will they sell it or keep it? Passion erupts when least expected as the narrative winds down to its inevitable ending. (Fiction)
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
Two parallel story lines: Alice, a young American editor living in New York, is in a relationship with the famous and much older writer Ezra Blazer, and Amar, an Iraqi-American economist, is on his way to visit his brother in Kurdistan when he is detained by immigration officers. Years later a BBC journalist conducts an interview with Blazer about life, love, and legacy. (Fiction)
Two parallel story lines: Alice, a young American editor living in New York, is in a relationship with the famous and much older writer Ezra Blazer, and Amar, an Iraqi-American economist, is on his way to visit his brother in Kurdistan when he is detained by immigration officers. Years later a BBC journalist conducts an interview with Blazer about life, love, and legacy. (Fiction)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
In the wake of 9/11, an American Muslim’s life can never be the same. Hamid’s short novel narrates the story of a Princeton graduate and Pakistani native who attempts to have a career and relationship with an American woman in Manhattan, but the times are troubled and the issues more complicated than he had realized. (Fiction)
In the wake of 9/11, an American Muslim’s life can never be the same. Hamid’s short novel narrates the story of a Princeton graduate and Pakistani native who attempts to have a career and relationship with an American woman in Manhattan, but the times are troubled and the issues more complicated than he had realized. (Fiction)
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Its title notwithstanding, this is not a book about baseball. This coming-of-age tale -- about life, love, college, and what it takes to throw a ball from shortstop to first base -- is one of those rare fictional romps whose final pages you will want to read at a snail’s pace, to savor every moment. (Fiction)
Its title notwithstanding, this is not a book about baseball. This coming-of-age tale -- about life, love, college, and what it takes to throw a ball from shortstop to first base -- is one of those rare fictional romps whose final pages you will want to read at a snail’s pace, to savor every moment. (Fiction)
The Complete Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Hopkins (1844-1889) remains one of the most dynamic, unconventional poets in English. You will be hard-pressed to find more perfect examples of what poetry can offer than “The Windhover” and “As Kingfishers Catch Fire.” His collected poems (those that remain – Hopkins burned many during a period of religious crisis) astonish and delight. (Poetry)
Hopkins (1844-1889) remains one of the most dynamic, unconventional poets in English. You will be hard-pressed to find more perfect examples of what poetry can offer than “The Windhover” and “As Kingfishers Catch Fire.” His collected poems (those that remain – Hopkins burned many during a period of religious crisis) astonish and delight. (Poetry)
Speaking with The Angel edited by Nick Hornby
Hornby (author of High Fidelity and About a Boy) edits this wonderful collection of shorts. “Last Requests,” for example, is told from the point of view of a cook who prepares the last meal for inmates on Death Row. (Fiction)
Hornby (author of High Fidelity and About a Boy) edits this wonderful collection of shorts. “Last Requests,” for example, is told from the point of view of a cook who prepares the last meal for inmates on Death Row. (Fiction)
Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston
Born and raised in an all-black town in rural Florida in the early twentieth century, Hurston was heir to a rich oral tradition. Having studied anthropology at Columbia, she revisited her native South as a trained folklorist intent on collecting local songs, sayings, and tales. The fruits of her labor are assembled in this quirky collection of African-American folklore, including several outrageous tall tales. (Folklore)
Born and raised in an all-black town in rural Florida in the early twentieth century, Hurston was heir to a rich oral tradition. Having studied anthropology at Columbia, she revisited her native South as a trained folklorist intent on collecting local songs, sayings, and tales. The fruits of her labor are assembled in this quirky collection of African-American folklore, including several outrageous tall tales. (Folklore)
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
Nora Helmer of A Doll’s House feels confined by her narrow, husband-dominated life as wife and mother. At that play’s end, she makes a radical choice, at least for a woman in 1880. In this other major play by the Norwegian writer Ibsen, the frustrated Hedda Gabler is more certain of herself (diabolically so) yet makes a different, though equally radical, choice. (Drama)
Nora Helmer of A Doll’s House feels confined by her narrow, husband-dominated life as wife and mother. At that play’s end, she makes a radical choice, at least for a woman in 1880. In this other major play by the Norwegian writer Ibsen, the frustrated Hedda Gabler is more certain of herself (diabolically so) yet makes a different, though equally radical, choice. (Drama)
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. As two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they imagined. (Fiction)
When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. As two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they imagined. (Fiction)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
This unsettling novella tells the story of a neurotic, possibly murderous family holed up in an isolated castle. When a cousin arrives unexpectedly at the estate, a struggle for control ensues. Jackson’s eerie prose conveys a surreal sense of mystery and a menacing whiff of mayhem. (Fiction)
This unsettling novella tells the story of a neurotic, possibly murderous family holed up in an isolated castle. When a cousin arrives unexpectedly at the estate, a struggle for control ensues. Jackson’s eerie prose conveys a surreal sense of mystery and a menacing whiff of mayhem. (Fiction)
Washington Square by Henry James
In this classic novella, Catherine Sloper, a dull, well-meaning young woman in antebellum New York, has a problem: she is rich. Her strong-willed father believes that handsome Morris Townsend only wants her for her money. Could any man truly love so earnest and unattractive a girl as his daughter? Catherine must risk disinheritance or reconcile herself to a life lived alone. (Fiction)
In this classic novella, Catherine Sloper, a dull, well-meaning young woman in antebellum New York, has a problem: she is rich. Her strong-willed father believes that handsome Morris Townsend only wants her for her money. Could any man truly love so earnest and unattractive a girl as his daughter? Catherine must risk disinheritance or reconcile herself to a life lived alone. (Fiction)
What Maisie Knew by Henry James
This novel, a study of English society in the nineteenth century, follows Maisie, the precocious daughter of divorced parents, from childhood through maturity. Maisie is handed back and forth between her dysfunctional parents and must decide the kind of life that will serve her own best interests. (Fiction)
This novel, a study of English society in the nineteenth century, follows Maisie, the precocious daughter of divorced parents, from childhood through maturity. Maisie is handed back and forth between her dysfunctional parents and must decide the kind of life that will serve her own best interests. (Fiction)
Negroland by Margo Jefferson
Pulitzer Prize-winning cultural critic Margo Jefferson (a recent Nightingale speaker) lived a privileged life and enjoyed a superb education as the child of an affluent black family in Chicago – a modern-day example of W.E.B. DuBois’s “Talented Tenth.” In this honest memoir, Jefferson reflects on her atypical upbringing, ambitions to become a writer, and connections to black culture today. (Memoir)
Pulitzer Prize-winning cultural critic Margo Jefferson (a recent Nightingale speaker) lived a privileged life and enjoyed a superb education as the child of an affluent black family in Chicago – a modern-day example of W.E.B. DuBois’s “Talented Tenth.” In this honest memoir, Jefferson reflects on her atypical upbringing, ambitions to become a writer, and connections to black culture today. (Memoir)
How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
Spirits haunt the flooded streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow South must save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story "The City Born Great," a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis's soul. (Short Stories)
Spirits haunt the flooded streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow South must save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story "The City Born Great," a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis's soul. (Short Stories)
Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen
In this delightful sequel to Jen’s Typical American, it is 1968. Mona Chang, a Chinese-American teenager living in comfortable Westchester County, is in love with a nice Jewish boy who lives in a teepee – not exactly what her parents, Ralph and Helen, expected when they moved from the city to “the promised land.” (Fiction)
In this delightful sequel to Jen’s Typical American, it is 1968. Mona Chang, a Chinese-American teenager living in comfortable Westchester County, is in love with a nice Jewish boy who lives in a teepee – not exactly what her parents, Ralph and Helen, expected when they moved from the city to “the promised land.” (Fiction)
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
There’s just one problem with this wonderful novel: it’s too darn short. In the winter of 1870 in Texas, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd – an elderly widower, veteran of three wars, and itinerant news reader – encounters a 10-year-old girl kidnapped four years earlier by Kiowa Indians, who had killed her immediate family. In this heart-warming tale, Kidd is charged with returning the girl to her closest living relatives.(Fiction)
There’s just one problem with this wonderful novel: it’s too darn short. In the winter of 1870 in Texas, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd – an elderly widower, veteran of three wars, and itinerant news reader – encounters a 10-year-old girl kidnapped four years earlier by Kiowa Indians, who had killed her immediate family. In this heart-warming tale, Kidd is charged with returning the girl to her closest living relatives.(Fiction)
American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit -- a look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control. (Fiction)
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit -- a look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control. (Fiction)
The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr
In the realm of horrific childhood memoirs, no one writes with more humor and poetry than Mary Karr. You will finish this book terrified of – and in love with – every member of Mary Karr’s family. (Memoir)
In the realm of horrific childhood memoirs, no one writes with more humor and poetry than Mary Karr. You will finish this book terrified of – and in love with – every member of Mary Karr’s family. (Memoir)
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston
Blending autobiography with old Chinese folktales, Kingston presents the conflicted perspective of a first-generation Chinese-American woman raised to be submissive and agreeable yet inclined to be bold and fierce. Kingston tells her story in five interconnected chapters, which read like separate stories. (Memoir)
Blending autobiography with old Chinese folktales, Kingston presents the conflicted perspective of a first-generation Chinese-American woman raised to be submissive and agreeable yet inclined to be bold and fierce. Kingston tells her story in five interconnected chapters, which read like separate stories. (Memoir)
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
One morning, eleven-year-old Deming Guo's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her job at the nail salon and never comes home. With his mother gone, Deming has no one to care for him. Set in New York and China, this is the story of how one boy comes into his own when everything he's loved has been taken away--and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.(Fiction)
One morning, eleven-year-old Deming Guo's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her job at the nail salon and never comes home. With his mother gone, Deming has no one to care for him. Set in New York and China, this is the story of how one boy comes into his own when everything he's loved has been taken away--and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.(Fiction)
The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru
Pran Nath Razdan, half-British and half-Indian, is a chameleon, ready to shed any old identity that no longer suits for a new one. This remarkable novel is an adventure tale, rollicking travelogue, and comic reflection on what it takes to survive if you have been born a social outcast.(Fiction)
Pran Nath Razdan, half-British and half-Indian, is a chameleon, ready to shed any old identity that no longer suits for a new one. This remarkable novel is an adventure tale, rollicking travelogue, and comic reflection on what it takes to survive if you have been born a social outcast.(Fiction)
The Incendiaries: A Novel by R.O. Kwon
Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet in their first month at University. Phoebe is drawn into a cult founded by a former student with an enigmatic past. When the group commits a violent act in the name of faith, Will finds himself struggling to confront a new version of the fanaticism he's worked so hard to escape.(Fiction)
Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet in their first month at University. Phoebe is drawn into a cult founded by a former student with an enigmatic past. When the group commits a violent act in the name of faith, Will finds himself struggling to confront a new version of the fanaticism he's worked so hard to escape.(Fiction)
The Uses of the Body by Deborah Landau
Landau wrote this collection over several summers, which proves metaphorically relevant to its explorations of girlhood and motherhood. Full of striking images (and named one of “8 New Books to Savor” by O, the Oprah Magazine), The Uses of the Body explores femininity in complex and memorable ways. (Poetry)
Landau wrote this collection over several summers, which proves metaphorically relevant to its explorations of girlhood and motherhood. Full of striking images (and named one of “8 New Books to Savor” by O, the Oprah Magazine), The Uses of the Body explores femininity in complex and memorable ways. (Poetry)
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Written by a contemporary Korean American, this epic work of historical fiction follows a Korean family who eventually migrate to Japan. The book’s title derives from a mechanical game originating in Japan, where pachinko parlors are quite popular. The differences between Korean and Japanese cultures, as well as their cultural biases, are explored in this compelling narrative. (Historical Fiction)
Written by a contemporary Korean American, this epic work of historical fiction follows a Korean family who eventually migrate to Japan. The book’s title derives from a mechanical game originating in Japan, where pachinko parlors are quite popular. The differences between Korean and Japanese cultures, as well as their cultural biases, are explored in this compelling narrative. (Historical Fiction)
Close Encounters with Humankind by Sang-Hee Lee
Explores how the field of paleoanthropology enables insights into some of the world's leading evolutionary questions, exploring such topics as the life cycles of ancient people, the origins of social nature, and the common traits between modern humans and Neanderthals. (Non-fiction)
Explores how the field of paleoanthropology enables insights into some of the world's leading evolutionary questions, exploring such topics as the life cycles of ancient people, the origins of social nature, and the common traits between modern humans and Neanderthals. (Non-fiction)
Joe Gould’s Teeth by Jill Lepore
In a follow-up investigation into Joseph Mitchell’s famous subject, Lepore revisits the questions of whether and how homeless misanthrope Joe Gould might have written “An Oral History of Our Time.” Like Mitchell a New Yorker staff writer, Lepore ends up challenging Mitchell’s own conclusions. (Biography/ Journalism)
In a follow-up investigation into Joseph Mitchell’s famous subject, Lepore revisits the questions of whether and how homeless misanthrope Joe Gould might have written “An Oral History of Our Time.” Like Mitchell a New Yorker staff writer, Lepore ends up challenging Mitchell’s own conclusions. (Biography/ Journalism)
These Truths by Jill Lepore
In this uniquely American story beginning in 1492, the author considers whether the course of events over more than five centuries has proven the nation's truths, or belied them. (Non-fiction)
In this uniquely American story beginning in 1492, the author considers whether the course of events over more than five centuries has proven the nation's truths, or belied them. (Non-fiction)
The Off-Season by Jen Levitt
Levitt’s first collection of poetry is a search for self and how the poet does (and doesn’t) fit into the world around her. Levitt is particularly good at conveying the tensions that arise in high school. Her small shifts in viewpoint reveal larger vistas. (Poetry)
Levitt’s first collection of poetry is a search for self and how the poet does (and doesn’t) fit into the world around her. Levitt is particularly good at conveying the tensions that arise in high school. Her small shifts in viewpoint reveal larger vistas. (Poetry)
The Bronx Is Burningby Jonathan Mahler
You never took your life in your hands by riding the New York City subway in the 1970s, never experienced the blackout of 1977, never went to bed fearing the Son of Sam would break through your apartment window. Mahler’s New York in the 70s: what a blighted paradise! (Fiction)
You never took your life in your hands by riding the New York City subway in the 1970s, never experienced the blackout of 1977, never went to bed fearing the Son of Sam would break through your apartment window. Mahler’s New York in the 70s: what a blighted paradise! (Fiction)
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
A dazzling new novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris. (Fiction)
A dazzling new novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris. (Fiction)
Remembering Babylon by David Malouf
A 13-year-old British cabin boy, Gemmy Fairley, is shipwrecked, cast ashore, and adopted by Australian aborigines in the 1840s. Sixteen years later, he returns to the world of European colonizers, who find him a source of fascination and repulsion. Where does this hybrid figure caught between two worlds belong? (Fiction)
A 13-year-old British cabin boy, Gemmy Fairley, is shipwrecked, cast ashore, and adopted by Australian aborigines in the 1840s. Sixteen years later, he returns to the world of European colonizers, who find him a source of fascination and repulsion. Where does this hybrid figure caught between two worlds belong? (Fiction)
The Children Act by Ian McEwan
A high-court judge experiences difficulties in her marriage, which is childless, and at the same time she is asked to adjudicate a case in which a 17-year-old boy questions whether he wants to receive medical treatment that runs counter to his religious beliefs. An intense relationship between the judge and the boy is at the center of this novel. (Fiction)
A high-court judge experiences difficulties in her marriage, which is childless, and at the same time she is asked to adjudicate a case in which a 17-year-old boy questions whether he wants to receive medical treatment that runs counter to his religious beliefs. An intense relationship between the judge and the boy is at the center of this novel. (Fiction)
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
People interested in extreme athletic challenges will likely enjoy McDougall’s autobiographical account of his time racing with the expert long-distance runners of the Tarahumara, a tribe from Mexico’s Copper Canyons region. McDougall’s story culminates in an unforgettable race. (Investigative Journalism)
People interested in extreme athletic challenges will likely enjoy McDougall’s autobiographical account of his time racing with the expert long-distance runners of the Tarahumara, a tribe from Mexico’s Copper Canyons region. McDougall’s story culminates in an unforgettable race. (Investigative Journalism)
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
Told through the drug-addled eyes of the narrator, this plotless tale captures the buzz and disturbing underbelly of New York in the 1980s. Is there any wonder that his wife left him? (Fiction)
Told through the drug-addled eyes of the narrator, this plotless tale captures the buzz and disturbing underbelly of New York in the 1980s. Is there any wonder that his wife left him? (Fiction)
Out There by Jamie McKendrick
Relishing the formal play of language, as in “Stricken Proverbs,” the speaker proclaims, “Where there’s a will, there’s a wall.” These poems consider what exists “out there” – at close range, as in the unexplored universe. (Poetry)
Relishing the formal play of language, as in “Stricken Proverbs,” the speaker proclaims, “Where there’s a will, there’s a wall.” These poems consider what exists “out there” – at close range, as in the unexplored universe. (Poetry)
An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
A noted classics professor weaves personal narrative with the story of Odysseus as he and his 81-year-old father, Jay, go on a Mediterranean cruise to retrace Odysseus’s mythic journey. (Classical Studies)
A noted classics professor weaves personal narrative with the story of Odysseus as he and his 81-year-old father, Jay, go on a Mediterranean cruise to retrace Odysseus’s mythic journey. (Classical Studies)
God: A Biography by Jack MilesWho is the God of the Bible? What is his story and the arc of his character? Miles studies God as hero of the Bible, offering a rich portrait of a complex literary figure. (Religious Studies)
All My Sons by Arthur MillerIn a pleasant American town in the early 1950s, a prosperous family enjoy a comfortable, undramatic life. When revelations of a tainted past emerge, however, they are forced to confront long-buried secrets and assign blame. What will become of the business that Joe Keller worked so hard to build up? Will his son Chris be able to marry and get on with his life? (Drama)
Circe by Madeline MillerCirce, the banished witch daughter of Helios, hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the world of the gods and the world of mortals. (Fiction)
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen MirzaThis novel depicts an Indian-American Muslim family gathered in their Californian hometown to celebrate eldest daughter Hadia’s wedding. Remarkably, the marriage is based on love, not tradition. This is also the day that Amar, the youngest sibling, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. (Fiction)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton MistrySet in India in 1975, this tale depicts four strangers from diverse backgrounds yet sharing an apartment just as a State of Emergency has been declared. Mistry has been praised as an Indian Dickens in his depiction of a whole world. (Fiction)
Slade House by David MitchellThe narrative revolves around twins who imbibe the souls of others so that they continue to “live” in Slade House, alongside mere mortals who know nothing of their presence. Told in a completely realistic style, the story spans decades as various victims get close to solving the mystery of this parallel world. (Fiction)
Joe Gould’s Secret by Joseph Mitchell
Joe Gould, a brilliant, imbalanced man who roamed New York from World War I to the Fifties, claimed to be writing “An Oral History of Our Time,” an ever-expanding transcript and analysis of overheard conversation. As a reporter for The New Yorker, Mitchell wrote these two profile pieces on Gould, one of the most fascinating characters ever to walk the streets of New York. (Investigative Journalism)
Joe Gould, a brilliant, imbalanced man who roamed New York from World War I to the Fifties, claimed to be writing “An Oral History of Our Time,” an ever-expanding transcript and analysis of overheard conversation. As a reporter for The New Yorker, Mitchell wrote these two profile pieces on Gould, one of the most fascinating characters ever to walk the streets of New York. (Investigative Journalism)
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
Explore the mysterious and boundary-breaking world of octopuses through a naturalist’s in-depth study of several specimens, which happen to possess very distinct personalities. Touching, profound, thought-provoking and entertaining, this scientific account reads like fiction. (Science/Non-fiction)
Explore the mysterious and boundary-breaking world of octopuses through a naturalist’s in-depth study of several specimens, which happen to possess very distinct personalities. Touching, profound, thought-provoking and entertaining, this scientific account reads like fiction. (Science/Non-fiction)
The Watchmen by Alan Moore (writer) and Dave Gibbons (artist)
Who watches the Watchmen? This groundbreaking graphic novel was among the first to take the genre seriously, combining superhero elements with serious social commentary. The characters in this story are nuanced and heart-breaking, all the more human for their superhuman powers. (Graphic Novel)
Who watches the Watchmen? This groundbreaking graphic novel was among the first to take the genre seriously, combining superhero elements with serious social commentary. The characters in this story are nuanced and heart-breaking, all the more human for their superhuman powers. (Graphic Novel)
Beloved by Toni Morrison
This paranormal tale spans slavery, reincarnation, and the liberated hereafter. In this Pulitzer Prize winner, one of America's greatest fiction writers creeps you out, but your hands will remain fastened to this page-turner. (Fiction)
This paranormal tale spans slavery, reincarnation, and the liberated hereafter. In this Pulitzer Prize winner, one of America's greatest fiction writers creeps you out, but your hands will remain fastened to this page-turner. (Fiction)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This first novel by Morrison transports readers into the life of a young girl who questions who she is and how she fits into the world. Constantly feeling as if she lacks something of value, she desperately clings to images she believes could bring her happiness. At once sad and beautiful, this book offers incisive commentary on beauty, the American Dream, and social/cultural isolation. (Fiction)
This first novel by Morrison transports readers into the life of a young girl who questions who she is and how she fits into the world. Constantly feeling as if she lacks something of value, she desperately clings to images she believes could bring her happiness. At once sad and beautiful, this book offers incisive commentary on beauty, the American Dream, and social/cultural isolation. (Fiction)
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Raised in Lahore and Wisconsin by his Pakistani father and his white American mother, Mueenuddin now lives on a farm in Pakistan’s Punjab, the setting for this collection of stories. These tales paint vivid portraits of Pakistani society at all levels: an aging feudal landowner, his servants, his managers, his extended family, and industrialists who have lost touch with the land. (Linked Stories)
Raised in Lahore and Wisconsin by his Pakistani father and his white American mother, Mueenuddin now lives on a farm in Pakistan’s Punjab, the setting for this collection of stories. These tales paint vivid portraits of Pakistani society at all levels: an aging feudal landowner, his servants, his managers, his extended family, and industrialists who have lost touch with the land. (Linked Stories)
The Tree Bride by Bharati Mukherjee
Calcutta-born American Tara Chatterjee searches for her roots in a well-plotted novel about past generations, whose actions shape our lives in ways we cannot imagine. The plot within a plot includes a nineteenth-century pirate attack on a ship in the Bengal Sea and a British colonial official torn between his love for an Indian woman and his loyalty to the Empire. (Fiction)
Calcutta-born American Tara Chatterjee searches for her roots in a well-plotted novel about past generations, whose actions shape our lives in ways we cannot imagine. The plot within a plot includes a nineteenth-century pirate attack on a ship in the Bengal Sea and a British colonial official torn between his love for an Indian woman and his loyalty to the Empire. (Fiction)
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Published in 2015, Nelson’s memoir explores motherhood, gender fluidity, alternative family structures, and partnership through a personal, philosophical, and intellectual lens. This is a challenging, unconventional, and rewarding read.(Memoir/Queer Studies)
Published in 2015, Nelson’s memoir explores motherhood, gender fluidity, alternative family structures, and partnership through a personal, philosophical, and intellectual lens. This is a challenging, unconventional, and rewarding read.(Memoir/Queer Studies)
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
This collection of short stories about immigrants from Vietnam to the United States was written by one of the most celebrated Vietnamese-American writers. (Short Stories)
This collection of short stories about immigrants from Vietnam to the United States was written by one of the most celebrated Vietnamese-American writers. (Short Stories)
There There: a Novel by Tommy Orange
The story of twelve characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. There will be glorious communion and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry -- and there will be sacrifice, heroism, and unspeakable loss. (Fiction)
The story of twelve characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. There will be glorious communion and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry -- and there will be sacrifice, heroism, and unspeakable loss. (Fiction)
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Though we most often associate Nabokov with Lolita, this delightful, brief novel is the work that made him well-known in the United States. It follows Timofey Pavlovich Pnin, a Russian-born professor who immigrates to the United States to teach Russian at a fictional university (as Nabokov himself did). Pnin is tender, funny, and full of Nabokov's enviable descriptions. (Fiction)
Though we most often associate Nabokov with Lolita, this delightful, brief novel is the work that made him well-known in the United States. It follows Timofey Pavlovich Pnin, a Russian-born professor who immigrates to the United States to teach Russian at a fictional university (as Nabokov himself did). Pnin is tender, funny, and full of Nabokov's enviable descriptions. (Fiction)
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Raised in South Africa during apartheid when being the son of a black mother and a white father was illegal, Trevor Noah was literally “born a crime.” He tells stories of his childhood with unreserved honesty and the kind of satiric wit that would later make him famous on The Daily Show. Layered with a multiplicity of South-African voices, this memoir sketches a historical time and place with such heart. (Memoir)
Raised in South Africa during apartheid when being the son of a black mother and a white father was illegal, Trevor Noah was literally “born a crime.” He tells stories of his childhood with unreserved honesty and the kind of satiric wit that would later make him famous on The Daily Show. Layered with a multiplicity of South-African voices, this memoir sketches a historical time and place with such heart. (Memoir)
For Rouenna by Sigrid Nunez
Too few stories from the Vietnam War are told from a woman’s perspective. This novel weaves together the story of Rouenna, a retired army nurse, and that of the unnamed narrator, who grew up with Rouenna in the projects of Staten Island. This story is about storytelling as much as about war, about struggling to piece together a narrative from details that are often unspeakable. (Fiction)
Too few stories from the Vietnam War are told from a woman’s perspective. This novel weaves together the story of Rouenna, a retired army nurse, and that of the unnamed narrator, who grew up with Rouenna in the projects of Staten Island. This story is about storytelling as much as about war, about struggling to piece together a narrative from details that are often unspeakable. (Fiction)
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Before he ever sought elected office, the former president of the United States wrote this lyrical account of his complicated legacy as the son of a black African father and a white American mother. Does he consider himself biracial or black? How does he understand his early years, which would eventually lead him to the White House?(Memoir)
Before he ever sought elected office, the former president of the United States wrote this lyrical account of his complicated legacy as the son of a black African father and a white American mother. Does he consider himself biracial or black? How does he understand his early years, which would eventually lead him to the White House?(Memoir)
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
Hazel Motes, a soldier wounded in World War II, returns to his family home in Tennessee to find it abandoned. As an avowed atheist, he begins a peripatetic journey to spread the gospel of anti-religion. Along the way, prostitute Leora Watts, zookeeper Enoch Emery, and preacher Asa Hawks help him discover what it means to have wise blood: to know the right direction to take in life.(Fiction)
Hazel Motes, a soldier wounded in World War II, returns to his family home in Tennessee to find it abandoned. As an avowed atheist, he begins a peripatetic journey to spread the gospel of anti-religion. Along the way, prostitute Leora Watts, zookeeper Enoch Emery, and preacher Asa Hawks help him discover what it means to have wise blood: to know the right direction to take in life.(Fiction)
The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje
Ostensibly five conversations with Walter Murch, a film and sound editor, this book presents two men in wide-ranging discussion about art, writing, music, editing, and, of course, films. Both the specificity and the broad implications of their concerns make this a book to return to again and again – and you will want to check out the movies discussed.(Cultural Studies)
Ostensibly five conversations with Walter Murch, a film and sound editor, this book presents two men in wide-ranging discussion about art, writing, music, editing, and, of course, films. Both the specificity and the broad implications of their concerns make this a book to return to again and again – and you will want to check out the movies discussed.(Cultural Studies)
1984 by George Orwell
What if after World War II the world had realigned into three super-states in which citizens are subject to constant warfare, omnipresent surveillance, and systematic disinformation? This classic of dystopian literature follows Winston Smith, a high-level bureaucrat who alters historical records to fit the ever-changing agenda of Big Brother. As Smith’s hatred for the Party grows and he pursues a sexual liaison with a fellow rebel, will he manage to elude the Thought Police?(Dystopian Fiction)
What if after World War II the world had realigned into three super-states in which citizens are subject to constant warfare, omnipresent surveillance, and systematic disinformation? This classic of dystopian literature follows Winston Smith, a high-level bureaucrat who alters historical records to fit the ever-changing agenda of Big Brother. As Smith’s hatred for the Party grows and he pursues a sexual liaison with a fellow rebel, will he manage to elude the Thought Police?(Dystopian Fiction)
Dart by Alice Oswald
In preparing for this collection, Oswald spent three years recording conversations with people who live and work along the River Dart in England. Dart is the book-length poem that arose from that oral history, written by one of the greatest, most innovative living English poets. (Poetry)
In preparing for this collection, Oswald spent three years recording conversations with people who live and work along the River Dart in England. Dart is the book-length poem that arose from that oral history, written by one of the greatest, most innovative living English poets. (Poetry)
Metamorphoses by Ovid, translated by Charles Martin
This 2,000-year-old epic is actually a tapestry of tales involving transformations (or metamorphoses), starting with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Julius Caesar. Along the way, Ovid narrates 250 separate myths, including Daphne and Apollo, Daedalus and Icarus, and Orpheus and Eurydice.(Epic Poetry)
This 2,000-year-old epic is actually a tapestry of tales involving transformations (or metamorphoses), starting with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Julius Caesar. Along the way, Ovid narrates 250 separate myths, including Daphne and Apollo, Daedalus and Icarus, and Orpheus and Eurydice.(Epic Poetry)
The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey by Rowan Ricardo Philips
A poet, essayist, and lifelong tennis fan takes a deep dive into a year on the men’s professional tennis circuit – a rewarding journey for both novices and veterans of the sport. This insider’s guide narrates epic Grand Slam matches and sketches vivid portraits of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and other world-class champions. (Non-fiction/Sports Journalism)
A poet, essayist, and lifelong tennis fan takes a deep dive into a year on the men’s professional tennis circuit – a rewarding journey for both novices and veterans of the sport. This insider’s guide narrates epic Grand Slam matches and sketches vivid portraits of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and other world-class champions. (Non-fiction/Sports Journalism)
Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
In the long title story (which refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), an ill woman is nursed by a soldier during the influenza epidemic of 1918. This collection of stories provides penetrating insights into the human condition.(Fiction)
In the long title story (which refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), an ill woman is nursed by a soldier during the influenza epidemic of 1918. This collection of stories provides penetrating insights into the human condition.(Fiction)
Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
Narrated in a range of voices, this experimental novel treats two unlikely cellmates in an Argentine prison, Molina and Valentin, who pass the time in sharing stories. In a closed society of two, how might two men, one straight and one queer, find common ground? In the end, what makes a man? (Fiction)
Narrated in a range of voices, this experimental novel treats two unlikely cellmates in an Argentine prison, Molina and Valentin, who pass the time in sharing stories. In a closed society of two, how might two men, one straight and one queer, find common ground? In the end, what makes a man? (Fiction)
Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx is one of the most respected story writers of our time, and Close Range collects eleven of her best works of short fiction, including her most famous story, “Brokeback Mountain,” known to many from the excellent Ang Lee film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. (Fiction/Stories)
Annie Proulx is one of the most respected story writers of our time, and Close Range collects eleven of her best works of short fiction, including her most famous story, “Brokeback Mountain,” known to many from the excellent Ang Lee film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. (Fiction/Stories)
Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez
Drama, intrigue, and the relentless pursuit of lost love are central to this modern retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Set in Spanish Harlem in Manhattan in the 1990s, the story explores New York, community values, and the American Dream -- a must-read for anyone who loves Jay Gatsby! (Fiction)
Drama, intrigue, and the relentless pursuit of lost love are central to this modern retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Set in Spanish Harlem in Manhattan in the 1990s, the story explores New York, community values, and the American Dream -- a must-read for anyone who loves Jay Gatsby! (Fiction)
Library of Small Catastrophes by Alison C. Rollins
Race and women’s bodies are unyielding concerns throughout this collection, while research, classification, and even punctuation all provide fresh, sometimes lacerating, metaphors and similes. As Rollins observes, “only things/ kept in the dark know the true weight of light”; “art is pain suffered and outlived”; and “We are never our own.// This is why we are so lonely." (Poetry)
Race and women’s bodies are unyielding concerns throughout this collection, while research, classification, and even punctuation all provide fresh, sometimes lacerating, metaphors and similes. As Rollins observes, “only things/ kept in the dark know the true weight of light”; “art is pain suffered and outlived”; and “We are never our own.// This is why we are so lonely." (Poetry)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
In this spare, haunting novel, two sisters who grew up haphazardly, Ruth and Lucille, spend their young adulthoods struggling to create a settled sense of home, even as the forces of entropy undermine their efforts. In such a transient world, loss must be confronted and survival negotiated. (Fiction)
In this spare, haunting novel, two sisters who grew up haphazardly, Ruth and Lucille, spend their young adulthoods struggling to create a settled sense of home, even as the forces of entropy undermine their efforts. In such a transient world, loss must be confronted and survival negotiated. (Fiction)
The God of Small Things by Arudhati Roy
Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize, Roy’s novel tells the story of fraternal twins in India. Alternating between their childhood and adulthood, it explores political, cultural, and religious ideas of the time. (Fiction)
Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize, Roy’s novel tells the story of fraternal twins in India. Alternating between their childhood and adulthood, it explores political, cultural, and religious ideas of the time. (Fiction)
Letters From Max: A Book of Friendship by Sarah Ruhl
This collected correspondence between playwright-teacher Sarah Ruhl and poet-cancer patient Max Ritvo charts how the student becomes the teacher. Studded with poems and songs, this is a deeply moving portrait of a friendship and a shimmering exploration of love, art, mortality, and the afterlife. (Correspondence)
This collected correspondence between playwright-teacher Sarah Ruhl and poet-cancer patient Max Ritvo charts how the student becomes the teacher. Studded with poems and songs, this is a deeply moving portrait of a friendship and a shimmering exploration of love, art, mortality, and the afterlife. (Correspondence)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This graphic novel is autobiographical: a coming-of-age story that dovetails with political events. Told in two parts, it examines Satrapi’s childhood in Iran and highlights her journey to find herself, despite her family’s differing expectations. Funny, insightful, and artfully crafted, this great read tracks one woman’s pursuit of individuality. (Graphic Novel)
This graphic novel is autobiographical: a coming-of-age story that dovetails with political events. Told in two parts, it examines Satrapi’s childhood in Iran and highlights her journey to find herself, despite her family’s differing expectations. Funny, insightful, and artfully crafted, this great read tracks one woman’s pursuit of individuality. (Graphic Novel)
Tenth of December by George Saunders
The great writer’s best collection to date, these twelve stories will make you laugh, and the title and the dystopian turn on human lawn ornaments will make you laugh and cry. His subject is moral courage: how the least sometimes rise to the occasion when confronted with life-threatening dilemmas. (Fiction/Stories)
The great writer’s best collection to date, these twelve stories will make you laugh, and the title and the dystopian turn on human lawn ornaments will make you laugh and cry. His subject is moral courage: how the least sometimes rise to the occasion when confronted with life-threatening dilemmas. (Fiction/Stories)
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Michael Berg, a German boy of the post-World War II generation, comes of age in a country reluctant to revisit its Nazi past. As a high-school student, Berg stumbles into a passionate affair with an older woman, and their short-lived relationship marks the rest of his life.(Fiction)
Michael Berg, a German boy of the post-World War II generation, comes of age in a country reluctant to revisit its Nazi past. As a high-school student, Berg stumbles into a passionate affair with an older woman, and their short-lived relationship marks the rest of his life.(Fiction)
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Sedaris’s hilarious send-up of a transplant’s first years in the big city is gut-busting. (Essays)
Sedaris’s hilarious send-up of a transplant’s first years in the big city is gut-busting. (Essays)
Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers edited by Shyam Selvaduri
This landmark anthology features writers of South Asian descent, including Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry, Bharati Mukherjee, and Anita Desai. These “story-wallahs,” or story traders, depict a honeymoon in Sri Lanka, a Bangladeshi refugee in England, a sugar plantation in Trinidad, an Indian family’s arranged marriage for their rebellious daughter, and more. (Short Stories)
This landmark anthology features writers of South Asian descent, including Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry, Bharati Mukherjee, and Anita Desai. These “story-wallahs,” or story traders, depict a honeymoon in Sri Lanka, a Bangladeshi refugee in England, a sugar plantation in Trinidad, an Indian family’s arranged marriage for their rebellious daughter, and more. (Short Stories)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II forms the backdrop for this lovely, understated novel. Written as a series of letters, it is a well-told tale of love, war, and a salute to all things literary. (Fiction)
The occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II forms the backdrop for this lovely, understated novel. Written as a series of letters, it is a well-told tale of love, war, and a salute to all things literary. (Fiction)
Our Andromeda by Brenda Shaughnessy
Shaughnessy questions the idea of a parallel existence, another Andromeda, in this collection of poems. We learn, as the poems’ narrative arc emerges, that this other place might offer relief from tragedy and human suffering. (Poetry)
Shaughnessy questions the idea of a parallel existence, another Andromeda, in this collection of poems. We learn, as the poems’ narrative arc emerges, that this other place might offer relief from tragedy and human suffering. (Poetry)
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
In the not-too-distant future, books are relics from a time long gone, everyone communicates digitally, the dollar is worthless, New York City has fallen apart, and Chinese bankers are threatening to foreclose on the U.S. But book-loving, 39-year-old Lenny Abramov, the eternal optimist, has fallen for 24-year-old Eunice Park, a Korean-American college student majoring in images.(Fiction)
In the not-too-distant future, books are relics from a time long gone, everyone communicates digitally, the dollar is worthless, New York City has fallen apart, and Chinese bankers are threatening to foreclose on the U.S. But book-loving, 39-year-old Lenny Abramov, the eternal optimist, has fallen for 24-year-old Eunice Park, a Korean-American college student majoring in images.(Fiction)
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
This entertaining and unexpectedly moving novel about the clash of cultures in a small English village details a late-in-life romance between the title character and a Pakistani shopkeeper. Humorous and affecting, this story about the difficulties they must surmount builds to a satisfying conclusion. (Fiction)
This entertaining and unexpectedly moving novel about the clash of cultures in a small English village details a late-in-life romance between the title character and a Pakistani shopkeeper. Humorous and affecting, this story about the difficulties they must surmount builds to a satisfying conclusion. (Fiction)
How to Be Both by Ali Smith
Smith presents two intertwined narratives: one by a girl named George and the other by Italian Renaissance artists. The order in which you read these stories depends on chance. Questions of sexuality and gender arise: the artist is born as a girl but passes as a man, and the teenage girl explores her attraction to girls. (Fiction)
Smith presents two intertwined narratives: one by a girl named George and the other by Italian Renaissance artists. The order in which you read these stories depends on chance. Questions of sexuality and gender arise: the artist is born as a girl but passes as a man, and the teenage girl explores her attraction to girls. (Fiction)
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
This British author’s first novel tells the story of Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, two World War II veterans whose lives are woven together. Told from multiple perspectives, White Teeth demonstrates how race, immigration, and colonialism can tear apart communities and the humanity that unites us. (Fiction)
This British author’s first novel tells the story of Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, two World War II veterans whose lives are woven together. Told from multiple perspectives, White Teeth demonstrates how race, immigration, and colonialism can tear apart communities and the humanity that unites us. (Fiction)
The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder
One of the most influential Beat poets, Snyder was a student of ecology and environmental preservation long before the terms climate change and eco-poetics had gained currency. These essays constitute one of the essential statements on cultivated wilderness and the ethical husbandry of natural resources.(Environmental Essays)
One of the most influential Beat poets, Snyder was a student of ecology and environmental preservation long before the terms climate change and eco-poetics had gained currency. These essays constitute one of the essential statements on cultivated wilderness and the ethical husbandry of natural resources.(Environmental Essays)
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel
This true but little-known story follows a group of women employed by Harvard in the mid-nineteenth century to be “human computers,” calculating and interpreting data recorded from night-sky photographs. This thrilling history of their rich contributions to the field of astronomy is a must-read. (Science/History)
This true but little-known story follows a group of women employed by Harvard in the mid-nineteenth century to be “human computers,” calculating and interpreting data recorded from night-sky photographs. This thrilling history of their rich contributions to the field of astronomy is a must-read. (Science/History)
Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
Twenty-six graphic and thematic atlases are interspersed with essays that bring together the perspectives and insights of a wide range of experts on historical and contemporary New York City. This fascinating assemblage captures the city both up close and zoomed out. (Geography)
Twenty-six graphic and thematic atlases are interspersed with essays that bring together the perspectives and insights of a wide range of experts on historical and contemporary New York City. This fascinating assemblage captures the city both up close and zoomed out. (Geography)
Maus by Art Spiegelman
This graphic novel recounts a first-hand experience in the Holocaust. As the father retells events to his son in the 1970s, the story explores the themes of guilt, racism, and memory. Don’t let the comic form fool you: Spiegelman depicts the tragic events with care and sensitivity. (Graphic Novel)
This graphic novel recounts a first-hand experience in the Holocaust. As the father retells events to his son in the 1970s, the story explores the themes of guilt, racism, and memory. Don’t let the comic form fool you: Spiegelman depicts the tragic events with care and sensitivity. (Graphic Novel)
Why Christianity Must Change or Die by Shelby Spong
A controversial firebrand among clergy, Spong argues that the Christian church must overhaul its outdated belief system in order to reveal its essential truth. Urging modern Christians to move beyond traditional theism, this former Episcopal bishop describes new ways of imagining God.(Religious Studies)
A controversial firebrand among clergy, Spong argues that the Christian church must overhaul its outdated belief system in order to reveal its essential truth. Urging modern Christians to move beyond traditional theism, this former Episcopal bishop describes new ways of imagining God.(Religious Studies)
Golden Hill by Francis SpuffordThis first novel by a historian is crammed with telling details about life in New York in the 1740s. Just as compelling, though, is the storyline about a mysterious stranger who comes to New York from London with murky motives and a hidden agenda. An intriguing hint of potential romance is added to the mix. (Fiction)
Olives by A. E. StallingsWith remarkable clarity and gorgeous diction, Stallings addresses the joys and anxieties of marriage and motherhood. This fine collection includes work by one of our finest contemporary American poets. (Poetry)
Of Mice and Men by John SteinbeckTwo migrant laborers struggle to find work in California during the Great Depression. Small, clever George must look after the physically imposing Lennie, who is mentally challenged and prone to accidents. This poignant tale builds to a shocking climax. (Fiction)
My Life on the Road by Gloria SteinemIn this uplifting, instructive memoir, one of the great feminist activists of our time focuses on what she’s learned from a life “on the road.” She shares the wisdom picked up from strangers and friends, plus humorous, memorable anecdotes that inspire laughter and contemplation. (Memoir)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Two minor characters in Hamlet are front-and-center figures in Tom Stoppard’s witty modern drama set in the same time and place as Shakespeare’s play. We may know what is happening around them, but they haven’t a clue – and not having a clue can be a big problem if someone wants you dead. (Drama)
Two minor characters in Hamlet are front-and-center figures in Tom Stoppard’s witty modern drama set in the same time and place as Shakespeare’s play. We may know what is happening around them, but they haven’t a clue – and not having a clue can be a big problem if someone wants you dead. (Drama)
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
A mother-daughter novel, Tan’s story begins in California in the 1980s and tells the story of the mother’s past in China in the 1930s and 1940s. In learning of the painful history of her mother, the narrator comes to discover herself. In a moving, sometimes comical way, Tan questions whether the hard work of keeping secrets protects or destroys relationships. (Fiction)
A mother-daughter novel, Tan’s story begins in California in the 1980s and tells the story of the mother’s past in China in the 1930s and 1940s. In learning of the painful history of her mother, the narrator comes to discover herself. In a moving, sometimes comical way, Tan questions whether the hard work of keeping secrets protects or destroys relationships. (Fiction)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Over the course of two years, Thoreau tried to get back to nature by living simply in a small cabin he built alongside Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. By giving up luxuries, he hoped to discover his purpose in the world. Although published in 1854, this powerful account is especially relevant to our technology-saturated world. (Memoir/Essay)
Over the course of two years, Thoreau tried to get back to nature by living simply in a small cabin he built alongside Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. By giving up luxuries, he hoped to discover his purpose in the world. Although published in 1854, this powerful account is especially relevant to our technology-saturated world. (Memoir/Essay)
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
In this epic trilogy, Tolkien conjures a wholly imagined world in which a mild-mannered hobbit, Frodo Baggins, must undertake a great quest: to cast the One Ring into the volcanic fire where it was forged, thus destroying it, before the Dark Lord can use it to subjugate all free peoples in irredeemable darkness.(Fantasy)
In this epic trilogy, Tolkien conjures a wholly imagined world in which a mild-mannered hobbit, Frodo Baggins, must undertake a great quest: to cast the One Ring into the volcanic fire where it was forged, thus destroying it, before the Dark Lord can use it to subjugate all free peoples in irredeemable darkness.(Fantasy)
A Gentleman in Moscowby Amor Towles
Sentenced to house arrest in Moscow in 1922 for writing a poem thought to incite revolt, Count Alexander Rostov leads a full life. In this seemingly claustrophobic setting – virtually all of the action takes place within the confines of the hotel – this charming novel spans four decades. Just when you might begin to wonder if it’s headed anywhere in particular, you discover that it is. Well worth the trip. (Fiction)
Sentenced to house arrest in Moscow in 1922 for writing a poem thought to incite revolt, Count Alexander Rostov leads a full life. In this seemingly claustrophobic setting – virtually all of the action takes place within the confines of the hotel – this charming novel spans four decades. Just when you might begin to wonder if it’s headed anywhere in particular, you discover that it is. Well worth the trip. (Fiction)
Good and Mad : The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister
This engaging read explores the transformative power of female anger and its ability to translate into a political movement. (Non-fiction)
This engaging read explores the transformative power of female anger and its ability to translate into a political movement. (Non-fiction)
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson
Complex concepts of astrophysics are distilled and made accessible for the layperson in this witty, charming exploration. (Science)
Complex concepts of astrophysics are distilled and made accessible for the layperson in this witty, charming exploration. (Science)
Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the Sandinistas by Deb Olin Unferth
In 1987, Unferth dropped out of college to join her older boyfriend, George, on an idealistic journey through Central America. The narrator finds the world is harder to change than she imagined; personal transformation, however, may be possible after such an adventure. (Memoir)
In 1987, Unferth dropped out of college to join her older boyfriend, George, on an idealistic journey through Central America. The narrator finds the world is harder to change than she imagined; personal transformation, however, may be possible after such an adventure. (Memoir)
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida
On the day of her father’s funeral, 28-year-old Clarissa Iverton discovers that he was not her biological father. Unsettled by this revelation, Clarissa travels in search of her real father. While in northernmost Scandinavia, she makes a discovery that forces her to rethink how she will live the rest of her life. (Fiction)
On the day of her father’s funeral, 28-year-old Clarissa Iverton discovers that he was not her biological father. Unsettled by this revelation, Clarissa travels in search of her real father. While in northernmost Scandinavia, she makes a discovery that forces her to rethink how she will live the rest of her life. (Fiction)
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
This Pulitzer Prize winner tells the story of Willie Stark’s rise to political power and his governorship in the Deep South during the 1930s. Narrated by Jack Burden, a reporter who becomes Stark’s confidant and assistant, this novel is as compelling and relevant now as it was in 1947. (Fiction)
This Pulitzer Prize winner tells the story of Willie Stark’s rise to political power and his governorship in the Deep South during the 1930s. Narrated by Jack Burden, a reporter who becomes Stark’s confidant and assistant, this novel is as compelling and relevant now as it was in 1947. (Fiction)
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
A wicked sense of humor and a honed satirical style are hallmarks of Evelyn Waugh’s fiction. In this 1930 novel, Tony Last, an upper-crust Brit who has been deserted by his wife, embarks on an expedition to the Brazilian jungle. Strange occurrences ensue, including an ominous meeting with a man obsessed with Charles Dickens. (Fiction)
A wicked sense of humor and a honed satirical style are hallmarks of Evelyn Waugh’s fiction. In this 1930 novel, Tony Last, an upper-crust Brit who has been deserted by his wife, embarks on an expedition to the Brazilian jungle. Strange occurrences ensue, including an ominous meeting with a man obsessed with Charles Dickens. (Fiction)
Educated by Tara Westover
A young girl kept out of school leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. (Memoir)
A young girl kept out of school leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. (Memoir)
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
A wealthy young couple are about to marry in the 1870s, when the prospective groom finds he has fallen in love with the cousin of his wife-to-be. Should he acknowledge his real feelings, buck convention, ruin the bride’s life, and destroy his family’s happiness? Or will he do his duty and spend his life regretting an irrevocable decision? (Fiction)
A wealthy young couple are about to marry in the 1870s, when the prospective groom finds he has fallen in love with the cousin of his wife-to-be. Should he acknowledge his real feelings, buck convention, ruin the bride’s life, and destroy his family’s happiness? Or will he do his duty and spend his life regretting an irrevocable decision? (Fiction)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
At the turn of the twentieth century, a beautiful, young woman in a privileged New York City social scene brings an attractive guy into her apartment to have tea. Misunderstandings follow. If only Lily Bart could have lived in the era of #MeToo. (Fiction)
At the turn of the twentieth century, a beautiful, young woman in a privileged New York City social scene brings an attractive guy into her apartment to have tea. Misunderstandings follow. If only Lily Bart could have lived in the era of #MeToo. (Fiction)
Collected Poems, 1943-2004 by Richard Wilbur
One of the great twentieth-century American poets, Wilbur combines pitch-perfect diction, flawless technique, and gorgeous clarity. These genial poems arise from a passionate person’s impulse to praise life and the gift of living in all of its beautiful complexity. (Poetry)
One of the great twentieth-century American poets, Wilbur combines pitch-perfect diction, flawless technique, and gorgeous clarity. These genial poems arise from a passionate person’s impulse to praise life and the gift of living in all of its beautiful complexity. (Poetry)
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
When the volcano-island of Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it was completed annihilated, setting off a tsunami, killing nearly 40,000 people, and helping to trigger a wave of anti-Western militancy in Java. This deep-dive examines the geological, historical, and cultural impact of an earth-shattering event. (History/Science)
When the volcano-island of Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it was completed annihilated, setting off a tsunami, killing nearly 40,000 people, and helping to trigger a wave of anti-Western militancy in Java. This deep-dive examines the geological, historical, and cultural impact of an earth-shattering event. (History/Science)
Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
This episodic collection recounts the pratfalls of the bungling aristocrat Bertie, who is repeatedly rescued through the behind-the-scenes efforts of that discreet man servant, Jeeves – the book’s narrator. Often absurd and always delightful, Wodehouse’s dry humor and wry satire of all things British will leave you chuckling. (Fiction)
This episodic collection recounts the pratfalls of the bungling aristocrat Bertie, who is repeatedly rescued through the behind-the-scenes efforts of that discreet man servant, Jeeves – the book’s narrator. Often absurd and always delightful, Wodehouse’s dry humor and wry satire of all things British will leave you chuckling. (Fiction)
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Wolfe captures the “greed is good,” racially-polarized New York of the 1980s like no other. Plot lines and characters intersect and merge like a New York City subway map. (Fiction)
Wolfe captures the “greed is good,” racially-polarized New York of the 1980s like no other. Plot lines and characters intersect and merge like a New York City subway map. (Fiction)
Old School by Tobias Wolff
Fans of This Boy’s Life should know what became of Toby once he left Dwight and his troubled childhood behind and went East to begin a new life as a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school. Wolff’s brisk memoir suggests that our past is not so easily left behind. (Fiction)
Fans of This Boy’s Life should know what became of Toby once he left Dwight and his troubled childhood behind and went East to begin a new life as a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school. Wolff’s brisk memoir suggests that our past is not so easily left behind. (Fiction)
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Long before the terms “gender fluid” and “trans” entered our vocabulary, this British novelist was playfully imagining a situation in which gender identity might alter and time slow down. As a page at the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I grows out of his adolescent body, the female Orlando leads a very different, and much longer, life than he/she/ze had ever imagined. (Fiction)
Long before the terms “gender fluid” and “trans” entered our vocabulary, this British novelist was playfully imagining a situation in which gender identity might alter and time slow down. As a page at the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I grows out of his adolescent body, the female Orlando leads a very different, and much longer, life than he/she/ze had ever imagined. (Fiction)
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
This sophisticated essay imagines Shakespeare having a sister equal to him in talent, but not in (male) privilege and opportunity. If only she had had an income and a room of her own in which to write, she might not have died by her own hand, her genius unexpressed. This 1929 feminist classic should be required reading for all women and men. (Essay)
This sophisticated essay imagines Shakespeare having a sister equal to him in talent, but not in (male) privilege and opportunity. If only she had had an income and a room of her own in which to write, she might not have died by her own hand, her genius unexpressed. This 1929 feminist classic should be required reading for all women and men. (Essay)
A Writer’s Diary by Virginia Woolf
These selected extracts from Woolf’s diaries chart the artistic breakthroughs and setbacks as one writer struggles to craft her groundbreaking novels. Woolf considered her diaries an integral part of her creative process; reading them, we get to experience vicariously that process of artistic creation. (Diary)
These selected extracts from Woolf’s diaries chart the artistic breakthroughs and setbacks as one writer struggles to craft her groundbreaking novels. Woolf considered her diaries an integral part of her creative process; reading them, we get to experience vicariously that process of artistic creation. (Diary)
Native Son by Richard Wright
Set in Chicago in the 1930s, this gripping novel portrays Bigger Thomas, a young man grappling with the class and race limitations of his society. In this segregated world, he discovers that he is powerless to change how the world sees him. This novel is as relevant today as it was when first published in 1940. (Fiction)
Set in Chicago in the 1930s, this gripping novel portrays Bigger Thomas, a young man grappling with the class and race limitations of his society. In this segregated world, he discovers that he is powerless to change how the world sees him. This novel is as relevant today as it was when first published in 1940. (Fiction)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the life and times of Malcolm X, pick up Haley’s text. Malcolm X’s childhood experiences, his time in prison, his views on American racism, his relationship with The Nation of Islam – all of these subjects and more are covered. (Autobiography)
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the life and times of Malcolm X, pick up Haley’s text. Malcolm X’s childhood experiences, his time in prison, his views on American racism, his relationship with The Nation of Islam – all of these subjects and more are covered. (Autobiography)
Eye Level by Jenny Xie
How does travel change us? Xie's debut collection offers a sensual journey through Vietnam and elsewhere, the layers of the self peeled back on foreign soil to reveal a nourishing self-estrangement. These lyrical poems meditate on the experience of seeing and of being seen. Xie masterfully articulates the most brief, illusory aspects of perception. (Poetry)
How does travel change us? Xie's debut collection offers a sensual journey through Vietnam and elsewhere, the layers of the self peeled back on foreign soil to reveal a nourishing self-estrangement. These lyrical poems meditate on the experience of seeing and of being seen. Xie masterfully articulates the most brief, illusory aspects of perception. (Poetry)