100 Best Black and White Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

Robin J. DiAngelo

5.0

The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.

Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation and

Recommended by Elizabeth C. Mclaughlin, Marshall Kirkpatrick, and Todd Nesloney.

Elizabeth C. Mclaughlin

I've recommended the book White Fragility on here many times, and this interview is a great place to start. If you're a white person who believes you're not racist, please read this article. And then go read the book. https://t.co/S5plH3wS5m [source]

Marshall Kirkpatrick

@jhagel This is a great book btw! [source]

Todd Nesloney

@SarahSuggs13 I love that book, have spoken with the author, and did an entire staff book study. Again, had you even tried to see my work that I do, you'd have learned that. You seek to divide and that is it. Great lesson for our students. [source]

2

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

5.0

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER [[ LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD [[ Hailed by Toni Morrison as "required reading," a bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by "the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States" (The New York Observer)

"This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of

Recommended by Barack Obama, Jack Dorsey, Doug McMillon, and 5 others.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

The president also released a list of his summer favorites back in 2015: All That Is, James Salter The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates Washington: A Life, Ron Chernow All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr [source]

Jack Dorsey

Co-Founder/Twitter

Q: What are the books that had a major influence on you? Or simply the ones you like the most. : Tao te Ching, score takes care of itself, between the world and me, the four agreements, the old man and the sea...I love reading! [source]

Doug McMillon

CEO/Walmart

Here are some of my favorite reads from 2017. Lots of friends and colleagues send me book suggestions and it's impossible to squeeze them all in. I continue to be super curious about how digital and tech are enabling people to transform our lives but I try to read a good mix of books that apply to a variety of areas and stretch my thinking more broadly. [source]

3

So You Want to Talk About Race

Ijeoma Oluo

4.9

Preview Summary

In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America
Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy--from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans--has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did you

Recommended by Imani Gandy Corn, Mike Monteiro, and Sarah Parcak.

Imani Gandy Corn

I’m not really kidding. Ijeoma’s book is great for white people—because seriously, get a clue—but it’s also great for Black people who are sick and tired of trying to talk about race with clueless white people and end up frustrated and wanting to stab everything in sight. [source]

Mike Monteiro

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! https://t.co/x3jxCD3q7g [source]

Sarah Parcak

@PJR23 @IjeomaOluo Amazing book! [source]

4

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Austin Kleon

4.9

Preview Summary

You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age, Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.

Recommended by Ryan Holiday, Seth Godin, Andra Zaharia, and 8 others.

Ryan Holiday

Author

Part of ambition is modeling yourself after those you’d like to be like. Austin’s philosophy of ruthlessly stealing and remixing the greats might sound appalling at first but it is actually the essence of art. You learn by stealing, you become creative by stealing, you push yourself to be better by working with these materials. Austin is a fantastic artist, but most importantly he communicates the essence of writing and creating art better than anyone else I can think of. It is a manifesto for any young, creative person looking to make his mark. Pair up with Show Your Work which is also excellent. [source]

Seth Godin

Author, Marketer, Entrepreneur

Breezy and fun and yes, scary. Scary because it calls your bluff. [source]

Andra Zaharia

While I was thinking of the best books to add to this short list, I realized that not even half of them are directly related to digital marketing. This is because I believe that the best marketers are people who understand human nature deeply and aim to bring out the best in it. Call me naive, but that’s how I see it. If I were to want to pursue a career in marketing, I’d read … Steal Like An Artist. [source]

5

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee, Sissy Spacek, et al

4.9

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mocki

Recommended by Adam Lawrence, Antonio Villaraigosa, Clive Stafford Smith, and 6 others.

Adam Lawrence

It's just the best. [source]

Antonio Villaraigosa

Even though I know we’ve made great strides in America, and have come from the reality of Maycomb, we still suffer today from the lingering effects of the bigotry of that era. At the same time, it’s a lesson in standing tall in the face of tremendously hostile circumstances. [source]

Clive Stafford Smith

The book touches on so many issues and deals with so many prejudices – prejudices towards the mentally ill, racial stuff. It’s a book that was way ahead of its time in many ways. It’s also a wonderfully written book – a joy to read. [source]

6

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Richard Rothstein

4.7

Preview Summary

Widely heralded as a “masterful” (Washington Post) and “essential” (Slate) history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law offers “the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation” (William Julius Wilson).

Exploding the myth of de facto segregation arising from private prejudi

7

The Help

Kathryn Stockett

4.7

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and

Recommended by Twin Mummy And Daddy.

Twin Mummy And Daddy

I love a good book and The Help is exactly that! In fact it’s an amazing book! Read my review over on the blog today! https://t.co/efaf9aRGOK #TheHelp #KathrynStockett #bookreview #bookblogger #mummybloggers #daddybloggers #pbloggers #mbloggers @UKpbloggers @UKBloggers1 #books [source]

Cover unavailable

8

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Lewis Carroll

4.6

In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps the most popular heroine in English literature.

Countless scholars have tried to define the charm of the Alice books--with those wonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedle

Recommended by Eric Weinstein, Jean Webb, Larry Doyle, and 1 others.

Eric Weinstein

Managing Director/Thiel Capital

Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter. [source]

Jean Webb

An imaginative, clever and fun fantasy story that satirises nineteenth century England at the same time as celebrating academic thinking. [source]

Larry Doyle

You’d have to be a zombie to miss the humour in it – it’s hilarious. Although the book is ancient, the humour feels modern [source]

9

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

4.6

‘Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don’t let you go around again until you get it right.’

People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?

You could spend t

Recommended by Jazz Shaw, Jim Lee, The CEO Library Community (through anonymous form), and 3 others.

Jazz Shaw

We're watching Good Omens. It was a great book, but the TV series may actually be better. [source]

Jim Lee

@thecameroncuffe @skydart Lovely pic! And a great show! (And book 👍🏼) [source]

The CEO Library Community (through anonymous form)

One of the best 3 books I've read in 2019 [source]

10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)

J. K. Rowling

4.5

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione

Recommended by Shami Chakrabarti.

Shami Chakrabarti

It’s all about the War on Terror as far as I’m concerned. [source]

11

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

Sebastian Junger

4.5

Sebastian Junger, the bestselling author of War and The Perfect Storm, takes a critical look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the many challenges today’s returning veterans face in modern society.

There are ancient tribal human behaviors-loyalty, inter-reliance, cooperation-that flare up in communities during times of turmoil and suffering. These are the very same behaviors that typify good so

Recommended by Emma Watson, Ryan Holiday, Andrew Youderian, and 2 others.

Ryan Holiday

Author

To balance out that depressing book, I highly recommend David Brooks’ The Road To Character, Sebastian Junger’s Tribe and Chuck Klosterman’s What If We’re Wrong. [source]

Andrew Youderian

And finally, the book "Tribe" by Sebastian Junger reinforced in my the importance of relationships and in-person community, and made it something I'm trying to prioritize more in my life. [source]

Jason Kander

After years of people recommending it, I finally picked up Tribe by @SebastianJunger. I’m halfway done and it’s already the best non-fiction book I’ve read in years. [source]

12

Black Skin, White Masks

Frantz Fanon

4.4

Few modern voices have had as profound an impact on the black identity and critical race theory as Frantz Fanon, and Black Skin, White Masks represents some of his most important work. Fanon’s masterwork is now available in a new translation that updates its language for a new generation of readers.

A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the worl

Recommended by Jonathan Webber and Kurt Barling.

Jonathan Webber

Fanon was particularly interested in the psychiatric problems you could face if you were a victim of racism, particularly of anti-black racism in France. [source]

Kurt Barling

Fanon was saying that black people are re-burdened by skin colour in a white-dominated society. [source]

13

The plague

Albert Camus, Stuart Gilbert

4.4

A gripping tale of human unrelieved horror, of survival and resilience, and of the ways in which humankind confronts death, The Plague is at once a masterfully crafted novel, eloquently understated and epic in scope, and a parable of ageless moral resonance, profoundly relevant to our times. In Oran, a coastal town in North Africa, the plague begins as a series of portents, unheeded by the people.

Recommended by Jim Collins, Arthur Ammann, Jenny Davidson, and 1 others.

Arthur Ammann

It’s an amazing book, considering Camus probably never personally experienced a plague. In his novel, Camus captured everything that we were dealing with in the Aids epidemic without Aids existing at that time. Without his knowing what the consequences of the HIV plague were going to be, he seems to have gotten all the actors in there and the myriad of things that you wrestle with. [source]

Jenny Davidson

Albert Camus’s The Plague probably remains the best-known novel on the topic of epidemic disease. It tells the story of those involved in an epidemic in a North African setting. It is very interested in the details about how quarantines are enforced and the role not just of the government, but of individuals who band together into groups to manage the epidemic. [source]

Stephen Breyer

He talks about the plague. Well, the plague is that part of a human being which can be very evil. That germ, he says at the end, never dies, it simply goes into remission. It lurks. It lurks in the cupboards, it lurks in the hallways, it lurks in the filing cabinets. [source]

14

The Color Purple

Alice Walker

4.4

The Color Purple is a classic. With over a million copies sold in the UK alone, it is hailed as one of the all-time 'greats' of literature, inspiring generations of readers.

Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separa

Recommended by Emma Watson.

15

A Light in the Attic

Shel Silverstein

4.4

Last night while I lay thinking here
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:

Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?...

This 20th anniversary of Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic includes a CD of highlights from his Grammy Award-winning albu

16

The Complete Persepolis (Persepolis, #1-4)

Marjane Satrapi

4.4

Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir.

Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the tria

Recommended by Emma Watson.

17

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race

Beverly Daniel Tatum

4.4

The classic, bestselling book on the psychology of racism-now fully revised and updated

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identiti

Recommended by Denise Morris Kipnis.

Denise Morris Kipnis

I was serving on the board of a prestigious and exclusive school when I first read this. As part of the school’s commitment to inclusion, every group, including the board, went through diversity training. Our consultant, Glenn Singleton of Pacific Education Group, never let us forget why we were there: that improving outcomes for all our students was a business imperative. As a result of this experience, I blended organizational development and diversity and inclusion for my graduate thesis, and this is still the bedrock of my consulting practice. [source]

Cover unavailable

18

Black and White

Paul Volponi

4.4

Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other's backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night—and one wrong decision—will change their lives forever. Wi

Cover unavailable

19

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

4.4

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thu

Recommended by Bianca Belair.

Bianca Belair

For #BlackHistoryMonth I will be sharing some of my favorite books by Black Authors 7th Book: The Hate U Give By: Angie Thomas @angiecthomas The movie was really great, but it just hits different when you read the book! https://t.co/rxMH5Uu6JN [source]

20

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle

4.4

THE all-time classic story, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life?

One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. On Monday, he ate through one apple; on Tuesday, he ate through three plums--and still he was hungry. When full at last, he made a cocoon around himsel

21

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus, #1)

Art Spiegelman

4.4

A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.

Recommended by James Altucher.

22

Kindred

Octavia E. Butler

4.3

The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After sa

Recommended by Alison Alvarez, Denise Morris Kipnis, and Nate Bowling (Is Thankful For A/c).

Alison Alvarez

I have one friend who unfailingly recommends books that I love. She is a high school English teacher. She recommended Kindred by Octavia Butler, which is just an amazing work of science fiction. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, but just trust me that it’s a good read. [source]

Denise Morris Kipnis

This was a tough book for me, brought me to tears. Imagine having to save your slave master, because he’s your ancestor? A wonderful study in empathy, the nature of humanity, and how we’re all intertwined. After reading this book I refocused my practice from diversity to inclusion. [source]

Nate Bowling (Is Thankful For A/c)

I'm reading "Kindred" by Octavia Butler. I can't do it justice on this silly platform. The book is grim in its depiction of slavery, insightful about modern racial dynamics, and contains the best execution of time travel, as a plot device, you'll ever read. https://t.co/Z4J4jlQbwG [source]

Cover unavailable

23

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kevin Henkes

4.3

The nationally bestselling picture book about a kitten, the moon, and a bowl of milk, written by the celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, was awarded a Caldecott Medal.

From one of the most celebrated and beloved picture book creators working in the field today comes a memorable new character and a suspenseful adventure just right for reading and sharing at home and in the classroom. It

Cover unavailable

24

The Arrival

Shaun Tan

4.3

In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life- he's leaving home to build a better future for his family.

Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmeriz

Recommended by Gill Lewis.

Gill Lewis

It is one of those books that grows and grows in your mind. It stays with you long after you’ve read the last page. [source]

25

The Secret Life of Bees

Sue Monk Kidd

4.3

Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to he

26

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1)

Marjane Satrapi

4.3

A New York Times Notable Book
A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”
A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthro

Recommended by Pooneh Ghoddoosi.

Pooneh Ghoddoosi

I read the book and it was great, but more people saw the film because it was nominated for an Academy Award. And after seeing the movie, so many people I knew came up to me and told me that they thought it was exactly the story of my life. And not just me, but most of my Iranian friends had the same feeling of “Oh God, that could have been me, I could have written that book – it could have been the story of my life and my family, and that’s exactly how I felt in high school.” [source]

Cover unavailable

27

Look, Look!

Peter Linenthal

4.3

Look, look! Children run, fish swim, stars shine . . . all for baby's eyes to see. This sturdy board book, full of high-contrast black-and-white cut-paper art perfect for staring at, is just the thing for the eyes of the youngest babies. A few words in curving red type on each spread describe the scenes -- a car races, a cat stretches, flowers bloom-- and extend the book's age appeal so that it wi

28

Stories of Your Life and Others

Ted Chiang

4.3

Ted Chiang's first published story, "Tower of Babylon," won the Nebula Award in 1990. Subsequent stories have won the Asimov's SF Magazine reader poll, a second Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. He won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1992. Story for story, he is the most honored young writer in modern SF.

Now, collect

Recommended by Naval Ravikant, Meltem Demirors, and Ryan Len.

Naval Ravikant

CEO & Co-Founder/AngelList

I’m rereading Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. It’s one of my favorite sci-fi novels. [source]

Meltem Demirors

finally reading Ted Chiang’s Stories of Your Life and i have basically been crying since i opened my kindle such a beautiful writer and such profound topics. division by zero was my favorite of the collection, but the story the book is titled after is stunning 😍 https://t.co/2c5SuDEfkh [source]

Ryan Len

One of the best sci-fi books I’ve read in my life! [source]

29

The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka

4.3

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 0553213695 / 9780553213690

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in positi

Recommended by David Lynch and David Lynch.

David Lynch

David Lynch said this is one of his most-recommended books. [source]

David Lynch

David Lynch said this is one of his most-recommended books. [source]

30

The Book with No Pictures

B. J. Novak

4.3

A book with no pictures?

What could be fun about that?

After all, if a book has no pictures, there's nothing to look at but the words on the page.

Words that might make you say silly sounds... In ridiculous voices...

Hey, what kind of book is this, anyway?

At once disarmingly simple and ingeniously imaginative, The Book With No Pictures inspires laughter every time it is opened, creating a warm and j

31

Notes From The Underground

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, Richard Pevear, David Magarshack

4.3

Notes from Underground (Russian ??????? ?? ????????, Zapíski iz podpól'ja, also translated in English as Notes from the Underground or Letters from the Underworld while Notes from Underground is the most literal translation) (1864) is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is considered by many to be the world's first existentialist novel. It presents itself as an excerpt from the rambling memoirs

Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jordan B Peterson.

David Heinemeier Hansson

It’s such a lovely weird book. Partly, it’s Dostoyevsky giving us an account, through the fictional narrator, of his view on the human condition. Just one quote: “But man has such a predilection for systems and abstract deductions that he is ready to distort the truth intentionally, he is ready to deny the evidence of his senses only to justify his logic”. The idea of humans being suckered into living only according to “logic”, and not only the vanity of such a pursuit, but the impossibility of it, is a wonderful antidote to much of contemporary morality and wonkness. In the same vein, I found the attack on the core underpinning concept of much of 20th century economics, that people are rational beings making rational choices to optimize their own advantage, so forward for its time. Notes from Underground is from 1864, yet manages to expertly debunk that narrow view. Freedom, not material advantage, is the “most advantageous advantage”, even when that’s the freedom to do yourself harm. (Any analysis of Brexit and Trump would do well to consult with Dostoyevsky). Also, major bonus points for being a short book, yet packing so much punch. [source]

Jordan B Peterson

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky https://t.co/WuSwComIfi, a book from my great books list https://t.co/AxBNX3QpMb [source]

32

Chronicles: Volume One

Bob Dylan

4.3

"I'd come from a long ways off and had started a long ways down. But now destiny was about to manifest itself. I felt like it was looking right at me and nobody else." So writes Bob Dylan in Chronicles: Volume One, his remarkable book exploring critical junctures in his life and career.

Through Dylan's eyes and open mind, we see Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he first arrives in Manhattan. Dy

Recommended by Bill Gurley and Greil Marcus.

Greil Marcus

Dylan has had a career of extraordinary richness and variety. Yet here he is writing a memoir that completely ignores everything which made him a world figure. It ignores all of his most famous songs, it ignores all the periods in which he was a great star. It’s all about times when he was trying to learn, when he was confused and lost but absolutely alive with the thrill of discovering new ideas, new singers, new information. [source]

Cover unavailable

33

Small Great Things

Jodi Picoult

4.3

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request

Cover unavailable

34

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Chris Van Allsburg

4.3

Fourteen black-and-white drawings, each accompanied by a title and a caption, entice readers to make up his or her own story. A fictional editor's note tells of an encounter with an author and illustrator named Harris Burdick, who provided the images and captions as samples, each from a different picture book he had written. He left with a promise to deliver the complete manuscripts if the editor

Cover unavailable

35

Howl and Other Poems

Allen Ginsberg

4.2

Recommended by Darren Aronofsky.

Darren Aronofsky

A cry from the ‘60s for his generation. At least that’s the way I took it. [source]

36

A Monster Calls

Patrick Ness, Jim Kay

4.2

An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started

37

Ariel

Sylvia Plath

4.2

Sylvia Plath's celebrated collection.

When Sylvia Plath died, she not only left behind a prolific life but also her unpublished literary masterpiece, Ariel. Her husband, Ted Hughes, brought the collection to life in 1966, and its publication garnered worldwide acclaim. This collection showcases the beloved poet’s brilliant, provoking, and always moving poems, including "Ariel" and once again shows

Recommended by Tim Kendall.

Tim Kendall

The restored Ariel is a volume of rebirth and hope: it begins with the word love and ends with spring. We sometimes caricature Plath as some kind of doom-laden depressive. That’s absolutely not what the trajectory of Ariel conveys. [source]

38

They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America

Ivan Van Sertima

4.2

They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation and shipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans and Africans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textiles between the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oral accounts of the explorers themselves,

Black Like Me

John Howard Griffin

4.2

The author tells of this experiences after he darkened his skin and traveled through the South in order to find out how it feels to be black.

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touchi

Recommended by Barack Obama.

Stephen King, Michael C. Hall, et al

4.1

'This is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00K3NEE56. When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son-and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly car. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than dea

60

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson, Thomas Ott, Jonathan Lethem

4.1

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise, I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and

Recommended by Lucy Atkins and Sarah Perry.

Lucy Atkins

It has a barely contained, unhinged feel to it that I find completely gripping. [source]

Sarah Perry

This is a masterpiece in atmosphere and Gothic empathy. It challenges your idea about what wickedness is. [source]

61

The Elite (The Selection, #2)

Kiera Cass

4.1

The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they

Cover unavailable

62

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn

4.1

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. As the police begin to investigate, the town golden boy parades a series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter - but is he re

Recommended by Kelly Vaughn.

Kelly Vaughn

@ceeoreo_ Great book! [source]

Cover unavailable

63

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)

Jeff Kinney

4.1

Boys don’t keep diaries—or do they?

The launch of an exciting and innovatively illustrated new series narrated by an unforgettable kid every family can relate to

It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquel

64

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick

4.1

It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill.
Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there, lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment--find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found!

Cover unavailable

65

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #2)

Ransom Riggs

4.1

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerising

Cover unavailable

66

Dirty Little Secrets About Black History: Its Heroes & Other Troublemakers

Claud Anderson, Joann Anderson, Florence Jekins, Robert Coleman

4.1

Cover unavailable

67

Hello, Animals!

Smriti Prasadam, Emily Bolam

4.1

A charming introduction to 10 of baby's best-loved animals, featuring high contrast black-and-white patterns and a glittering burst of colored foil. With first words to join in with, this stunning book will captivate sparkly little babies everywhere.

Cover unavailable

68

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

4.1

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a youn

Recommended by Barack Obama, Bogdana Butnar, and Joshua M. Brown.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

Just like us, the president enjoys a good beach read while relaxing in the sun. In 2016, he released his list of summer vacation books: Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, William Finnegan H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins Seveneves, Neal Stephenson The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead [source]

Bogdana Butnar

Currently reading two things: one is The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead, which is a Man Booker nominee, and to be very honest, I'm just reading this because it's really good so my expectation is to just get the sheer satisfaction of a good piece of fiction. [source]

Joshua M. Brown

Chicago Tribune called @colsonwhitehead “the best living American novelist.” Really blown away by the writing in this, first book of his I’ve read. https://t.co/ePhD64ZPR5 [source]

Cover unavailable

69

Round Trip

Ann Jonas

4.1

Black and white illustrations and text record the sights on a day trip to the city and back home again to the country. The trip to the city is read from front to back and the return trip from back to front, upside down.

Cover unavailable

70

Soul Eater, Vol. 03 (Soul Eater, #3)

Atsushi Ohkubo

4.1

Tsubaki and Black*Star set off on their most difficult mission yet: a battle with the Uncanny Sword Masamune, a soul on the brink of becoming a Kishin. But this fight holds personal significance for Tsubaki - their target is her older brother. Jealous of her inherited talents, Masamune is holding nothing back. Usually docile and complacent, Tsubaki must find the strength to overtake the Uncanny Sw

71

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"

Zora Neale Hurston

4.1

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo's firsthand account of the raid that led to his captu

72

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color

Ruby Hamad

4.1

Cover unavailable

73

A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett, U. C. Knoepflmacher

4.1

Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant. How this resourceful girl's fortunes change again is at the center of A Little Princess, one of the best-loved stories

Cover unavailable

74

Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine

Damon Tweedy

4.1

One doctor's passionate and profound memoir of his experience grappling with race, bias, and the unique health problems of black Americans

When Damon Tweedy begins medical school,he envisions a bright future where his segregated, working-class background will become largely irrelevant. Instead, he finds that he has joined a new world where race is front and center. The recipient of a scholarship de

75

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Susanna Clarke

4.1

Librarian note: Alternate cover edition of 9780765356154.

Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke's magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that eight hundred pages leave readers longing for more.

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at t

Recommended by Lev Grossman and Tendai Huchu.

Lev Grossman

Dr. Claud Anderson and Brant Anderson

4.0

Cover unavailable

87

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher

4.0

You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reason

Cover unavailable

88

One Piece, Volume 2: Buggy the Clown

Eiichiro Oda

4.0

As a kid, Monkey D. Luffy vowed to become King of the Pirates and find the legendary treasure called the "One Piece." The enchanted Gum-Gum Fruit has given Luffy the power to stretch like rubber--and his new crewmate, the infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zolo, strikes fear into the hearts of other buccaneers! But what chance does one rubber guy stand against Nami, a thief so tough she specializes in

Cover unavailable

89

Little One

Jo Weaver

4.0

Spring is here and new life is stirring. There is so much for Big Bear to teach her new cub as they step out into the forest. Together they eat, swim, fish, and play as one season becomes the next. With Big Bears help, Little One grows more and more confident, until winter comes once more and it's time to head home. With gentle text and stunning black and white illustrations, Jo Weaver reveals the

Cover unavailable

90

Vampires: A Grayscale Coloring Book with Mythical Fantasy Women, Sexy Gothic Fashion, and Victorian Romance Scenes (Grayscale Coloring Books for Adults)

Jade Summer

4.0

Cover unavailable

91

Evolution of Loving

Carl Studna, Cynthia James

4.0

We live in a culture where romantic illusions about love abound. From movies and ballads and fairy tales, we learn the idea that somewhere out there exists that one special person who will fulfill all of our desires and make our hearts – and our lives – complete. And we’re taught that once we find the “right” person, we will simply live Happily Ever After without any conscious effort on our part. provides an intimate glimpse into eight remarkable partnerships that have been consciously built – and in many cases, rebuilt – on a foundation of authenticity, personal responsibility, and trust. As a photography book and a written essay, It is both a beautiful celebration of, and a concise synthesis of, the principles and practices – including meditations, communication exercises, daily and monthly rituals, and more – that have helped each couple fulfill the highest promise of partnership. The experiences conveyed in both words and images inspire us as to what becomes possible when we have the courage to fully open up to and grow in partnership alongside another human being. The book has a very warm and inviting layout and design, like that of one’s personal diary that invites you to snuggle up next to a loved one or a fire and travel deep into the devotional love shared by each couple. On it pages, you will discover the inspiring real-life stories of sixteen men and women who have learned to listen generously, to communicate authentically, and to take complete responsibility for our own happiness – and whose relationships reflect the depth of this commitment. And while these couples all display an exceptional degree of devotion, it’s vital to understand that this did not happen by chance. The level of intimacy between them was created in direct proportion to how much each was willing to give of themselves for the sake of their relationship – not only in happy times when giving comes easy, but at times when old wounds are triggered and our every survival instinct is screaming for us to build defensive walls and guard our hearts. The commitment to return to the practices that foster, maintain and restore connection, even in the midst of heartbreak, disillusionment or uncertainty, is what ultimately guided each couple to the other side. In this book, you will learn the fundamental principles for deepening physical and emotional intimacy over time, and for allowing your partnership to foster both your individual and collective evolution. You will learn how to intentionally view your partner – flaws and all – from the broadest and most empowered perspective. You’ll learn how to balance togetherness with autonomy, and to appreciate the ways your individual differences can contribute to the expansion of your partnership. Finally, the book closes with a comprehensive array of rituals and practices that will support you in strengthening the foundation of shared values between you and your partner, even when times are tough or communication has broken down. The promise of evolving love is to use whatever comes up as an opportunity to heal past wounds, to understand our partners more intimately, and to remove any obstacles within ourselves to experiencing love’s full depth. Each couple featured throughout this book has provided a piece of what is now a precise roadmap for nurturing the ongoing evolution of loving. The insights, tools, practices and examples offered here will light the way to an experience of love that grows ever deeper, transparent, and trusting over time.

Recommended by Jack Canfield.

Jack Canfield

Co-author/The Success Principles

Congrats to @CarlStudna with the launch of his new book, #EvolutionofLoving. It is truly a must-read on the journey of #intimacy. Get your copy here: https://t.co/FIaLUh58oi https://t.co/k1X6S0Hwwm [source]

Cover unavailable

92

Audrey Hepburn

Bob Willoughby

Josh Malerman

4.0

Something is out there...

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, th

99

The Princess Saves Herself in this One (Women are Some Kind of Magic, #1)

Amanda Lovelace and ladybookmad

4.0

"Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we're off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales."

A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of h

100

Fall

Albert Camus, Justin O'Brien

4.0

Jean-Baptiste Clamence, a successful Parisian barrister, has come to recognize the deep-seated hypocrisy of his existence. His epigrammatic and, above all, discomforting monologue gradually saps, then undermines, the reader's own complacency.