17 Books You Really Should Have Read by Now

by Rob Hart

Funny, thrilling, poignant, and profound. Full review >

by Rachel Barenbaum

As ambitious as a Greek tragedy and just as lyrical and unflinching. Full review >

by Yoko Tawada ; translated by Margaret Mitsutani

Who decides what’s authentic? Tawada will tell you that’s in flux and always has been. Full review >

by Nina de Gramont

Devilishly clever, elegantly composed and structured—simply splendid. Full review >

by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

A remarkable story that blends urban reality and Caribbean-infused magical realism. Full review >

by Kasim Ali

An exploration of the ways that race and family ties may complicate or imperil romance even if everyone means well. Full review >

by Andrew Pettegree & Arthur der Weduwen

A lively, authoritative cultural history. Full review >

by Derecka Purnell

An informed, provocative, astute consideration of salvific alternatives to contemporary policing and imprisonment. Full review >

by Margo Rejmer ; translated by Zosia Krasodomska-Jones & Antonia Lloyd-Jones

A gripping book of starkly revealing testimony. Full review >

by Andy Robinson

An urgent eyewitness account of how culture and land are being destroyed by “a remorseless process of commodification.” Full review >

by Jeff Porter

A haunting and thought-provoking consideration of death and “how utterly it rips apart our lives.” Full review >

by Dale Maharidge

A sharp wake-up call to heed the new Depression and to recognize the humanity of those hit hardest. Full review >

by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Beautifully, achingly cathartic. Full review >

by Amy Butler Greenfield

Inspiring, informative, and entertaining. Full review >

by Francisco X. Stork

A staggering and fearless book. Full review >

by Dorit Linke ; translated by Elisabeth Lauffer

A compelling look at Germany’s recent past. Full review >

by Elisabet Velasquez

Raw, breathtaking, and brilliant. Full review >