5-star reads across genres that have stuck with me. Some recent reads and some lifelong favorites.
Amazing multi generational saga
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Paperback
2
Fast-paced novella with gripping prose about a mother leaving her child and finding her own way. I finished it in one sitting.
The White Hot: A Novel Book By Quiara Alegria Hudes
Li went through one of the worst possible experiences imaginable: she lost both of her teenage sons to suicide. She has written such clear-eyed yet devastating reflections on this - made me cry a few times and will stay with me for a long time.
Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
Inter-generational trauma is perhaps an overused term but I've never read anything that illuminates that experience quite like Beloved. Morrison's storytelling and writing is stunning; I think about this book constantly.
Beloved - Toni Morrison
A harrowing read but so important. The book follows two families in a near-future Kolkata experiencing extreme heat and food shortages, and how being in a time of crisis can expose new sides to your moral character. Made me think about climate change...
A Guardian and a Thief - Megha Majumdar
Part memoir, part meditation on flat pieces of land. Beautiful prose, so underrated.
A Flat Place: Moving Through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma
Worth the hype
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Interconnected short stories - a wild ride at times but so intelligent.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
I will read anything Noor Naga writes
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga
Would especially recommend for people who moved around a lot growing up
Aftershocks: A Memoir - Nadia Owusu
More vibes than plot - I loved it
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
Love a memoir that explores a mother-child relationship! But it does so much more - deeply moving.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
Poetic, meditative and slightly stream-of-consciousness style memoir
Unearthing by Kyo Maclear
Amazing book set during the Sri Lankan civil war - learned a lot, felt a lot.
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
Beautifully written memoir that explores Roy's tumultuous relationship with her mother, but also her life beyond that. If you're a fan of either of her novels this adds great context.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Important reading for everyone (and especially if you're buying a new phone every year)
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
Masterfully done interconnected stories
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Short stories exploring the Haitian diaspora experience
Ayiti by Roxane Gay
Follows four main characters and their navigation of friendship, love, identity, grief
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The book that made me fall in love with short story collections
