This haunting American classic by Sylvia Plath delves into the psyche of Esther Greenwood, a brilliant, successful, and beautiful woman who slowly falls into the grip of insanity. Plath's intense and realistic writing draws the reader into Esther's breakdown, making her madness palpably real. A deep exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is a masterpiece of literature that leaves a haunting impression.

A Novel

The Bell Jar

In Ling Ma's offbeat and wryly funny novel, Severance, Candace Chen, a first-generation American and millennial drone, is navigating adulthood in a routine-driven life. However, when a plague sweeps New York, she finds herself alone and photographing the abandoned city under the pseudonym, NY Ghost. Soon, Candace joins a group of survivors led by a power-hungry IT tech and must navigate her way through a new society. This apocalyptic satire is a moving family story, a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale, and a hilarious, deadpan tribute to human connections that drive us to do more than just survive.

Severance

This poignant novel tackles issues surrounding borders and belonging. When an undocumented Chinese immigrant mother disappears, her son, Deming, is left shaken and adrift. He is eventually adopted by a white American family and renamed Daniel, but struggles to reconcile his new life with his memories of his past. The Leavers alternates between Daniel's and his mother Polly's perspectives, offering a complex and moving examination of the bonds that connect us. Lisa Ko's storytelling drives this novel that is required reading for anyone who wants a glimpse into the world of immigrants in America.

The Leavers

This satirical novel explores World War II experiences and journeys through time of a chaplain's assistant, highlighting the firebombing of Dresden in a semi-autobiographical story. It is a highly influential and popular work from the author.

A Novel (Modern Library 100 Best Novels)

Slaughterhouse-Five

This book offers a devastating firsthand account of war, told through the eyes of a child soldier. The author shares his experience of fleeing attacking rebels at the age of twelve and later being picked up by the government army, where he was forced to become a killer. In a world where there are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers, this book provides a rare glimpse into the horrors they face. Be prepared to be moved by its heartbreaking honesty and literary force.

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A Long Way Gone

Set against London's diverse racial and cultural backdrop, this invigorating novel follows two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, and their families as they become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. With wit and humor, the story explores the intricacies of second marriages, late-in-life arranged marriages, and the challenges faced by their children as they navigate their identities in a multicultural world. Embark on a journey that barrels toward the future while delving into the past as it revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life.

White Teeth

A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer, follows the story of a communist sleeper agent, caught between loyalty to his country and his romantic ties, residing in America after the Vietnam War. As the agent infiltrates a group of South Vietnamese refugees settling in Los Angeles, he finds his ideals clash violently with his allegiance to those around him. This compelling spy novel tackles themes of love, friendship, and the impact of war on society.

A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)

The Sympathizer

Discover the story of human history, from the first humans to walk the earth to today's modern society. Explore how we came to believe in gods, nations, and human rights, and how our societies were shaped by the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions. Sapiens covers it all, using insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics to challenge our beliefs about what it means to be human. Are we happier now than we were before? Can we change our behavior and influence the future? Dr. Yuval Noah Harari's provocative and wide-ranging book will challenge the way you think about our species and our place in the world.

A Brief History of Humankind

Sapiens

Travel through time and experience the heartbreaking journey of Dana, a black woman who finds herself transported from 1976 to 1815 and assumed to be a slave. When Dana saves the life of plantation owner Rufus, she is inexplicably drawn to him and forced to keep saving him as their bond grows stronger with each time travel. This ground-breaking exploration of power and responsibility by Octavia E. Butler is a must-read for fans of The Handmaid's Tale, The Power and Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing.

Kindred

Experience the poignant and captivating stories of immigrants in "The Refugees." Follow the lives of characters who suffer culture shock, face dementia, and struggle with unfulfilled dreams. This book is a testament to the hardships and aspirations of those who have immigrated, and is sure to leave a lasting impression.

The Refugees

This captivating book explores the story of Samuel Andresen-Anderson whose mother abandoned him as a child. Years later, she reappears in the news for committing a bizarre crime that divides the country. Samuel is torn between the image that the media portrays of his mother and the woman he remembers. To save her from serious charges, Samuel embarks on a journey to uncover secrets that stretch back to Norway and the mysterious Nix. Along the way, he discovers truths about his lost love and relearns everything he thought he knew about his mother and himself.

The Nix

Experience the exhilarating new novel from a bestselling author that explores themes of ambition, idealism, and the limits of human knowledge. When Mae Holland joins the world's most powerful internet company, she feels like she's hit the jackpot. The Circle links every aspect of users' lives into one online identity, creating a new age of civility and transparency. Mae is thrilled with the company's modernity and can't believe her luck to work for the most influential company in the world. But as she becomes increasingly public in her role, her life beyond the campus grows distant, and a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken. This heart-racing novel raises questions about memory, privacy, democracy, and the history of our personal lives.

The Circle

An entrancing story of a day in two lives united by circumstance. Clarissa Dalloway prepares for a party, while Septimus Warren Smith suffers from shell-shock and is on the brink of madness. Virginia Woolf's masterful novel employs interior monologue to perfect a convergence of past, present, and future in one momentous day in June 1923. A must-read literary classic.

Mrs. Dalloway

This powerful memoir by an indie rockstar delves into Michelle Zauner's experience growing up as a Korean American, struggling to meet her mother's high expectations, and finding her own identity in the face of grief and loss. With anecdotes of family, food, and endurance, Zauner's plainspoken yet lyrical voice inspires in its honesty. Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish and share.

A Memoir

Crying in H Mart

Experience the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation in this poignant novel. Follow the unforgettable characters Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley as they journey from the wild nightlife of Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. A classic example of Hemingway's spare but powerful writing style, The Sun Also Rises introduced themes of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. It's no wonder this novel helped establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

The Hemingway Library Edition

The Sun Also Rises

Through the lens of her Korean-American experience, award-winning poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong delves into the complex realities of Asian American identity in America. She courageously confronts the concept of "minor feelings," where American optimism clashes with the truth of one's racial identity. With thought-provoking cultural criticism and memoir-esque prose, this intimate and honest work of art exposes the psychological condition of being Asian American today.

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