Searching for study guides on books selected by some of the nation's top book clubs, curated by Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, the PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and the American Library Association? Look no further. This collection covers critically-acclaimed classics like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez to contemporary, buzzworthy novels like Girl, Woman, Other. We hope this compilation of study guides provides your own book club with lively discussion topics and keen insights.
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Relationships
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2009
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment
Tags Food, Philosophy, Animals, Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Philosophy
Eating Animals is a nonfiction book written by Jonathan Safran Foer and published originally in 2009. Foer is an accomplished novelist, and Eating Animals is his first foray into long-form nonfiction writing. The book fits into a genre of criticism of the food industry, specifically factory farming and animal welfare. Eating Animals is a New York Times bestseller, though it met with mixed reviews regarding both the content and style of Foer’s writing. In 2018... Read Eating Animals Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family
Tags Education, Poverty, Biography, Religion / Spirituality
Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir, Educated, tells the story of her journey to obtain an education. Westover is the youngest of seven children who grew up in the mountains of southwest Idaho in a radical Mormon family in the late 1980s and 1990s. From an early age, Westover knew that her family was not like other families because hers did not send the children to school, did not visit doctors’ offices or hospitals, and was not... Read Educated Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Self Help, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Language, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Indigenous, Relationships: Family
Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Action / Adventure, Grief / Death, Race / Racism, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a 2017 comic novel about human connection. The title character, Eleanor Oliphant, narrates the story, introducing herself as an office worker with a solitary life in present-day Glasgow, Scotland. Eleanor spends her free time doing crosswords, listening to the radio, drinking vodka, and reading classic literature. She does not socialize with anyone, and her only family is a spiteful mother who calls from prison once a week. One night... Read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Nation, Identity: Language
Tags Humor, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy
The entire story unravels on the island of Nollop, off the coast of North Carolina. Nollop is named after Nevin Nollop, a man who wrote a sentence containing all 26 letters of the alphabet: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Because of his feat, Nollop’s statue is erected in town as a monument to the island’s namesake. Ella Minnow Pea, the main character, writes to her cousin, Tassie, announcing the first of... Read Ella Minnow Pea Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class
Tags American Literature, Humor, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction
In Empire Falls, published in 2001, award-winning author Richard Russo focuses his sharp observations on family, faith, and hope for the future in small-town America, where the factories have left, the populations are dwindling, and the prospects are shrinking. Miles Roby almost got out of Empire Falls, but his mother’s illness brought him back a semester shy of graduating college. Now he runs the Empire Grill, a landmark that still anchors the dying town, and... Read Empire Falls Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Immigration
Tags Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Education, Education, History: World, Biography
Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother is a best-selling nonfiction book by Sonia Nazario, an American journalist best known for her work on social justice. Originally published in 2006, the book is based on Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Enrique’s Journey” series, which was written in six parts and published in The Los Angeles Times.The book, which has been published in eight languages and adapted for young adults in... Read Enrique's Journey Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Climate, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature, Creative Nonfiction, Climate Change, Agriculture, History: World
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Asian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Indian Literature
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Romance
A New York Times Best Seller and winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize for fiction, Lily King’s novel Euphoria is inspired by the life and fieldwork of eminent American anthropologist Margaret Mead. Specifically, King looked at the time in 1933 when Mead, the woman whom protagonist Nell Stone is based on, went to what was then known as the Territory of New Guinea with anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Reo Fortune. In the Acknowledgements at the... Read Euphoria Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Love / Sexuality, Religion / Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity
Tags Humor, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Self Help, Biography
Publication year 2021
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Identity: Language, Society: Community
Tags Immigration / Refugee, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction
Everything Inside (2019) is a short story collection by Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat. The eight stories in this collection, which focus primarily on the lives of Haitian people living across the Caribbean, are connected by their interest in loss and the search for identity. Like many of her characters, Danticat immigrated to the United States from Haiti at a young age; her love for Haiti and its history is evident throughout the collection, despite... Read Everything Inside Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Romance, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Globalization
Tags Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy
Exit West is a work of political fiction by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, who also wrote The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. It was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.Exit West begins in an unnamed Middle Eastern city that is on the verge of war. It is already “swollen with refugees” (1). This is where Nadia and Saeed, the two main characters in... Read Exit West Summary
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Relationships: Fathers, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Love / Sexuality, Music, Religion / Spirituality, Race / Racism, History: World, Canadian Literature
Fall on Your Knees (1996), first-time novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald’s ambitious multigenerational family saga set in the early decades of the 20th century, moves from the bleak coastal towns of Canada’s Cape Breton Island to the bustling New York City of the Jazz Era. Recalling both the psychological richness of William Faulkner’s family sagas set in Yoknapatawpha County and the dark passions in the Gothic tales of Flannery O’Connor, Fall on Your Knees follows three very... Read Fall on your Knees Summary