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 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Class, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Indian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Poverty, Class, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger was published in 2008. Adiga’s first novel, The White Tiger won the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into a movie in 2021. Born in Chennai, India, Adiga has lived in India and Australia, and attended Columbia University in New York and Oxford University in England. A coming-of-age story told through a first-person narrator and letters addressed to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, The White Tiger examines the conflict between tradition... Read The White Tiger Summary
Publication year 1908
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Friendship, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants
Tags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Animals, British Literature, Classic Fiction
First published in 1908, The Wind in the Willows by Scottish writer Kenneth Grahame is a story for young readers that recounts the adventures of three animals: Mole, Rat, and Badger. In the woodlands where they live, the trio must deal with various problems—which include frequently rescuing their friend Mr. Toad, who loves thrills and often causes trouble.Widely considered one of the greatest literary works for children, The Wind in the Willows has been reprinted... Read The Wind in the Willows Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, History: World, French Literature
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1976
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family
Tags Asian Literature, Chinese Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction, Biography
The Woman Warrior (1976) is an experimental memoir by Chinese-American author Maxine Hong Kingston. The book weaves together stories of Kingston’s childhood in California and her mother’s youth in rural China with folklore, legend, and myth, defying easy genre classification.The book is divided into five parts. In the first, “No-Name Woman,” Kingston imagines different life stories for an aunt she never met—a woman who drowned herself and her baby after being expelled from her village... Read The Woman Warrior Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, History: World, Romance
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: War, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Vietnam War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Fantasy
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: U.S., Technology, History: World, Science / Nature, Technology, Biography
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Middle Eastern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, African Literature
Published in 2002 in its original Arabic edition, The Yacoubian Building is a novel by Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany. It tells the story of life in Cairo through several interwoven narratives. The edition used in this guide was translated by Humphrey Davies.Plot SummaryThe Yacoubian Building is set in Cairo around 1990, the time of the Gulf War. It follows the stories of several characters who live in the Yacoubian Building, a once-luxurious building that... Read The Yacoubian Building Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Class, History: World, Biography
The Yellow House is a nonfiction memoir published in 2019 by the American author Sarah M. Broom. In a narrative centered around her childhood home, “The Yellow House,” Broom chronicles the history of New Orleans through three generations of her family. The Yellow House won the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize for best debut book.Plot SummaryIn 1961, Broom's mother, Ivory Mae, becomes a widow at the... Read The Yellow House Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Identity: Indigenous
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class
Tags Gender / Feminism, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, is a feminist literary collection of essays, prose, poems, and transcripts on the experiences of women of color and Third World women, in a mainly United States context. While many of the contributors may have been lesser-known beforehand, this anthology has become a foundational text in feminist theory. Originally published in 1981, it set precedence by delving... Read This Bridge Called My Back Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ
This Is How It Always Is, a novel by Laurie Frankel, was published in 2017. It was a New York Times best seller, one of People magazine’s Top 10 Books of 2017, and a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Other works by this author include One Two Three and Family Family.Plot SummaryDr. Rosie Walsh is pregnant with her fifth son, Claude. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her writer husband, Penn Adams... Read This Is How It Always Is Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Humor, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Great Depression, History: World, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Holidays & Occasions, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy