Popular Book Club Picks

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