Reading plays an important role in everyday life, but unfortunately, it can sometimes feel more like a chore. Finding a good book can be difficult, but from these five books, you are guaranteed to fall in love with at least one. Each one of these books is full of powerful themes and beautiful writing that immediately draws the reader in. As a big reader, I’ve found that these books will leave you deeply satisfied, and each offers memorable stories that will stick with you for years to come.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns
Set in Afghanistan between the 1960s and early 2000s, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of two generations of women surviving the turmoil caused by the Soviet Union and the Taliban. A Thousand Splendid Suns explores the oppression of women and the war-torn history of Afghanistan. This story conveys an important message of hope, love, and friendship, especially the need for it in the most difficult times.
4. My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante focuses on the friendship of two girls growing up in Naples, Italy. The book follows Elena Greco and Raffaella Cerullo as they go through their childhood and adolescent years. Ferrante explores themes of friendship, social class, gender, and poverty, resulting in this heartfelt novel about female friendship and their experiences growing up in the poverty-stricken outskirts of Naples. This critically acclaimed novel is full of meaningful stories and lovable characters that create an impactful reading experience for anyone who wants a short but deep story.
3. The Book Thief
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief shares a powerful story of a young girl living in Nazi Germany and with the help of her foster parents, they hide a Jewish man in their home. This book highlights the importance of literacy and compassion, especially when facing oppressive governments. The Book Thief delves into the injustices of the Holocaust and the treatment of all citizens during the Nazi Germany reign. The Book Thief is captivating for both its story and its unique point of view from Death. This book makes for a perfect historical fiction with its balance of heavy realism and an imaginative point of view, which reads unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
2. Pachinko
Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee, is about four generations of Korean immigrants living in Japan. Throughout the novel, the Korean family faces heavy racism, xenophobia, poverty, and the struggles of immigrating from their homeland. Unable to return to Korea because of financial difficulties and wars, the family makes a living in Japan. From one generation working on the streets to another owning pachinko parlors, the family paves its way through the struggles of an environment where they are seen as unwanted. Pachinko shows how far love and ambition can take you, no matter the odds that are stacked against you.
1. Betty
A deeply moving book written by Tiffany McDaniel, Betty is based on the author’s mother and her struggles with being born to a white mother and a Cherokee father. In her community of Breathed, Ohio, Betty faces racism from her classmates and struggles in poverty with her family. Growing up with her father and his whirlwind creativity, Betty finds solace in her imagination and writing. Betty explores themes of women and sisterhood, mental illness, and the struggles of identity. Most importantly, Betty is about the beauty you can find even in difficult times. Betty is a stunning coming-of-age novel, full of morals, family, memories, and the harsh and beautiful realities of the world.
