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.

The Book of Negroes

by Lawrence Hill

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music

Tags Historical Fiction, World History

Aminata Diallo, from the village of Bayo, in western Africa, is the daughter of Mamadu, a jeweler, and Sira, a midwife. At the age of eleven, she is kidnapped after watching her parents murdered and her village burned. She is captured by African slave traders, who sell her to white slave traders. She and the other captives are marched in a coffle, a line of prisoners chained together, on a harrowing three-month journey to the... Read The Book of Negroes Summary

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

by Kim Michele Richardson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Community, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Southern Literature, World History, Romance

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a historical novel by American author Kim Michele Richardson. Published in 2019, the book takes place in the Kentucky hills during the Great Depression in 1936. In its depiction of prejudice and community in 1930s Kentucky, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek touches upon themes including the distrust of authority, the random and dangerous nature of prejudice, the power of community, and the importance of caring. Other work... Read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Summary

The Boys in the Boat

by Daniel James Brown

Publication year 2013

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork

Tags US History, European History, Sports, World War II, World History, Biography

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is a work of narrative nonfiction written by Daniel James Brown and published in 2013. Brown is known for his nonfiction works, including The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (2009) and Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II (2021). The Boys in the Boat... Read The Boys in the Boat Summary

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Díaz

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Coming of Age

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a 2007 novel by the Dominican American author Junot Díaz. Its title character is a young overweight Dominican American man obsessed with fantasy novels, superhero comics, and tabletop role-playing games. Using Spanish neologisms, magical realism, and references to late-20th-century nerd culture, Díaz weaves a multigenerational family saga chronicling life under the murderous Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo and the subsequent Dominican diaspora to the United States. Widely praised... Read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Summary

The Buddha in the Attic

by Julie Otsuka

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Race, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Social Class, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, World War II, Asian Literature, World History, Japanese Literature

Julie Otsuka is a Japanese American writer who was born in 1962 in Palo Alto, California. Both The Buddha in the Attic (2011) and her 2002 novel, When the Emperor was Divine, portray the Japanese American experience of internment camps following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The subject is close to Otsuka’s heart; the FBI arrested her grandfather on suspicion of being an enemy spy, while her mother, uncle, and grandmother were... Read The Buddha in the Attic Summary

The Cellist of Sarajevo

by Steven Galloway

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World History, Music

The Cellist of Sarajevo focuses on the struggles of four people during the long and brutal Siege of Sarajevo. For the citizens of Sarajevo at this time, life is torturous. There are snipers in the hills encircling the city with their guns trained on the people below. These snipers, who the characters refer to as “the men in the hills,” are picking off the townspeople one by one whenever they venture outside for food or... Read The Cellist of Sarajevo Summary

The Change

by Kirsten Miller

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Midlife, Revenge, Femininity, Aging, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read The Change Summary

The Chaperone

by Laura Moriarty

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Romance

The Chaperone is a work of historical fiction written by American author Laura Moriarty and published in 2012. The novel portrays the Jazz Age of the 1920s in America through a feminine lens. It was inspired by historical people and events, primarily the 1920s silent-film actress Louise Brooks. Moriarty lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and the book is also partially set in Kansas. The Chaperone was adapted into a PBS Masterpiece feature film in 2018. Other... Read The Chaperone Summary

The Cloisters

by Katy Hays

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Education

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

... Read The Cloisters Summary

The Club

by Ellery Lloyd

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Community

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Club Summary