Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club Picks

Actress and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon created her Hello Sunshine Book Club to celebrate women's stories, promote diversity, support independent bookstores, and encourage literacy for everyone. This Collection of Study Guides includes an assortment of picks from Reese’s Book Club, all featuring women as main characters. Read on to learn more about Kya’s coming-of-age in Where the Crawdads Sing, multiple generations of Cuban women in Next Year in Havana, and rock ’n’ roll in 1970s America in Daisy Jones & The Six.

Anatomy

by Dana Schwartz

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Death, Perseverance, Social Class, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, World History

... Read Anatomy Summary

Braving the Wilderness

by Brené Brown

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Self-Improvement, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Religion & Spirituality

Published in 2017, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone presents insights and strategies for finding what Brown refers to as true belonging in a time of increasing cultural polarization in America. Based on Brown’s grounded theory research, true belonging is a practice that involves believing in and belonging to oneself so fully that one can share one’s innermost, authentic self with the rest of the... Read Braving the Wilderness Summary

Counterfeit

by Kirstin Chen

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Race, Justice, Appearance & Reality

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Survival Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Counterfeit Summary

Daisy Jones & The Six

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Fathers, Fame

Tags Historical Fiction, Music, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s historical fiction novel Daisy Jones & The Six, published in 2019, is a contemporary work of fiction that explores the rich music culture of the 1970s in the United States. This time was known for rock ’n’ roll, partly as a cultural response to the strict rules of the 1960s and the disaster of the Vietnam War. The California dream world of hard partying, no rules, and freedom persists as a major... Read Daisy Jones & The Six Summary

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

by Gail Honeyman

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

Everything Inside

by Edwidge Danticat

Publication year 2021

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Language, Community

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, 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

Furia

by Yamile Saied Méndez

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, Femininity

Tags Romance, Sports, Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, Social Class, Latin American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Furia Summary

Honor

by Thrity Umrigar

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction

... Read Honor Summary

Infinite Country

by Patricia Engel

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Immigration, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mythology, Immigration & Refugeeism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Relationships, American Literature, Latin American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

... Read Infinite Country Summary

Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Family

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Little Fires Everywhere is a New York Times bestselling novel by Celeste Ng published in 2017. In the town of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Elena Richardson rents her family’s property on Winslow Road to Mia and Pearl Warren, a mother and daughter duo who inspire her sense of charity. Mia is an artist, and her lack of rootedness and intense focus on her art unnerve Mrs. Richardson, who lives an orderly life. Their lives become further... Read Little Fires Everywhere Summary