The New York Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

In July 2024, The New York Times Book Review published a list of books compiled by their team of critics and editors from a survey the Book Review sent to novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other literary enthusiasts. The resulting list, called the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, was published by The New York Times from July 8–12, revealing 20 books on the list each day. It ranks the 100 best books published in the English language since January 1, 2000.

The list became a focal point of literary discourse. Intended to establish a representative canon for the first quarter of the century, the selection generated significant discussion within the literary community.

Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend secured the top position, followed by Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Edward P. Jones' The Known World and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections rounded out the top five.^[1]

Several authors had multiple books represented, including Ferrante, Jesmyn Ward, and George Saunders. The list predominantly featured works published in the early decades of the 21st century, suggesting that literary significance is often established over time. While various genres were represented—including novels, memoirs, and historical narratives—specific categories, such as poetry and speculative fiction, were underrepresented.^[2][3]

Selection criteria

The list was compiled by a team of critics and editors at The New York Times and, with the input of 503 writers and academics, assessed the books based on their impact, originality, and lasting influence. The selection includes novels, memoirs, history books, and other nonfiction works from various genres, representing well-known and emerging authors.^[4]

The following are a few of the individuals who contributed to the list.

Authors (fiction)

Stephen King
Min Jin Lee
Karl Ove Knausgaard
Bonnie Garmus
Curtis Sittenfeld
R. L. Stine
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Junot Díaz
Anthony Doerr
James Patterson
Stephen Graham Jones
Elin Hilderbrand
Jason Reynolds
Rebecca Roanhorse
Marlon James
Jonathan Lethem
Sarah MacLean
Riley Sager
Nick Hornby
Scott Turow
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Gary Shteyngart
Jessamine Chan
Alma Katsu
Megan Abbott
Joshua Ferris
Ann Napolitano
John Irving
Jami Attenberg
Stephen L. Carter
Sarah Schulman
Elizabeth Hand
Paul Tremblay

Authors (non-fiction)

Mary Roach
Pico Iyer
Annette Gordon-Reed
Tiya Miles
Lucy Sante
Ryan Holiday

Journalists and critics

Ed Yong
Thomas Chatterton Williams
Daniel Alarcón
Anand Giridharadas
Morgan Jerkins
Roxane Gay
Michael Robbins

Other professions

Sarah Jessica Parker (Actress)
Jenna Bush Hager (TV Personality)
Dion Graham (Actor/Narrator)
Jeremy Denk (Pianist)
Michael Roth (Academic)
Stephanie Land (Memoirist)
Douglas Preston (Author/Journalist)

Critical reception

The list was met with both praise and criticism. While many celebrated the recognition of influential works, several concerns were raised regarding its biases and exclusions.

Several critics pointed to methodological limitations that may have influenced the list's composition. The New York Times' approach of asking contributors to name their top ten books without specific criteria created a selection process that potentially favored widely read, critically acclaimed works over more specialized or niche titles.^[5] Additionally, the reliance on individual nominations without a structured evaluation framework meant that personal preferences and visibility biases could significantly impact the results.

One of the most prominent critiques was its American-centrism, as 61 of the featured authors were American.^[6] Additionally, representation of African and Indigenous literature was notably limited, drawing criticism for failing to reflect the global literary landscape.

Another point of contention was the treatment of translated works. Only thirteen books were translations, with Ferrante accounting for three. The selection was also criticized for favoring established literary figures over younger or emerging authors, with a notable underrepresentation of millennial and Generation X writers.^[6]

Genre distribution was another area of scrutiny. Fiction dominated the rankings, with limited inclusion of poetry, graphic novels, and genre fiction. Additionally, some critics noted inaccuracies in categorization, such as the misclassification of ''My Brilliant Friend'' as autofiction.^[6]

List of books

Detailed list

No.	Title	Author	Publisher	Date	Genre	Length	ISBN
1	My Brilliant Friend	Elena Ferrante	Europa Editions	2011	Fiction	336 pp	9781609450786
The first book in Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels series, exploring the lives of two friends growing up in post-war Naples.
2	The Warmth of Other Suns	Isabel Wilkerson	Random House	2010	History	640 pp	9780679444329
A detailed historical account of the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North.
3	Wolf Hall	Hilary Mantel	Fourth Estate	2009	Historical fiction	653 pp	9780007230204
A fictional portrayal of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII.
4	The Known World	Edward P. Jones	Amistad Press	2003	Fiction	432 pp	9780060557546
A novel about a Black enslaver in antebellum Virginia.
5	The Corrections	Jonathan Franzen	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2001	Fiction	568 pp	9780374100124
A family saga that delves into the complexities of contemporary American life.
6	2666	Roberto Bolaño	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2004	Fiction	912 pp	9780374100148
An epic novel exploring the unsolved murders in a Mexican border town.
7	The Underground Railroad	Colson Whitehead	Doubleday	2016	Fiction	320 pp	9780385542364
A novel reimagining the Underground Railroad as an actual railway system.
8	Austerlitz	W. G. Sebald	Hamish Hamilton	2001	Fiction	416 pp	9780241141250
A meditation on memory and identity through the story of a man piecing together his forgotten past.
9	Never Let Me Go	Kazuo Ishiguro	Faber & Faber	2005	Dystopian fiction	288 pp	9780571224135
A science fiction novel about clones raised to donate organs, exploring what it means to be human.
10	Gilead	Marilynne Robinson	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2004	Fiction	256 pp	9780374153892
A portrayal of a dying preacher reflecting on his life in a small Iowa town.
11	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao	Junot Díaz	Riverhead Books	2007	Fiction	340 pp	9781594483295
A multi-generational story about a Dominican family and the "fukú" curse that haunts them.
12	The Year of Magical Thinking	Joan Didion	Alfred A. Knopf	2005	Memoir	227 pp	9781400078431
Didion's reflections on grief after the sudden death of her husband.
13	The Road	Cormac McCarthy	Alfred A. Knopf	2006	Dystopian fiction	287 pp	9780307265432
A post-apocalyptic novel following a father and son's harrowing journey for survival.
14	Outline	Rachel Cusk	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2014	Fiction	249 pp	9780374228347
The first in the Outline trilogy, about a woman listening to others’ stories during a trip to Greece.
15	Pachinko	Min Jin Lee	Grand Central Publishing	2017	Historical fiction	496 pp	9781455563937
A multi-generational saga about a Korean family living in Japan.
16	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay	Michael Chabon	Random House	2000	Fiction	639 pp	9780679450047
The story of two Jewish cousins creating a superhero comic in the years leading up to World War II.
17	The Sellout	Paul Beatty	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2015	Satire	304 pp	9780374260507
A satire about race and culture in the contemporary United States.
18	Lincoln in the Bardo	George Saunders	Random House	2017	Historical fiction	368 pp	9780812995343
A blend of history and fantasy about Abraham Lincoln's grief after his son’s death.
19	Say Nothing	Patrick Radden Keefe	Doubleday	2019	Non-fiction	464 pp	9780385521314
A true-crime investigation into the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
20	Erasure	Percival Everett	University Press of New England	2001	Satire	263 pp	9781584650614
A satire on race and the publishing industry, told through the story of a frustrated African-American author. The basis for the 2023 film American Fiction.
21	Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City	Matthew Desmond	Crown Publishing Group	2016	Non-fiction	418 pp	9780553447439
A study of poverty, eviction, and inequality in America.
22	Behind the Beautiful Forevers	Katherine Boo	Random House	2012	Non-fiction	288 pp	9781400067558
A detailed look at people living in a slum in Mumbai, India.
23	Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage	Alice Munro	McClelland & Stewart	2001	Short stories	320 pp	9780771065255
A collection of short stories exploring themes of love, relationships, and human connections.
24	The Overstory	Richard Powers	W. W. Norton & Company	2018	Fiction	512 pp	9780393635522
A novel about nine strangers connected by their love of trees and the environment.
25	Random Family	Adrian Nicole LeBlanc	Charles Scribner's Sons	2003	Non-fiction	432 pp	9780743254434
A decade-long chronicle of a family living in the Bronx, New York, as they deal with drugs, crime, and poverty.
26	Atonement	Ian McEwan	Jonathan Cape	2001	Fiction	371 pp	9780224061148
A novel about guilt and redemption set during World War II, following the consequences of a false accusation.
27	Americanah	Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	Alfred A. Knopf	2013	Fiction	477 pp	9780307271082
A love story that explores the experiences of a Nigerian woman who moves to America.
28	Cloud Atlas	David Mitchell	Sceptre	2004	Fiction	544 pp	9780340822784
A genre-bending novel with interconnected stories spanning different time periods and locations.
29	The Last Samurai	Helen DeWitt	New Directions Publishing	2000	Fiction	530 pp	9780811215473
A story of a child prodigy raised by a single mother, exploring genius and identity.
30	Sing, Unburied, Sing	Jesmyn Ward	Scribner	2017	Fiction	304 pp	9781501126062
A novel that blends Southern Gothic and magical realism, following a family's journey across Mississippi.
31	White Teeth	Zadie Smith	Hamish Hamilton	2000	Postcolonial Literature	448 pp	9780241139974
A multi-generational novel about immigrants in London, exploring themes of identity, race, and family.
32	The Line of Beauty	Alan Hollinghurst	Picador	2004	Fiction	501 pp	9780330483216
A novel set in 1980s Great Britain, following a young gay man as he navigates politics, sex, and class.
33	Salvage the Bones	Jesmyn Ward	Bloomsbury Publishing	2011	Fiction	258 pp	9781608196265
A novel about a poor Mississippi family preparing for the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
34	Citizen: An American Lyric	Claudia Rankine	Graywolf Press	2014	Poetry, non-fiction	160 pp	9781555976903
A blend of poetry, essay, and visual art that addresses racial issues in contemporary American life.
35	Fun Home	Alison Bechdel	Houghton Mifflin	2006	Graphic novel, memoir	232 pp	9780618477944
A graphic memoir about Bechdel's relationship with her father, touching on themes of family, identity, and sexuality.
36	Between the World and Me	Ta-Nehisi Coates	Spiegel & Grau	2015	Non-fiction	176 pp	9780812993547
A letter from Coates to his son, exploring the realities of being Black in America and the legacy of racism.
37	The Years	Annie Ernaux	Seven Stories Press	2008	Memoir	256 pp	9781609807870
A memoir that chronicles Ernaux's life through a series of snapshots and reflections on French society.
38	The Savage Detectives	Roberto Bolaño	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2007	Fiction	577 pp	9780374191481
A novel following the lives of two poets in Mexico City and their search for a mysterious figure from the past.
39	A Visit from the Goon Squad	Jennifer Egan	Alfred A. Knopf	2010	Fiction	352 pp	9780307592835
A novel composed of interconnected stories, exploring the passage of time and the influence of technology on modern life.
40	H is for Hawk	Helen Macdonald	Jonathan Cape	2014	Memoir	300 pp	9780224097000
A memoir about grief, healing, and falconry, as Macdonald trains a goshawk after the death of her father.
41	Small Things like These	Claire Keegan	Faber & Faber	2021	Fiction	128 pp	9780571368686
A novella about a coal merchant in a small Irish town facing a moral dilemma during Christmas.
42	A Brief History of Seven Killings	Marlon James	Riverhead Books	2014	Fiction	688 pp	9781594486005
A novel exploring the attempted assassination of Bob Marley and the entangled fates of several characters in Jamaica.
43	Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945	Tony Judt	Penguin Press	2005	History, Non-fiction	960 pp	9781594200656
A comprehensive history of Europe from the aftermath of World War II to the early 21st century.
44	The Fifth Season	N. K. Jemisin	Orbit	2015	Science fiction, Fantasy	512 pp	9780316229296
The first book in Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, set in a world plagued by constant seismic upheaval.
45	The Argonauts	Maggie Nelson	Graywolf Press	2015	Memoir	160 pp	9781555977078
A memoir that blends personal narrative and theoretical reflections on love, family, and identity.
46	The Goldfinch	Donna Tartt	Little, Brown and Company	2013	Fiction	784 pp	9780316055437
A novel about a boy whose life is upended after surviving a bombing at an art museum.
47	A Mercy	Toni Morrison	Alfred A. Knopf	2008	Fiction	176 pp	9780307264237
A novel set in 17th-century America, exploring themes of slavery, freedom, and the complexities of human relationships.
48	Persepolis	Marjane Satrapi	Pantheon Books	2003	Graphic novel, Memoir	153 pp	9780375714573
A graphic memoir that recounts Satrapi's experiences growing up during and after the Iranian Revolution.
49	The Vegetarian	Han Kang	Hogarth	2007	Fiction	160 pp	9781101906118
A novel about a woman in South Korea who suddenly decides to stop eating meat, leading to drastic changes in her life.
50	Trust	Hernan Diaz	Riverhead Books	2022	Fiction	416 pp	9780593420317
A novel about wealth, power, and influence, told through multiple narratives that shift in perspective.
51	Life After Life	Kate Atkinson	Reagan Arthur Books	2013	Fiction	544 pp	9780316176484
A novel about a woman who is reborn in different versions of her life, set against the backdrop of World War II.
52	Train Dreams	Denis Johnson	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2011	Novella	128 pp	9780374281144
A novella about an American laborer in the early 20th century, examining themes of isolation and progress.
53	Runaway	Alice Munro	McClelland & Stewart	2004	Short stories	352 pp	9780771065064
A collection of short stories that explore the emotional lives of women across various stages of life.
54	Tenth of December: Stories	George Saunders	Random House	2013	Short stories	251 pp	9780812993806
A collection of short stories that blend humor and tragedy, often delving into the human psyche.
55	The Looming Tower	Lawrence Wright	Alfred A. Knopf	2006	Non-fiction	480 pp	9780375414862
A history of Al-Qaeda and the events leading to the September 11 attacks.
56	The Flamethrowers	Rachel Kushner	Scribner	2013	Fiction	383 pp	9781439142004
A novel about a young artist navigating the worlds of New York City and Italy in the 1970s.
57	Nickel and Dimed	Barbara Ehrenreich	Metropolitan Books	2001	Non-fiction	240 pp	9780805063899
A non-fiction work that chronicles Ehrenreich's experiences living on minimum wage in various U.S. cities.
58	Stay True	Hua Hsu	Doubleday	2022	Memoir	208 pp	9780385547772
A memoir about friendship, identity, and grief, centered around Hsu's college years and the tragic loss of his friend.
59	Middlesex	Jeffrey Eugenides	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2002	Family saga	529 pp	9780374191917
A novel about a hermaphrodite and their exploration of family history and identity.
60	Heavy: An American Memoir	Kiese Laymon	Scribner	2018	Memoir	256 pp	9781501125652
A memoir that reflects on race, weight, and family, offering a raw look at Black life in the United States.
61	Demon Copperhead	Barbara Kingsolver	HarperCollins	2022	Fiction	560 pp	9780063251922
A retelling of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, set in modern-day Appalachia.
62	10:04	Ben Lerner	Faber & Faber	2014	Fiction	256 pp	9780865478107
A novel that blends the personal and political, reflecting on time, art, and climate change.
63	Veronica	Mary Gaitskill	Pantheon Books	2005	Fiction	257 pp	9780375421457
A meditation on beauty, disease, and friendship, focusing on the AIDS epidemic and the fashion world.
64	The Great Believers	Rebecca Makkai	Viking Press	2018	Fiction	421 pp	9780735223523
A novel that explores the impact of the AIDS epidemic on a group of friends in Chicago.
65	The Plot Against America	Philip Roth	Houghton Mifflin	2004	Fiction	391 pp	9780618509287
An alternate history where Charles Lindbergh becomes President of the United States, ushering in fascism.
66	We the Animals	Justin Torres	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt	2011	Fiction	128 pp	9780547576725
A coming-of-age novel that follows three brothers as they navigate a turbulent family life.
67	Far from the Tree	Andrew Solomon	Scribner	2012	Non-fiction	976 pp	9780743236720
A comprehensive exploration of how families deal with children who are different, covering disabilities and sexual orientation.
68	The Friend	Sigrid Nunez	Riverhead Books	2018	Fiction	224 pp	9780735219441
A novel about grief, love, and friendship, as a woman inherits her deceased friend's Great Dane.
69	The New Jim Crow	Michelle Alexander	The New Press	2010	Non-fiction	336 pp	9781595586438
An examination of mass incarceration in the United States and its impact on Black Americans.
70	All Aunt Hagar's Children	Edward P. Jones	Amistad	2006	Short stories	400 pp	9780060557560
A collection of short stories set in Washington, D.C., focusing on the African-American experience.
71	The Copenhagen Trilogy	Tove Ditlevsen	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2019 (English translation)	Memoir	384 pp	9780374602390
A memoir in three parts, chronicling Ditlevsen's childhood, adolescence, and troubled adulthood.
72	Secondhand Time	Svetlana Alexievich	Fitzcarraldo Editions	2013 (English translation)	Non-fiction	470 pp	9781910695111
A series of oral histories from people across the former Soviet Union, chronicling the collapse of the USSR.
73	The Passage of Power	Robert A. Caro	Alfred A. Knopf	2012	Biography	736 pp	9780375713255
The fourth volume in Caro's biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, focusing on his vice presidency and ascension to the presidency.
74	Olive Kitteridge	Elizabeth Strout	Random House	2008	Fiction	288 pp	9781400062089
A novel in stories that paints a portrait of a small town in Maine through the eyes of its residents, centered around Olive Kitteridge.
75	Exit West	Mohsin Hamid	Riverhead Books	2017	Fiction	240 pp	9780735212176
A magical realism novel about a couple escaping civil war through a series of mysterious doors that lead them to new countries.
76	An American Marriage	Tayari Jones	Algonquin Books	2018	Fiction	320 pp	9781616208776
A novel about a couple whose marriage is torn apart when the husband is wrongfully imprisoned.
77	Septology	Jon Fosse	Fitzcarraldo Editions	2019 (English translation)	Fiction	832 pp	9781913097011
A meditative, seven-part novel that explores life, death, and the metaphysical through the reflections of an aging painter.
78	Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow	Gabrielle Zevin	Knopf	2022	Fiction	416 pp	9780593321201
A story about two friends and video game designers, exploring themes of creativity, collaboration, and love.
79	A Manual for Cleaning Women	Lucia Berlin	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2015	Short stories	432 pp	9780374270605
A posthumous collection of short stories about working-class life.
80	The Story of the Lost Child	Elena Ferrante	Europa Editions	2014	Fiction	480 pp	9781609452865
The final installment in the Neapolitan Novels, following the lifelong friendship of two women in Naples.
81	Pulphead	John Jeremiah Sullivan	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2011	Non-fiction, Essays	384 pp	9780374532901
A collection of essays on American culture, covering topics ranging from music to reality television.
82	Hurricane Season	Fernanda Melchor	New Directions Publishing	2020 (English translation)	Fiction	224 pp	9780811228039
A novel about a small Mexican town where a body is discovered, leading to violence and suspicion.
83	When We Cease to Understand the World	Benjamín Labatut	New York Review Books	2020 (English translation)	Fiction, Non-fiction	192 pp	9781681375663
A metafictional book that delves into the lives of scientists whose discoveries brought both advancement and destruction.
84	The Emperor of All Maladies	Siddhartha Mukherjee	Scribner	2010	Non-fiction	608 pp	9781439107959
A book on cancer, tracing the history and impact of the disease.
85	Pastoralia	George Saunders	Riverhead Books	2000	Short stories	208 pp	9781573221610
A collection of satirical stories examining modern American life and corporate culture.
86	Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom	David W. Blight	Simon & Schuster	2018	Biography	912 pp	9781416590316
A biography of Frederick Douglass, tracing his rise from slavery to becoming a leader in the abolitionist movement.
87	Detransition, Baby	Torrey Peters	One World	2021	Fiction	368 pp	9780593133378
A novel about gender, identity, and unconventional family structures, following the lives of a transgender woman, her ex, and her ex’s lover.
88	The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis	Lydia Davis	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2009	Short stories	752 pp	9780374270605
A comprehensive collection of short stories by Lydia Davis.
89	The Return	Hisham Matar	Random House	2016	Memoir	256 pp	9780812994827
A memoir about Matar's search for his father, who disappeared in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
90	The Sympathizer	Viet Thanh Nguyen	Grove Press	2015	Fiction	384 pp	9780802123459
A novel about a double agent during the Vietnam War, exploring themes of identity and betrayal.
91	The Human Stain	Philip Roth	Houghton Mifflin	2000	Fiction	361 pp	9780618059454
A novel about a college professor whose hidden racial identity is revealed during a scandal.
92	The Days of Abandonment	Elena Ferrante	Europa Editions	2002 (English translation 2005)	Fiction	192 pp	9781933372006
A novel about a woman’s psychological unraveling after her husband leaves her and their children.
93	Station Eleven	Emily St. John Mandel	Alfred A. Knopf	2014	Dystopian fiction	336 pp	9780385353304
A post-apocalyptic novel following a traveling theatrical troupe as they perform in the ruins of civilization.
94	On Beauty	Zadie Smith	Penguin Press	2005	Fiction	464 pp	9781594200632
A novel about a multicultural family in New England, exploring themes of race, politics, and art.
95	Bring Up the Bodies	Hilary Mantel	Fourth Estate	2012	Historical fiction	432 pp	9780007315093
The second book in Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy, chronicling Cromwell’s role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn.
96	Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments	Saidiya Hartman	W. W. Norton & Company	2019	Non-fiction	432 pp	9780393285673
A study of early 20th-century African-American women and their attempts to redefine freedom and identity.
97	Men We Reaped	Jesmyn Ward	Bloomsbury	2013	Memoir	272 pp	9781608195213
A memoir about Ward’s experiences growing up in Mississippi and losing five men close to her in rapid succession.
98	Bel Canto	Ann Patchett	HarperCollins	2001	Fiction	352 pp	9780060188733
A novel about an unexpected hostage crisis at a lavish party in South America, exploring themes of love and music.
99	How to Be Both	Ali Smith	Hamish Hamilton	2014	Fiction	384 pp	9780241145210
A genre-defying novel that blends two stories—one set in the Renaissance and one in contemporary times—to explore art, love, and identity.
100	Tree of Smoke	Denis Johnson	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	2007	Fiction	624 pp	9780374279127
An epic novel about a CIA officer's experiences in the Vietnam War, delving into the chaos and moral ambiguity of the conflict.

Sortable list

Rank	Title	Author	Year
1	My Brilliant Friend	Elena Ferrante	2012
2	The Warmth of Other Suns	Isabel Wilkerson	2010
3	Wolf Hall	Hilary Mantel	2009
4	The Known World	Edward P. Jones	2003
5	The Corrections	Jonathan Franzen	2001
6	2666	Roberto Bolaño	2008
7	The Underground Railroad	Colson Whitehead	2016
8	Austerlitz	W.G. Sebald	2001
9	Never Let Me Go	Kazuo Ishiguro	2005
10	Gilead	Marilynne Robinson	2004
11	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao	Junot Díaz	2007
12	The Year of Magical Thinking	Joan Didion	2005
13	The Road	Cormac McCarthy	2006
14	Outline	Rachel Cusk	2015
15	Pachinko	Min Jin Lee	2017
16	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay	Michael Chabon	2000
17	The Sellout	Paul Beatty	2015
18	Lincoln in the Bardo	George Saunders	2017
19	Say Nothing	Patrick Radden Keefe	2019
20	Erasure	Percival Everett	2001
21	Evicted	Matthew Desmond	2016
22	Behind the Beautiful Forevers	Katherine Boo	2012
23	Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage	Alice Munro	2001
24	The Overstory	Richard Powers	2018
25	Random Family	Adrian Nicole LeBlanc	2003
26	Atonement	Ian McEwan	2002
27	Americanah	Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	2013
28	Cloud Atlas	David Mitchell	2004
29	The Last Samurai	Helen DeWitt	2000
30	Sing, Unburied, Sing	Jesmyn Ward	2017
31	White Teeth	Zadie Smith	2000
32	The Line of Beauty	Alan Hollinghurst	2004
33	Salvage the Bones	Jesmyn Ward	2011
34	Citizen	Claudia Rankine	2014
35	Fun Home	Alison Bechdel	2006
36	Between the World and Me	Ta-Nehisi Coates	2015
37	The Years	Annie Ernaux	2018
38	The Savage Detectives	Roberto Bolaño	2007
39	A Visit From the Goon Squad	Jennifer Egan	2010
40	H Is for Hawk	Helen Macdonald	2015
41	Small Things Like These	Claire Keegan	2021
42	A Brief History of Seven Killings	Marlon James	2014
43	Postwar	Tony Judt	2005
44	The Fifth Season	N. K. Jemisin	2015
45	The Argonauts	Maggie Nelson	2015
46	The Goldfinch	Donna Tartt	2013
47	A Mercy	Toni Morrison	2008
48	Persepolis	Marjane Satrapi	2003
49	The Vegetarian	Han Kang	2016
50	Trust	Hernan Diaz	2022
51	Life After Life	Kate Atkinson	2013
52	Train Dreams	Denis Johnson	2011
53	Runaway	Alice Munro	2004
54	Tenth of December	George Saunders	2013
55	The Looming Tower	Lawrence Wright	2006
56	The Flamethrowers	Rachel Kushner	2013
57	Nickel and Dimed	Barbara Ehrenreich	2001
58	Stay True	Hua Hsu	2022
59	Middlesex	Jeffrey Eugenides	2002
60	Heavy	Kiese Laymon	2018
61	Demon Copperhead	Barbara Kingsolver	2022
62	10:04	Ben Lerner	2014
63	Veronica	Mary Gaitskill	2005
64	The Great Believers	Rebecca Makkai	2018
65	The Plot Against America	Philip Roth	2004
66	We the Animals	Justin Torres	2011
67	Far From the Tree	Andrew Solomon	2012
68	The Friend	Sigrid Nunez	2018
69	The New Jim Crow	Michelle Alexander	2010
70	All Aunt Hagar's Children	Edward P. Jones	2006
71	The Copenhagen Trilogy	Tove Ditlevsen	2021
72	Secondhand Time	Svetlana Alexievich	2016
73	The Passage of Power	Robert Caro	2012
74	Olive Kitteridge	Elizabeth Strout	2008
75	Exit West	Mohsin Hamid	2017
76	Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow	Gabrielle Zevin	2022
77	An American Marriage	Tayari Jones	2018
78	Septology	Jon Fosse	2022
79	A Manual for Cleaning Women	Lucia Berlin	2015
80	The Story of the Lost Child	Elena Ferrante	2015
81	Pulphead	John Jeremiah Sullivan	2011
82	Hurricane Season	Fernanda Melchor	2020
83	When We Cease to Understand the World	Benjamín Labatut	2021
84	The Emperor of All Maladies	Siddhartha Mukherjee	2010
85	Pastoralia	George Saunders	2000
86	Frederick Douglass	David W. Blight	2018
87	Detransition, Baby	Torrey Peters	2021
88	The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis	Lydia Davis	2010
89	The Return	Hisham Matar	2016
90	The Sympathizer	Viet Thanh Nguyen	2015
91	The Human Stain	Philip Roth	2000
92	The Days of Abandonment	Elena Ferrante	2005
93	Station Eleven	Emily St. John Mandel	2014
94	On Beauty	Zadie Smith	2005
95	Bring Up the Bodies	Hilary Mantel	2012
96	Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments	Saidiya Hartman	2019
97	Men We Reaped	Jesmyn Ward	2013
98	Bel Canto	Ann Patchett	2001
99	How to Be Both	Ali Smith	2014
100	Tree of Smoke	Denis Johnson	2007

Criticism

The list was criticized as biased towards English-language books, particularly those published by American authors.^[7] Nigerian academic Ainehi Edoro criticized the lack of literature by African authors and the predominance of American literature on the list and called the list "an act of cultural erasure".^[8] The list was also criticized for its lack of genres such as graphic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and children's literature.^[9] Indian publication Scroll.in wrote of the list "How much, and for how long, is America going to obsess over reading and dissecting itself? Why do reading lists emerging from the West claim authority on culture with such hyperbole?"^[10]