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

The New York Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century is a ranked list of 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.
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.

## 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.
The following are a few of the individuals who contributed to the list.
Authors (fiction)
Authors (non-fiction)
Journalists and critics
Other professions

## 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. 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. 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.
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.

## 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. 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". The list was also criticized for its lack of genres such as graphic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and children's literature. 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?"