Readers’ Choice: 10 Books Sure to Spark Great Book Club Discussions

Two mothers who never meet are bound together by their love of one boy in Shanthi Sekaran’s LUCKY BOY. Optimistic in her search for a new life, eighteen-year-old Solimar Castro Valdez crosses the Mexico/U.S. border. Weeks later, she learns that she’s pregnant, and arrives at her cousin’s doorstep in Berkeley, California. Her path soon collides with Kavya Reedy, who is content in her marriage and with her job as a chef for a UC Berkeley sorority house, but heartbroken when she learns that she’s unable to conceive. As Solimar is detained and her infant son comes under Kavya’s care, the narrative unfurls in a moving depiction of the intense struggles that undocumented immigrants and their loved ones are going through.

Discussion points: “Motherhood, adoption, and an immigrant’s journey seeking a better life in the US.” –Gerrie Teresi Bannister, a Book Club Favorites Facebook member

Susan Abulhawa’s striking AGAINST THE LOVELESS WORLD is propelled by its complex protagonist Nahr, a Palestinian woman imprisoned by the Israeli government, who is being used as a publicity tool to prove that Israel is treating prisoners humanely. As Nahr sits in solitary confinement, she reflects on the actions that have led to her political awakening and subsequent imprisonment, including a jilted marriage, forced prostitution, and being made a refugee by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This is one tough, thought-provoking read that you won’t be able to stop discussing!

Discussion points: The cruelty of solitary confinement, the treatment of Palestinians during Israeli occupation, the oppression of women, and what it means when your body is not wholly your own.

Thirty-seven-year-old Faye wants her two young daughters to always know that their mother loves them unconditionally, an intention which is motivated in part by losing her own mother at a young age. Faye has tended to suppress her grief from this loss, but when she suddenly finds herself back in 1977, the year before her mother died, Faye is given the chance to connect with her mother and her younger, seven-year-old self. As the two women grow closer, Faye realizes that she must choose between those she loved in the past and those she loves now. This spellbinding tale of time travel explores the pressing question of “what if we could go back in time” in a way that is both unique and heartbreaking.

Discussion points: The unrelenting force of grief, mother-daughter bonding, and learning to live in the moment.

They say that blood is thicker than water, but what lengths would you go to in order to cover up for a family relative who happens to be a serial killer? MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER begins with Korede’s dinner being interrupted by a call from her younger sister, Ayoola, who, for the third time, has just killed her boyfriend. Despite Ayoola’s murderous tendencies, Korede loves and protects her sister. However, when Ayoola begins to date the doctor with whom Korede has long been in love, she must decide if she can continue protecting Ayoola and her dark secret.

Discussion points: Covering up for a family member and also when to put your feelings first. –Donna Schmidt Wrage, Book Club Favorites Facebook member

Based upon a Russian fairy tale known as “The Little Daughter of the Snow,” THE SNOW CHILD is a fantastical story that questions the meaning of family. After their only child is stillborn, Jack and Mabel move from Pennsylvania to Alaska in an attempt to start over. As the couple begins to drift apart, they find a moment of levity during the winter’s first snowfall and create a child from snow. The next day, the snow child is gone, but Jack and Mabel spot a young blond girl named Faina running through the trees, and come to love her as their daughter.

Discussion points: How a family is built and how motifs of magical realism can enhance a narrative.

A sweeping and honest memoir, EDUCATED is Tara Westover’s account of growing up in the mountains of Idaho with her survivalist Mormon family. While the importance of education serves as one of the book’s central themes, EDUCATED is an honest look at healing from physical and emotional abuse, the grief that comes with questioning family teachings and severing family ties, and the strength that comes with admitting weakness. Even after reading the book, there’s a lot to unpack. Since her family’s response to the book varied greatly, varied greatly, follow-up research may also provide interesting discussions of how people often see the same event differently.

Discussion points: Unlearning your upbringing, self-reliance versus reaching out to others, and when a nonfiction book’s factuality is called into question.

“Ivy Lin was a thief, but you would never know it to look at her,” begins WHITE IVY, Susie Yang’s crackling debut novel centered on a Chinese American woman who will stop at nothing to gain wealth and privilege. As a child and teenager, Ivy steals from thrift stores and yard sales to attain the trappings of a suburban teen, subsequently attracting the attention of her crush, the wealthy Gideon Speyer. When Ivy’s mom catches her and she is sent to China, she fears she has lost her chance with Gideon, until a random encounter years later with Gideon’s sister sets her on a collision course with him. However, just as she feels she has everything in her reach, a figure emerges from her past and threatens to ruin all she has worked toward.

Discussion points: The lengths one will go to attain the American Dream, old wealth versus new wealth, and what makes for a satisfying ending.

Fans of Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL and William Landay’s DEFENDING JACOB will be immersed in THE DINNER. The book starts off with a simple premise: two couples go out to dinner at a posh restaurant in Amsterdam and begin making small talk about work and the holidays. However, the conversation begins to devolve as the topic turns to their fifteen-year-old sons, mutually connected by a terrible act of violence. Familial love is tested as both couples attempt to defend their sons.

Discussion points: How far parents will go to defend their children, the hazards of keeping secrets, and the pros and cons of unreliable narrators.

ALL ABOUT LOVE begins with a radical notion: “The word ‘love’ is most defined as a noun, yet . . . we would all love better if we used it as a verb.” In the following chapters, hooks challenges readers to reconceptualize love and the practice of loving, urging people to enact love beyond romance and invest in friendships and their community. She also provides best practices for how to love in the most fulfilling manner, stating the need for commitment, honesty, and communication in all relationships, and stressing that “The choice to love is the choice to connect.”

Discussions points: The concept of love outside of romantic love, the value of communication, and learning to value your own self-worth.

IN THE DREAM HOUSE turns the concept of a memoir on its head, as Carmen Maria Machado blends together her experience in an abusive queer relationship with narrative tropes and horror themes. As Machado seeks to make sense of her experiences, she turns to every source she can find, from historical archives to cultural representations of psychological abuse, and expertly interweaves her findings with her own personal story.

Discussion points: Queer domestic abuse, popular depictions of queerness, and the impact of upending genres and narrative tropes.