The Color Purple by Alice WalkerTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonBeloved by Toni MorrisonThe Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm XInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Best African American Books
902 books — 1,129 voters

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Grapes of Wrath by John SteinbeckThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Great American Novel
665 books — 1,086 voters
Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar WildeWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëCrime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Best Books of the 19th Century
1,708 books — 6,839 voters

The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. RowlingPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Best Books Ever
73,579 books — 271,293 voters
Siddhartha by Hermann HesseThe Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama XIVZen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu SuzukiWhen Things Fall Apart by Pema ChödrönPeace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
A Buddhist Reading List
862 books — 1,142 voters

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankThe Glass Castle by Jeannette WallsI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouEat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth GilbertPersepolis. The story of a childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Memoirs by Women
2,932 books — 2,952 voters
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinLilith's Brood by Octavia E. ButlerParable of the Sower by Octavia E. ButlerKindred by Octavia E. Butler
Feminist Science Fiction Books
234 books — 406 voters

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinMiddlesex by Jeffrey EugenidesOrlando by Virginia WoolfTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareAlanna by Tamora Pierce
Best Gender-Bending Books
603 books — 446 voters
Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Jezebel's Books All Women Should Read
772 books — 1,401 voters

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Awakening by Kate Chopin
Best Feminist Fiction
1,484 books — 2,644 voters
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeePride and Prejudice by Jane Austen1984 by George OrwellThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
1,327 books — 5,803 voters