Lucky for us the publishing industry has not stopped even though many other businesses have shut down due to Covid-19. There are so many good books out and more we can’t wait to hit the shelves. So get comfortable and enjoy our list of the Books Everyone Should Be Reading.

Biographies: Historical Firsts that Inspire

You Never Forget Your First

By Alexis Coe

George Washington was an American revolutionary, who worked hard, pursued a military career of excellence, and never backed down. After an unlikely victory in the revolutionary war made him the nation’s hero, the founding fathers pressured him into the presidency—twice. When he finally retired, he left the office in sorrow because he was heartbroken over what his cabinet had created. This biography combines research and creative storytelling in a humorous way that almost anyone would enjoy.

Fighting For Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

By Amy Shira Teitel

This story dives into the career of two female pilots in the 1950s: Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb. Jackie Cochran led the Women’s Auxiliary Service pilots during World War II, was the first woman to break the sound barrier, and held more jet flying and propeller records than any pilot in the twentieth century. Jerrie Cobb, 25 years younger than Jackie, was a part of The Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent multiple psychological screening tests at the same time as The Mercury 7, with her being the first to complete each of the tests. For Cobb, flying in space was her obsession. The media spun the story of a women’s astronaut program, while on the side Cochran and Cobb both grappled to turn the rumored program into an actual program.

Honorable mentions in Biographies: Conversations with RBG, Across That Bridge, Alan Turing: The Enigma

Fiction, Young Adult: Dystopian Sci-Fi to Mysteries

Red Rising

By Pierce Brown

This novel follows Darrow, a rash brave young man living below Mars. He is a Red, the lowest class of his society. Reds work to terraform Mars and prepare it for the rest of the humans. They are governed by the hierarchy rules of The Society. Darrow’s wife, Eo, tries to convince him on multiple occasions to rise against The Society and how the Reds are treated.

The Maze Runner

By James Dashner

Thomas arrives in a glade, at the center of a huge maze. He, along with the previous teenage boys sent into the glade, have no recollection of their past. Thomas, anxious to find his way out of the maze quickly, works his way up to runner status (people who search the forever changing maze to find a way out). Throughout the novel, Thomas tries to find the way out while struggling to survive.

Honorable mentions in Young Adult Fiction: The Hunger Games, My Sister The Serial Killer, The Hate you Give, The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind

Social Justice (Humanity): Confronting Cultural Norms, Racism, Abuse, Mental Health, and Sexism

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou

This is the first of seven autobiographies written by the African-American author Maya Angelou, it is a coming of age story following her life from ages 3 to 16. It outlines her unsettling and traumatic childhood, and how her character and love of literature help her overcome the tragedies of her past.

Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel

By Jessica Knoll

Ani Fanelli is a young woman attempting to reinvent herself after a series of terrifying events that occurred during her teenage years. Ani’s reflection on her highschool years makes her realize how she has oriented her life to help her avoid those events. This book explores difficult themes including trauma, deception, abuse, and identity overall.

Trevor Noah: Born A Crime

By Trevor Noah

If you aren’t aware of who Trevor Noah is, he is most popularly known as the host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on ComedyCentral. This book is a memoir, following his childhood as a young boy growing up in Apartheid South Africa. He describes the journey of being a young boy growing up almost entirely indoors, as his swiss father and Xhosa mother committed a crime by creating him. He combines humor, blatant honesty, and relatable experiences in this quick read.  

The Vanishing Half

By Brit Bennett

This book follows the lives of twin girls, Desiree and Stella, both light-skinned black girls who ran away from home at 16 years old. Desiree marries and has a child with a dark-skinned black man, while Stella lives her adult life passing as white. This book covers topics including identity, family, femininity, and race.

Dear Martin

By Nic Stone

Justyce Mcallister, a senior in high school, is Yale-bound and has never been one to cause trouble. He finds himself to be a victim of racial profiling. Justyce witnesses a close friend murdered by an undercover cop, one day he is arrested for that same murder. While awaiting his trial, Justyce reads the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr and realizes he is a martyr for the continuation of racial injustice.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

By David Foster Wallace

This book is a non-fiction collection of essays by David Foster Wallace covering a wide range of topics from television, the Illinois State Fair, literary theory, and traveling abroad on a luxury cruise line. By looking at common experiences Wallace helps the reader confront everyday excesses, inequalities, American cultural norms, and biases with comedy and curiosity.

Honorable mentions in Social Justice: Me and White Supremacy, Hood Feminism, How to be an Anti-Racist, Grown