In honor of World Book Day, here is what Reader's Digest thinks are the 100 Best Books of All Time. The way it's set up on that site, it actually only comes to about 99. There are ads included in the slideshow of books
51. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962)
-This book launched a new revolution. It started revealing the horrors that DDT, a type of pesticide used at that current time, was having on the environment. This book is a sort of eye opener to the need to protect our environment
52. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
-Abraham Lincoln was a surprising person back in his day. He changed the 1850s history by winning the presidency over an array of better known men. He took the current affairs of the day and used those events to build a group of people he could turn to for honesty, accountability and even good support and friendship
53. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016)
-This story centers around two sisters who end with different fates. One was enslaved after being kidnapped. The other married an Englishman and became wealthy. It digs deep into the topic of trauma and colonization
54. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920)
-Newland Archer is an attorney from a respected New York society family engaged to May Welland. Despite his engagement, Archer finds himself completely mesmerized by Countess Ellen Olenska, his fiancee's cousin. Despite what he desires most, he marries Welland because he is engaged to her. He does see Olenska. He must battle between what New York upper society expects of him and what he really wants
55. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000)
-Two cousins, Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay live in pre WWII Brooklyn. They are busy creating their own comic book to feed the new craze in America. Their comic book centers on a hero named Escapist, who fights fascists and falls for Luna Moth, a mysterious love interest. The lives and careers are both bright and successful
56. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
-1939. Nazi Germany. The Nazis are rising to power. They have the right to make decisions for the government and people are powerless to challenge their decision. And that includes burning books they feel are "un-German". Liesel Meminger seeks solace and comfort in books and the written word as her way of seeking life and the meaning of it in the midst of violence and destruction
57. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown (1973)
-A book centering on LGBTQ culture. This book is a sort of autobiographical story of the author struggling in sixth grade, with her first relationship. Landing later in New York, amidst the the LGBTQ community. It's an open, honest look at how one deals with the LGBTQ culture and community in the mid to late 20th century
58. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (2007)
-Oscar Wao is originally from the Dominican Republic. He's a happy nerd living in New Jersey, far from home and the family he loves. His one desire is to write fantasy novels, to become the Dominican Republic's answer to J.R.R. Tolkien
59. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)
-Not intended for children, this book is geared more towards adults and teens. It deals with the issues of teen angst and alienation. It tells the story of a teen named Holden Caulfield, who looks for nothing more than acceptance, recognition and appreciation
60. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride (1995)
-Ruth McBride taught her children that God's love, blessings, values and grace are color-blind, that He doesn't care what color your skin is. McBride is a "light skinned" black woman who gave birth to 12 children, who are darker in skin tone. She raised her children in the neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn. Sent sent them to Jewish schools, taking them to cultural events and even taking them to college. Years later, her son James discovers that she's not actually a light skinned black woman, but a white woman who was born in Poland. He discovers she had many reasons why she hid who she was
61. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989)
-This novel centers around American-born, Chinese culture. Four women have the hope of moving to the US from China in search of a better life. As time moves on, their daughters grow up like any other American child. The mothers search for identity and learn to reconcile their cultures and more
62. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (2001)
-Enid Lambert's marriage is getting a little stale. After 50 years, she wants a little excitement in her life. But it seems a higher power is at work, keeping her from it. Her husband is ill, her children's lives are falling apart. Enid simply wants to bring her whole family together for one Christmas to have something to look forward to. What results, however, is an emotional tidal wave
63. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (2003)
-The 1893 Industrial Expo or World's Fair brought people by the thousands to see the brand new, latest inventions that will soon hit the streets. It also brought a man by the name of H.H. Holmes. Sounds rather innocent. But this man is anything but innocent. He would turn out to be one of the first major serial killers, luring people into his home dubbed "The Murder Castle"
64. The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
-Jonas is the main character. He lives in a society where everyone's roles are predetermined. No one strays from the routine. When Jonas turns 12, he starts questioning society. The Giver is a book that will have you wondering what you'd be willing to give up and what you're not willing to give up to live a free life of your choice
65. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (2020)
-Based on the life of the author's grandfather, this book tells about a night watchman of Native American ancestry fighting for his rights to land and identity in the US
66. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (1995)
-Lyra is a bold and brave woman. She takes off to uncharted lands to rescue her friend and other kids from a creature known as the Gobblers. She also aids her uncle in building a bridge to a parallel universe. What she doesn't know is that she will face obstacles and decisions that push her to require courage she didn't know existed. This is the first installment of the His Dark Materials series
67. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
-Even to this day, the Roaring 20s still hold the attention of many and interest others. You'll be thrown in to the Roaring 20s, with its glitz and glamor of the Jazz Age, with flappers and flamboyant people
68. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2010)
-Henrietta Lacks is a poor black tobacco farmer. She died from cervical cancer after giving birth to her fifth child in 1951. While getting treated for her cancer, unbeknownst to Lacks, her cells were being taken away and were transformed into the first immortalized cell line. This line was been used by doctors, researchers, medical companies to develop any major medical marvel. Her cells became one of the most vital tools in the world of medicine. However, Lacks' family knows nothing of her contribution
69. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)
-This sci-fi story centers around human cloning. A boarding school of cloned human beings await their future as forced organ donors. While the clones are human too, the lives of the students become tangled in friendship, love and lust, even as they grow deeper into their role in society
70. The Liars Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr (1995)
-A story filled with dark humor, this book tells of a family in East Texas in the 1960s. The father is an alcoholic, the mother is married constantly and a sister whose foul mouth could make a trucker blush
71. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (1953)
-Philip Marlowe is the main character. He befriends a veteran who seems to be in a bad spot. Later on, the friendship shines a light on him for gangsters and investigators. It's a murder mystery that is cloaked in suspense
72. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright (2006)
-9/11 was a deeply haunting event for everyone. This book sheds new light on the events leading to the day when America was attacked by a terrorist organization. This book will trace the events leading up to a dark event in American history
73. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks (1985)
-Physicians and other medical professionals could likely fill volumes with the tales they see and hear every day. In this book, a doctor finally does just that. Oliver Sacks takes those tales and puts them to paper. Recounting stories of patients with various neurological disorders-including one patient who thought his wife was a hat
74. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (2006)
-This book shows that what we eat impacts our daily lives. It also shows the impact on how we grow and process food. It centers on the impact on how food affects our health and beyond
75. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro (1974)
-New York is a city of many names and personalities. But none so big as Robert Moses. He helped establish the physical layout and infrastructure to even the utility companies. He thought he knew it all until he met Nelson Rockefeller. This book is a key read to understand the politics of New York
