The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (According to The New York Times)

The 21^st century is a quarter of the way through and what a quarter century it has been. The New York Times decided to list the 100 best books of the 21st century and I am not envious of their job. Keep reading to find out what books made their list as the 100 best books of this century!

Trying to choose from tens of thousands of book is no easy task. That is why the New York Times turned to 503 people to make this list. Those people are novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics, and book lovers. And along with the New York Times staff, they made this list come to fruition.

Those people were sent a survey and were told to name their ten best books of the 21^st century. While that sounds easy, it is anything but. I can’t even think which ten books I would select and hate myself for leaving some amazing novels off the list. 

Just like any other list, this one is going to get certain things right and probably leave off some notable works. That is what makes lists like these fun. Even someone like the New York Times have to rely on a voting system because it is all arbitrary at the end of the day. You can see the full list below!

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson 
• How to Be Both by Ali Smith 
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
• Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman
• Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mante
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 
• The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante; translated by by Ann Goldstein 
• The Human Stain by Philip Roth
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
• The Return by Hisham Matar
• The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• Frederick Douglass by David W. Blight
• Pastoralia by George Saunders
• The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
• When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut; translated by Adrian Nathan West
• Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor; translated by Sophie Hughes
• Pulphead by John Jeremiah Sullivan
• The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein
• A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
• Septology by Jon Fosse; translated by Damion Searls
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• The Passage of Power by Robert Caro
• Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich; translated by Bela Shayevich
• The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen; translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman
• All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
• Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
• We the Animals by Justin Torres
• The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 
• Veronica by Mary Gaitskill
• 10:04 by Ben Lerner
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Heavy by Kiese Laymon
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Stay True by Hua Hsu
• Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
• The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
• The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
• Tenth of December by George Saunders
• Runaway by Alice Munro
• Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
• Trust by Hernan Diaz
• The Vegetarian by Han Kang; translated by Deborah Smith
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• A Mercy by Toni Morrison
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
• The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
• Postwar by Tony Judt
• A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
• H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
• A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer
• The Years by Annie Ernaux; translated by Alison L. Strayer
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
• Citizen by Claudia Rankine
• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
• The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
• The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
• The Overstory by Richard Powers
• Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
• Evicted by Matthew Desmond
• Erasure by Percival Everett
• Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
• The Sellout by Paul Beatty 
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Outline by Rachel Cusk
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald; translated by Anthea Bell
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• 2666 by Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer
• The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A bleak yet powerful post-apocalyptic novel, The Road follows a father and his young son as they journey across a devastated America. With society collapsed and danger at every turn, the two struggle to survive while holding onto their humanity. The novel is a haunting exploration of love, hope, and what it means to keep going in a world that has lost almost everything.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

After surviving a tragic bombing at a museum, young Theo Decker’s life is forever changed when he secretly takes a priceless painting called The Goldfinch. As he grows up, the painting becomes both a source of comfort and a burden, pulling him into a world of crime, art, and loss. This novel is a sweeping story about grief, fate, and the lasting impact of a single moment.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Atonement tells the story of a young girl whose false accusation changes the lives of those around her forever. Set before and during World War II, the novel follows the consequences of that moment across decades, exploring guilt, love, and the possibility of redemption. It’s a beautifully written and emotionally complex narrative about truth and storytelling.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This novel follows Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman who moves to the United States for college, and her complicated relationship with identity, race, and love. Through her experiences and blog about race in America, the novel explores cultural differences and personal growth. Americanah is both a love story and a sharp commentary on immigration and belonging.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Set in a seemingly idyllic English boarding school, this novel slowly reveals a disturbing truth about the students’ purpose. Through the eyes of Kathy, we learn about love, friendship, and the quiet acceptance of fate. The story is subtle yet deeply emotional, raising ethical questions about humanity and what it means to live a meaningful life.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

In this reimagining of history, the Underground Railroad is portrayed as an actual physical train system helping enslaved people escape to freedom. The story follows Cora as she flees a brutal plantation and journeys through different states, each representing different realities of America. The novel is both a gripping adventure and a powerful exploration of slavery and freedom.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

This ambitious novel weaves together the lives of multiple characters whose stories are all connected to trees and the natural world. As they become involved in environmental activism, their lives intersect in unexpected ways. The Overstory is a deeply moving meditation on nature, humanity, and the urgent need to protect the environment.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

This novel follows Oscar, a Dominican-American boy obsessed with science fiction and fantasy, as he navigates life, love, and family history. The story spans generations, exploring a curse that has plagued his family. Blending humor, tragedy, and cultural commentary, the novel is a vibrant and unique coming-of-age story.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

A deeply personal memoir, this book chronicles Joan Didion’s experience of grief after the sudden death of her husband. She reflects on memory, loss, and the ways the mind tries to make sense of tragedy. The result is an intimate and powerful exploration of mourning and resilience.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Spanning multiple generations, Pachinko follows a Korean family living in Japan as they struggle with identity, discrimination, and survival. Beginning in early 20th-century Korea, the novel traces the family’s journey through hardship and resilience. It’s a sweeping historical saga about belonging, sacrifice, and legacy.

Conclusion

Trying to analyze a list of a hundred books is not easy. There are novels here that I haven’t heard of before and others that are beloved by critics. For the most part, this list gets many of the major books of the 21st century right.

I’m sure that many readers will find some works that they believe belonged on the list. Even if it didn’t make it, it resonated with you strongly and that is what matters at the end of the day. In a few years, this list will be outdated and that’s just how it goes.

I would recommend using this list to find your next book to read and don’t lose sleep over it. The fact that the New York Times made this list is an impressive accomplishment. How many books on this list have you read? Let us know in the comments below!

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