Top 100 Books of the 21st Century

"A journey through literature's most compelling stories of the modern era."

This list compiles the best books written in the 21st century. From powerful fiction and historical narratives to dystopian futures and international perspectives, these works highlight the rich diversity of modern literature, capturing both personal struggles and global challenges.

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# Top 100 Books of the 21st Century
- A comprehensive guide to 21st-century literature
- "A journey through literature's most compelling stories of the modern era."
- Includes Fiction, Historical Fiction, Dystopian, Non-fiction, and International literature.
- 5 Topics: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Dystopian, Non-fiction, International.

## Topics
- Topic 1: Fiction, novels, characters, storytelling, literature.
- Topic 2: Historical Fiction, historical events, timelines, eras, cultural influences.
- Topic 3: Dystopian, future worlds, survival, alternate realities, political systems.
- Topic 4: Non-fiction, memoirs, history, biographies, true events.
- Topic 5: International, translated works, cultural identity, foreign literature.

Topic 1: Fiction

"Literature’s most compelling characters and stories."

Fiction dominates modern literature with stories that capture the human experience in its most complex forms. From psychological thrillers to tales of friendship, these books define a generation of storytelling.

1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: A captivating tale of lifelong friendship.
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: A psychological thriller about a missing woman.
3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz: A multi-generational Dominican-American family story.
4. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: A sweeping epic about gender identity and family.
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel: An extraordinary survival tale of a boy and a tiger.
6. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan: A fragmented narrative about time and music.
7. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A powerful exploration of race, identity, and migration.
8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: A novel about a hostage crisis that transcends borders.
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: A moving story of friendship and betrayal.
10. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: A compelling tale of art, love, and loss.

Topic 2: Historical Fiction

"Stories that weave the past into the present."

Historical fiction continues to dominate literary culture with its ability to transport readers to different times and places. These novels bring history to life through compelling characters and meticulously researched settings.

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: The rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.
2. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Two sisters fight to survive in Nazi-occupied France.
3. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: A multi-generational epic tracing the legacy of slavery from Ghana to the U.S.
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: A young girl survives Nazi Germany through stolen books.
5. Atonement by Ian McEwan: A young girl’s false accusation changes two lives forever.
6. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure: An architect designs hiding places for Jews during WWII.
7. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman: A fateful decision to raise an abandoned baby.
8. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza: A multi-generational story of an Indian-American Muslim family.
9. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen: A Vietnamese spy's life after the fall of Saigon.
10. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Nigerian Civil War through the eyes of several characters.

Topic 3: Dystopian

"Visions of the future and alternate realities."

Dystopian novels have shaped much of 21st-century literature, imagining bleak futures shaped by technology, climate crises, and authoritarian regimes. These books explore survival in the face of a crumbling society.

1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy: A father and son journey through a bleak apocalypse.
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: A quietly devastating dystopian narrative.
3. The Power by Naomi Alderman: Women develop the power to generate electricity.
4. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: A world-ending apocalyptic tale of survival.
5. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: A geneticist's dystopian experiment goes horribly wrong.
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: Interwoven narratives across centuries and genres.
7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: A classic dystopian vision of a controlled society.
8. 1984 by George Orwell: The seminal work on totalitarianism and surveillance.
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: A society where books are banned and burned.
10. Children of Men by P.D. James: A world where humans have become infertile.

Topic 4: Non-fiction

"True stories that shaped the 21st century."

Non-fiction continues to thrive with books that explore real-life events, from personal memoirs to historical accounts. These works have captivated readers and provided critical insight into contemporary issues.

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: The story behind the famous HeLa cells.
2. Educated by Tara Westover: A memoir of growing up in a strict and abusive household.
3. Becoming by Michelle Obama: The inspiring life story of former First Lady Michelle Obama.
4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed: A memoir of self-discovery on the Pacific Crest Trail.
5. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: Trevor Noah’s humorous and poignant memoir of apartheid.
6. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: A sweeping history of humankind.
7. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: A memoir of resilience in a dysfunctional family.
8. Quiet by Susan Cain: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.
9. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner: A quirky look at the hidden side of everything.
10. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson: A historical study of the Great Migration.

Topic 5: International

"A world of stories."

Literature transcends borders, and these international works, many in translation, offer unique perspectives on culture, politics, and identity. They invite readers to explore global narratives and see the world through different lenses.

1. The Years by Annie Ernaux: A unique blend of memoir and sociological observation.
2. The Vegetarian by Han Kang: A surreal and disturbing tale of transformation.
3. Blindness by José Saramago: A city is devastated by a sudden plague of blindness.
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: A boy discovers a mysterious book in post-war Barcelona.
5. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson: A man reflects on his childhood in rural Norway.
6. The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen: A memoir about growing up in Denmark.
7. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño: An expansive narrative connecting stories across continents.
8. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: A tale of forbidden love in Kerala, India.
9. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee: A dark examination of post-apartheid South Africa.
10. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: A darkly comic story of an Indian man’s rise to power.

Top 100 List

1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Fiction)
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Fiction)
3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Fiction)
4. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Fiction)
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Fiction)
6. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Fiction)
7. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fiction)
8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Fiction)
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Fiction)
10. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Fiction)
11. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Historical Fiction)
12. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
13. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Historical Fiction)
14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Historical Fiction)
15. Atonement by Ian McEwan (Historical Fiction)
16. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure (Historical Fiction)
17. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (Historical Fiction)
18. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (Historical Fiction)
19. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Historical Fiction)
20. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Historical Fiction)
21. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Historical Fiction)
22. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
23. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Historical Fiction)
24. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Historical Fiction)
25. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)
26. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Dystopian)
27. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Dystopian)
28. The Power by Naomi Alderman (Dystopian)
29. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Dystopian)
30. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian)
31. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Dystopian)
32. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Dystopian)
33. 1984 by George Orwell (Dystopian)
34. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Dystopian)
35. The Circle by Dave Eggers (Dystopian)
36. Children of Men by P.D. James (Dystopian)
37. The Giver by Lois Lowry (Dystopian)
38. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Dystopian)
39. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (Dystopian)
40. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Dystopian)
41. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Non-Fiction)
42. Educated by Tara Westover (Non-Fiction)
43. Becoming by Michelle Obama (Non-Fiction)
44. Wild by Cheryl Strayed (Non-Fiction)
45. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (Non-Fiction)
46. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (Non-Fiction)
47. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Non-Fiction)
48. Quiet by Susan Cain (Non-Fiction)
49. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (Non-Fiction)
50. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Non-Fiction)
51. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Non-Fiction)
52. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (Non-Fiction)
53. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (Non-Fiction)
54. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (Non-Fiction)
55. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe (Non-Fiction)
56. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Non-Fiction)
57. Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (Non-Fiction)
58. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Non-Fiction)
59. The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (Non-Fiction)
60. The Years by Annie Ernaux (International)
61. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (International)
62. Blindness by José Saramago (International)
63. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (International)
64. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (International)
65. The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (International)
66. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño (International)
67. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (International)
68. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (International)
69. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (International)
70. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (International)
71. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (International)
72. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (International)
73. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (International)
74. The Sellout by Paul Beatty (Fiction)
75. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Fiction)
76. Pastoralia by George Saunders (Fiction)
77. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Fiction)
78. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (Fiction)
79. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Fiction)
80. The Known World by Edward P. Jones (Historical Fiction)
81. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Historical Fiction)
82. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Historical Fiction)
83. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Historical Fiction)
84. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Dystopian)
85. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Dystopian)
86. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Dystopian)
87. 1984 by George Orwell (Dystopian)
88. The Circle by Dave Eggers (Dystopian)
89. Children of Men by P.D. James (Dystopian)
90. The Giver by Lois Lowry (Dystopian)
91. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Dystopian)
92. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (Dystopian)
93. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Dystopian)
94. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (International)
95. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (International)
96. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (International)
97. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (International)
98. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (International)
99. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (International)
100. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (International)

Top 100 Table

Rank	Name	Topic	Tagline
1	My Brilliant Friend	Fiction	A captivating tale of lifelong friendship.
2	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay	Fiction	An exploration of the comic book industry.
3	The Road	Dystopian	A father and son navigate a post-apocalyptic world.
4	Never Let Me Go	Dystopian	A quietly devastating dystopian novel.
5	The Known World	Historical Fiction	A story of a Black slave owner in the South.
6	Lincoln in the Bardo	Fiction	A moving exploration of grief and the afterlife.
7	Pastoralia	Fiction	Bizarre, laugh-out-loud funny stories.
8	The Corrections	Fiction	A dysfunctional family saga.
9	The Sellout	Fiction	A bold satire on race and racism in America.
10	The Underground Railroad	Historical Fiction	A reimagining of the historical escape route.
11	Gone Girl	Fiction	A gripping psychological thriller about a missing woman.
12	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao	Fiction	A multi-generational Dominican-American family story.
13	Middlesex	Fiction	A sweeping epic about gender identity and family.
14	Life of Pi	Fiction	An extraordinary survival tale of a boy and a tiger.
15	A Visit from the Goon Squad	Fiction	A fragmented narrative about time and music.
16	Americanah	Fiction	A powerful exploration of race, identity, and migration.
17	Bel Canto	Fiction	A novel about a hostage crisis that transcends borders.
18	The Kite Runner	Fiction	A moving story of friendship and betrayal.
19	The Goldfinch	Fiction	A compelling tale of art, love, and loss.
20	Wolf Hall	Historical Fiction	The rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.
21	The Nightingale	Historical Fiction	Two sisters fight to survive Nazi-occupied France.
22	Homegoing	Historical Fiction	A multi-generational saga tracing the legacy of slavery.
23	The Book Thief	Historical Fiction	A young girl survives Nazi Germany through stolen books.
24	Atonement	Historical Fiction	A young girl’s false accusation changes two lives forever.
25	The Paris Architect	Historical Fiction	An architect designs hiding places for Jews during WWII.
26	The Light Between Oceans	Historical Fiction	A fateful decision to raise an abandoned baby.
27	A Place for Us	Historical Fiction	A multi-generational Indian-American family saga.
28	The Sympathizer	Historical Fiction	A Vietnamese spy navigates his life in America.
29	Half of a Yellow Sun	Historical Fiction	The Nigerian Civil War through the eyes of its survivors.
30	Pachinko	Historical Fiction	A family saga of Korean immigrants in Japan.
31	The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane	Historical Fiction	A mother-daughter story set between China and America.
32	The Narrow Road to the Deep North	Historical Fiction	Australian POWs endure the horrors of the Burma Railway.
33	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society	Historical Fiction	WWII stories told through letters.
34	The Alice Network	Historical Fiction	Female spies in WWI and WWII.
35	The Years	International	A unique blend of memoir and sociological observation.
36	The Vegetarian	International	A surreal and disturbing tale of transformation.
37	Blindness	International	A sudden plague of blindness devastates a city.
38	The Shadow of the Wind	International	A boy discovers a mysterious book in post-war Barcelona.
39	Out Stealing Horses	International	A man reflects on his childhood in rural Norway.
40	The Copenhagen Trilogy	International	A memoir about growing up in Denmark.
41	2666	International	An expansive narrative connecting stories across continents.
42	The God of Small Things	International	A tale of forbidden love in Kerala, India.
43	Disgrace	International	A dark examination of post-apartheid South Africa.
44	The White Tiger	International	A darkly comic story of an Indian man’s rise to power.
45	Persepolis	International	A graphic novel memoir about growing up during the Iranian Revolution.
46	Snow	International	A Turkish poet returns home amidst political unrest.
47	The Garden of Evening Mists	International	A woman reflects on her time with a Japanese gardener.
48	Austerlitz	International	A haunting story of memory and identity during WWII.
49	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks	Non-Fiction	The story behind the famous HeLa cells.
50	Educated	Non-Fiction	A memoir of growing up in a strict and abusive household.
51	Becoming	Non-Fiction	The inspiring life story of former First Lady Michelle Obama.
52	Wild	Non-Fiction	A memoir of self-discovery on the Pacific Crest Trail.
53	Born a Crime	Non-Fiction	Trevor Noah’s humorous and poignant memoir of apartheid.
54	Sapiens	Non-Fiction	A sweeping history of humankind.
55	The Glass Castle	Non-Fiction	A memoir of resilience in a dysfunctional family.
56	Quiet	Non-Fiction	The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.
57	Freakonomics	Non-Fiction	A quirky look at the hidden side of everything.
58	The Warmth of Other Suns	Non-Fiction	A historical study of the Great Migration.
59	The Wright Brothers	Non-Fiction	The inspiring story of flight pioneers.
60	Steve Jobs	Non-Fiction	The authorized biography of the Apple co-founder.
61	In the Garden of Beasts	Non-Fiction	A chilling account of an American family in Nazi Germany.
62	Just Mercy	Non-Fiction	A powerful call to reform the justice system.
63	Say Nothing	Non-Fiction	A gripping account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
64	H is for Hawk	Non-Fiction	A memoir about coping with grief through falconry.
65	Random Family	Non-Fiction	A decade-long look at the lives of two Bronx families.
66	The Year of Magical Thinking	Non-Fiction	A poignant memoir about grief and loss.
67	The Looming Tower	Non-Fiction	An investigation into the events leading up to 9/11.
68	The Power	Dystopian	Women develop the power to generate electricity.
69	The Fifth Season	Dystopian	A world-ending apocalyptic tale of survival.
70	Oryx and Crake	Dystopian	A geneticist's dystopian experiment goes horribly wrong.
71	Cloud Atlas	Dystopian	Interwoven narratives across centuries and genres.
72	Brave New World	Dystopian	A classic dystopian vision of a controlled society.
73	1984	Dystopian	The seminal work on totalitarianism and surveillance.
74	Fahrenheit 451	Dystopian	A society where books are banned and burned.
75	The Circle	Dystopian	A critique of the internet and corporate surveillance.
76	Children of Men	Dystopian	A world where humans have become infertile.
77	The Giver	Dystopian	A seemingly perfect society hides dark secrets.
78	Parable of the Sower	Dystopian	A climate-ravaged future of survival and community.
79	The Man in the High Castle	Dystopian	An alternate history where the Axis powers won WWII.
80	Divergent	Dystopian	A society divided by personality traits.
81	Wolf Hall	Historical Fiction	Thomas Cromwell's rise in the court of Henry VIII.
82	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay	Fiction	The story of comic book pioneers during WWII.
83	Lincoln in the Bardo	Fiction	A tale of President Lincoln grieving his lost son.
84	The Sellout	Fiction	A sharp satire on race and privilege.
85	The Corrections	Fiction	A family saga in the 21st century.
86	The Underground Railroad	Historical Fiction	A reimagined historical journey to freedom.
87	The Road	Dystopian	A father and son journey through a bleak apocalypse.
88	Never Let Me Go	Dystopian	A quiet but devastating dystopian narrative.
89	A Visit from the Goon Squad	Fiction	A story about time and the music industry.
90	Bel Canto	Fiction	A tale of a hostage crisis that transcends barriers.
91	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao	Fiction	The trials and triumphs of a Dominican-American family.
92	The Kite Runner	Fiction	A moving tale of betrayal and redemption.
93	Gone Girl	Fiction	A psychological thriller that redefines the genre.
94	The Known World	Fiction	A profound story about slavery in antebellum America.
95	Life of Pi	Fiction	A fantastical tale of survival on the open sea.
96	Americanah	Fiction	A compelling exploration of race and identity.
97	Middlesex	Fiction	A sweeping family epic on gender identity.
98	The Goldfinch	Fiction	A poignant narrative of art, love, and tragedy.
99	Wolf Hall	Fiction	The story of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power.
100	Homegoing	Fiction	A saga of African-American history from slavery to freedom.

Conclusion

These 100 books of the 21st century represent a remarkable journey through fiction, non-fiction, dystopian worlds, historical events, and international narratives. They capture the complexities of our time and resonate across cultures, offering readers a deep understanding of the human experience. Happy reading!