Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Chicago Public Librarians Pick The 'Best Books' of 2016

By Heather Cherone | December 6, 2016 1:09pm
 The library has complied lists of the best books for adults, teens and kids published in 2016.
The library has complied lists of the best books for adults, teens and kids published in 2016.
View Full Caption
Shutterstock

CHICAGO — The city's librarians have made their list.

And checked it more than twice.

The Best Books of 2016 list showcases 80 fiction and nonfiction books from a variety of genres picked by the librarians at the Chicago Public Library as the "best of the best."

The librarians also complied lists of the best teen fiction and nonfiction published in 2016, as well as the best graphic novels and Manga for teens. There is also a list of the best children's books, set to be released Wednesday.

The books on the list are available through public libraries in physical, e-book or audio forms. You can see all of the recommended books online.

Here are the librarians' top 10 picks for the year:

"Blood At The Root"

By Patrick Phillips

A gripping tale of racial cleansing in Forsyth County, Georgia, and a harrowing testament to the deep roots of racial violence in America, according to its publisher.

"Commonwealth"

By Ann Patchett

Spanning five decades, the novel explores how a chance encounter reverberates through the lives of one family made up of four parents and six children, according to its publisher.

"Evicted"

By Matthew Desmond

This book chronicles the plight of poor families, who are forced to spend more than half of their income on housing — prompting eviction to become more common as inequality in America spreads, according to its publisher.

"The Girls"

By Emma Cline

Set in Caifornia during the 1960s, this novels details the fate of a teenager who is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader, according to its publisher.

"Lab Girl"

By Hope Jahren

This memoir by an acclaimed scientist of the natural world is also a study of the power of friendship, according to its publisher.

"News Of The World"

By Paulette Jiles

Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, this novel tells the story of a man who makes a living bringing and reading the news to rural audiences who finds himself charged with bringing a 10-year-old girl back to her family, according to its publisher.

"Swing Time"

By Zadie Smith

This novel tells the story of two friends obsessed with music and dance who struggle to cope with the challenges presented by a world who treats them differently because of the color of their skin, according to its publisher.

"The Underground Railroad"

By Colson Whitehead

This novel chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South, according to its publisher.

"The Vegetarian"

This novel details how one woman's decision to stop eating meat disrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home, according to its publisher.

"Weapons Of Math Destruction"

By Cathy O'Neil

This book by a former Wall Street quant sounds an alarm on the mathematical models that pervade modern life -- and threaten to rip apart our social fabric, according to its publisher.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: