It’s a time of change. A time of conflict in the world. A time where many people feel less safe than they once did.
In the U.S., many people are experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions in response to the presidential election.
At PEN America, our work will continue. We’ll be fighting book bans. Promoting free expression. Defending writers. And supporting not just our member community, but the broader reading public, including students, teachers, and librarians, as well.
For many of us, reading literature is always important. Never more so than now.
As Salman Rushdie said recently: “Look on the shelves of a library. Look on the shelves of a bookshop. Look at the ideas that are there and the power and the beauty of living in a world in which so much can be said in so many different ways. The actual effect of freedom is beautiful, and the complexity, the multiplicity, the plurality of a society which is a free society and open society is a beautiful thing, and it’s worth fighting for.”
For us, reading helps. As nourishment. As self-care. As education. As entertainment.
We hope you will find comfort in books in the days and months ahead.
If you’re looking for something that might fit your current mood, here (in no particular order) are a few personal suggestions from the PEN America staff:
- The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai… “for light-hearted, wholesome, but emotionally resonant escapism. To remember that there is life beyond politics, if you will!”
- Black Wave by Michelle Tea… “because it makes the apocalypse feel darkly funny and appropriately dramatic.”
- In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez… “in a novel combining fact and fiction, three sisters live for the love of their people and freedom of their country.”
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler… “as the world descends into anarchy, one woman journeys toward a revolutionary idea — salvation.”
- Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng… “librarians, artists, moms, chosen-family stand together against xenophobic dystopia: courage, resistance, hope.”
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez… “demonstrates enduring passion amid societal upheaval while defying traditional relationships.”
- The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks… “explores the human desire to place blame for calamity and where that leads.”
- James by Percival Everett… “because, to quote the author: ‘The most subversive thing we can do is read.’”
- Julia by Sandra Newman… “offers a retelling of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four showing how its warnings remain relevant.”
- The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro… “because he reminds us to puncture through the fog of silence/amnesia and un-bury our culture’s ‘inconvenient’ truths.”
- Daniel Deronda by George Elliot… “reminds us that to understand what we’re going through we must always look to the past, or as the song goes: everything old is new again.”
- On Booze by F. Scott Fitzgerald… “because our mass sobriety didn’t last long.”
- The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa… “a dreamy and dystopian novel about the challenges of living in a surveillance state.”
- The Women by Kristin Hannah… “a historical novel documenting the lives and post-war struggles of nurses in Vietnam.”
- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin… “allows you to take comfort in how insignificant you are compared to the cosmos.”
- God of the Woods by Liz Moore… “get out of a reading rut with Moore’s page turner.”
- American Street by Ibi Zoboi… “because banning a book won’t stop us from reading it.”
Or if you need some non-fiction:
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby… “a memoir of true resilience, proving to readers that we can overcome any obstacle.
- Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Witt… “because fleeing to the disco was my first, but not necessarily wise, reaction to the current state of affairs.”
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown… “a social change guidebook reminding me that a better world is possible.”
- Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection by Deepa Iyer… “to ground me in practical exercises and strategies.”
But look at the shelves in your library and local bookshop, too. There’s a cornucopia of books out there.
We would love to hear from you what you’re reading right now. What you’re recommending right now. And what books you might be gifting this holiday season that you think might resonate with young people, friends, family members, and people who simply love books.
Feel free to tag @penamerica on social media (and find us on Bluesky!) and use the hashtag #WhatImReading with your pictures or videos—or just leave a comment on our posts on Instagram or Facebook.
As a 102-year-old organization, we’ve endured through some of the best and worst years in world history. Today, we’re encouraging self-care and leaning into community.
Writers, keep writing.
Readers, keep reading.
Let’s celebrate humanity, literature, and creativity.
Together, we’ll find a way through.
