The book follows the lives of two Jewish cousins, one a skilled escape artist and the other a talented artist, before, during, and after World War II. They create a popular comic book superhero, which brings them fame and fortune. However, their success is complicated by personal struggles, including the escape artist's attempts to rescue his family from Nazi-occupied Prague and the artist's struggle with his sexuality. The narrative explores themes of escapism, identity, and the golden age of comic books.

Set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, the story revolves around three main characters: two black maids and a young white woman. The maids, who have spent their lives taking care of white families and raising their children, agree to share their experiences with the young woman, who is an aspiring writer. The book offers a poignant and humorous look at the complex relationships between these women, while also exploring the racial tensions and social changes of the era.

"The Great Believers" by Rebecca Makkai is a powerful novel that tells the story of two interconnected groups of people: a group of gay men in 1980s Chicago during the height of the AIDS epidemic, and a woman in 2015 who is searching for her estranged daughter in Paris. The novel explores themes of love, loss, friendship, and the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis. Makkai's writing is both heartbreaking and hopeful, and she skillfully weaves together the two timelines to create a poignant and unforgettable story.

"Deacon King Kong" by James McBride is a novel set in 1969 Brooklyn, where a drunken Deacon Sportcoat shoots a drug dealer named Deems Clemens in the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project. The shooting sets off a chain of events that brings together a cast of characters from the neighborhood, including a young drug dealer, a church-going widow, a corrupt cop, and a group of elderly church women. Through their perspectives, McBride explores themes of race, religion, and community in a vibrant and humorous tale.

"The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois" is a multi-generational family saga that explores the complexities of race, identity, and history through the experiences of Ailey Pearl Garfield. As a young woman, Ailey is haunted by the legacy of her family's slave-owning past and struggles to reconcile her own sense of self with the expectations of her community. Along the way, she uncovers the stories of her ancestors, including the famed civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, and grapples with the enduring impact of racism in America. With lyrical prose and a rich cast of characters, Honoree Fanonne Jeffers' novel is a powerful meditation on the enduring power of love and the search for belonging in a divided world.

In this introspective novel, a diary washes ashore on a remote Canadian island, bridging two disparate worlds. The journal, written by Nao, a troubled Japanese teenager, chronicles her life, her contemplation of suicide, and her relationship with her great-grandmother, a Zen Buddhist nun. The diary is discovered by a novelist, who becomes engrossed by Nao's story and is compelled to unravel the mysteries of Nao's fate and her own connection to the young girl. As the novelist reads, the boundaries between writer and reader, past and present, fiction and reality blur, creating a meditation on time, loss, and the intricate threads that connect human lives across the globe.

This novel is a rich tapestry of family history and Mexican and American cultures, told through the eyes of a young girl, Lala Reyes, during her annual road trips to Mexico City. The narrative weaves through generations, focusing on the complexities of family dynamics, identity, and the search for one's place within two cultures. Central to the story is the symbolic caramelo rebozo, a striped shawl inherited from Lala's grandmother, which serves as a metaphor for the blending of traditions, histories, and the colorful stories that make up Lala's heritage. Through vivid storytelling, the book explores themes of memory, storytelling, and the immigrant experience, offering a poignant look at the bonds that tie families together across borders and generations.

The novel is a poignant exploration of friendship, memory, and loss, set against the backdrop of 1970s Brooklyn. It follows the coming-of-age story of August, an African American girl who, along with her friends Sylvia, Angela, and Gigi, navigates the complexities of adolescence, the harsh realities of their neighborhood, and the unyielding bonds of friendship. As August looks back on her youth from her adult years, the narrative weaves a tapestry of her past experiences, capturing the joy, vulnerability, and resilience of young black girls growing up in a world that often fails to protect them.

"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett is a novel that tells the story of twin sisters, Desiree and Stella, who grow up in a small, southern black community in the 1950s and 60s. After running away from home at the age of 16, Stella decides to pass as white and marries a wealthy white man, while Desiree returns to their hometown with her dark-skinned daughter. The novel explores themes of identity, race, family, and the consequences of choices made in the past. As the sisters' lives diverge, their daughters' paths cross, and secrets are revealed, ultimately leading to a powerful and emotional conclusion.

"Red at the Bone" is a multi-generational novel that explores the lasting impact of past decisions on the present and future. The story begins at a 16-year-old girl's coming-of-age ceremony in Brooklyn and then delves into the past, revealing the complex histories of her parents and grandparents. The narrative is a powerful exploration of identity, ambition, love, and the ways in which history and personal circumstances can shape a family's life.

Set in the 1970s, the novel follows a group of young idealists who form a commune in the wilderness of Alaska with the goal of creating a utopia. The story explores the dynamics within the group, the challenges they face living off the land, and the clash between their ideals and the harsh realities of life in the wilderness. The book also delves into the tension between the commune and the local Alaskan community.