Curtis Sittenfeld: my five best books
The author of American Wife and Prep picks her favourite non-fiction books
Curtis Sittenfeld is a judge for this year’s Sunday Times Audible Short Story Prize, which will be announced on 8 July. Her novel Rodham is now out in paperback.
1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari (2011)
Although I’m a novelist, I’ve been consuming non-fiction to try to understand how we – Americans specifically, human beings in general – arrived at this point. Sapiens, which starts with the Big Bang and runs to the recent past, helped me to contextualise just how fleeting – and precarious – our moment in time is.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Vintage £10.99; The Week Bookshop £8.99
2. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson (2020)
That the US has a deeply racist history is not exactly news, but Wilkerson’s lucid analysis challenged me to think about racism in new ways. She’s exceptionally good at telling vivid anecdotes about both minor moments and enormous historical tragedies.
Allen Lane £20; The Week Bookshop £15.99
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
3. The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap
Stephanie Coontz (1992)
Published in 1992 and reissued in updated form in 2016, this book argues that much of the received wisdom about “traditional” families is based on 1950s American sitcoms – even though the 1950s were ahistorical and atypical in terms of gender roles and economic opportunity.
Basic Books £15.99; The Week Bookshop £12.99
4. Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire
Brad Stone (2021)
Amazon’s reach is so extensive that it can seem easier to list the few areas of commerce that it doesn’t touch than the many it does. Stone even-handedly describes the history, expansion and major personalities of the company.
Simon & Schuster £20; The Week Bookshop £15.99
5. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed
Jon Ronson (2015)
I’ve been listening to the audio version of this book, perfectly read by the author. I had the idea that Ronson’s take on online shaming would be coolly analytical, but I was mistaken – though what it describes is deeply disturbing, the book is warmly anecdotal and often oddly funny.
Pan Macmillan £9.99; The Week Bookshop £7.99
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'
The Week Recommends The 'period-perfect' production features a 'universally excellent cast'
By The Week UK Published
-
Best music albums: new releases of 2024
The Week Recommends A round-up of the best pop, dance, indie, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
6 inviting homes with rental units
Feature Featuring a restored Victorian home in Illinois and ocean-view windows in Nova Scotia
By The Week Staff Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puglia's rich medieval heritage
The Week Recommends Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II built 'the most flawless of all medieval European castles' in the southern Italian region
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: chickpea, cavolo nero and harissa stew
The Week Recommends Tinned tomatoes are warmed by harissa paste and become the base for a versatile stew
By The Week UK Published
-
A Very Private School: a 'moving, if sadly familiar' story from Charles Spencer
The Week Recommends Memoir of the privately educated boarder makes for 'horrific reading'
By The Week UK Published
-
Tropical Modernism: Architecture & Independence – rise and fall of unique design
the week recommends A 'nuanced' and 'scholarly' examination of European architecture across the 'late British empire'
By The Week UK Published