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The New York Times

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times asked 503 novelists, critics, poets and other book lovers to name the best books published since January 1, 2000. These are the 100 that came out on top, ranked.

View the original list

July 2024

100 books

1

Cover of My Brilliant Friend

My Brilliant Friend

Ann Goldstein, 2011

HistoricalDrama+1

2

Cover of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

Isabel Wilkerson, 2010

HistoricalNon-Fiction

3

Cover of Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall

Hilary Mantel, 2009

ClassicsHistorical+1

4

Cover of The Known World

The Known World

Edward P. Jones, 2003

5

Cover of The Corrections

The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen, 2001

ClassicsMystery

6

Cover of 2666

2666

Natasha Wimmer, 2004

ClassicsMystery+1

7

Cover of The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead, 2016

FantasyHistorical+1

8

Cover of Austerlitz

Austerlitz

Anthea Bell, 2001

9

Cover of Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro, 2000

Sci-FiClassics+1

10

Cover of Gilead

Gilead

Marilynne Robinson, 2004

11

Cover of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Díaz, 2007

ClassicsFantasy+1

12

Cover of The Year of Magical Thinking

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion, 2005

ClassicsBiography+1

13

Cover of The Road

The Road

Cormac McCarthy, 2006

Sci-FiClassics+1

14

Cover of Outline

Outline

Rachel Cusk, 2014

15

Cover of Pachinko

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee, 2017

HistoricalClassics

16

Cover of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Michael Chabon, 2000

ClassicsFantasy+1

17

Cover of The Sellout

The Sellout

Paul Beatty, 2015

18

Cover of Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders, 2017

FantasyHistorical

19

Cover of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Patrick Radden Keefe, 2018

MysteryNon-Fiction+1

20

Cover of Erasure

Erasure

Percival Everett, 2001

21

Cover of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Matthew Desmond, 2016

22

Cover of Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

Katherine Boo, 2011

Non-FictionHistorical+1

23

Cover of Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Alice Munro, 2001

ClassicsRomance

24

Cover of The Overstory

The Overstory

Richard Powers, 2018

25

Cover of Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, 2003

26

Cover of Atonement

Atonement

Ian McEwan, 2001

ClassicsHistorical+1

27

Cover of Americanah

Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2013

ClassicsHistorical+1

28

Cover of Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas

David Mitchell, 2003

Sci-FiFantasy+1

29

Cover of The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai

Helen DeWitt, 2000

ClassicsAdventure

30

Cover of Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jesmyn Ward, 2017

FantasyChildren's

31

Cover of White Teeth

White Teeth

Zadie Smith, 2000

32

Cover of The Line of Beauty

The Line of Beauty

Alan Hollinghurst, 2004

ClassicsHistorical

33

Cover of Salvage the Bones

Salvage the Bones

Jesmyn Ward, 2011

34

Cover of Citizen: An American Lyric

Citizen: An American Lyric

Claudia Rankine, 2014

35

Cover of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Alison Bechdel, 1991

Children'sBiography+1

36

Cover of Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2015

ScienceSci-Fi+1

37

Cover of The Years

The Years

Alison L. Strayer, 2008

BiographyClassics

38

Cover of The Savage Detectives

The Savage Detectives

Roberto Bolaño, 1998

39

Cover of A Visit from the Goon Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad

Jennifer Egan, 2010

40

Cover of H is for Hawk

H is for Hawk

Helen Macdonald, 2008

BiographyScience+1

41

Cover of Small Things Like These

Small Things Like These

Claire Keegan, 2020

HistoricalMemoir

42

Cover of A Brief History of Seven Killings

A Brief History of Seven Killings

Marlon James, 2014

HistoricalThriller+1

43

Cover of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

Tony Judt, 2005

HistoricalNon-Fiction

44

Cover of The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin, 2015

FantasySci-Fi+1

45

Cover of The Argonauts

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson, 2015

BiographyRomance+1

46

Cover of The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt, 2013

ClassicsMystery

47

Cover of A Mercy

A Mercy

Toni Morrison, 2008

ClassicsHistorical+1

48

Cover of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Mattias Ripa, 2003

Children'sClassics+1

49

Cover of The Vegetarian

The Vegetarian

Han Kang, 2000

50

Cover of Trust

Trust

Ada Arduini, 2022

HistoricalMystery

51

Cover of Life After Life

Life After Life

Kate Atkinson, 2013

FantasySci-Fi+1

52

Cover of Train Dreams

Train Dreams

Denis Johnson, 2002

ClassicsHistorical+1

53

Cover of Runaway: Stories

Runaway: Stories

Alice Munro, 2003

54

Cover of Tenth of December

Tenth of December

George Saunders, 2012

Sci-FiClassics+1

55

Cover of The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Lawrence Wright, 2006

ScienceHistorical+1

56

Cover of The Flame Throwers

The Flame Throwers

Rachel Kushner, 2013

57

Cover of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

Barbara Ehrenreich, 2001

ClassicsBiography+1

58

Cover of Stay True

Stay True

Hua Hsu, 2022

BiographyMemoir

59

Cover of Middlesex

Middlesex

Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002

ClassicsHistorical+1

60

Cover of Heavy

Heavy

Kiese Laymon, 2018

BiographyScience+1

61

Cover of Demon Copperhead

Demon Copperhead

Barbara Kingsolver, 2022

HistoricalMystery+1

62

Cover of 10:04

10:04

Ben Lerner, 2014

63

Cover of Veronica

Veronica

Mary Gaitskill, 2005

64

Cover of The Great Believers

The Great Believers

Rebecca Makkai, 2018

HistoricalMemoir

65

Cover of The Plot Against America

The Plot Against America

Philip Roth, 2004

Sci-FiClassics+1

66

Cover of We the Animals

We the Animals

Justin Torres, 2011

67

Cover of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

Andrew Solomon, 2012

68

Cover of The Friend

The Friend

Sigrid Nunez, 2018

69

Cover of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Karen Chilton, 2010

ScienceHistorical+1

70

Cover of All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories

All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories

Edward P. Jones, 2006

71

Cover of The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood, Youth, Dependency

The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood, Youth, Dependency

Tove Ditlevsen, 1971

72

Cover of Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

Svetlana Alexievich, 2013

ScienceHistorical+1

73

Cover of The Passage of Power

The Passage of Power

Robert A. Caro, 2012

74

Cover of Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout, 2008

ClassicsHistorical

75

Cover of Exit West

Exit West

Mohsin Hamid, 2017

FantasySci-Fi+1

76

Cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin, 2022

ThrillerRomance+1

77

Cover of An American Marriage

An American Marriage

Tayari Jones, 1957

RomanceChildren's+1

78

Cover of Septology

Septology

Damion Searls, 2022

79

Cover of A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories

A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories

Lucia Berlin, 2015

80

Cover of The Story of the Lost Child

The Story of the Lost Child

Ann Goldstein, 2014

81

Cover of Pulphead

Pulphead

John Jeremiah Sullivan, 2011

82

Cover of Hurricane Season

Hurricane Season

Sophie Hughes, 2017

FantasyThriller+1

83

Cover of When We Cease to Understand the World

When We Cease to Understand the World

Adrian Nathan West, 2019

Sci-FiScience+1

84

Cover of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2010

ScienceBiography+1

85

Cover of Pastoralia

Pastoralia

George Saunders, 2000

Sci-FiFantasy+1

86

Cover of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

David W. Blight, 2018

BiographyHistorical

87

Cover of Detransition, Baby

Detransition, Baby

Victory Matsui, 2021

88

Cover of The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis, 2009

89

Cover of The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between

The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between

Hisham Matar, 2016

BiographyTravel+1

90

Cover of The Sympathizer

The Sympathizer

Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2015

91

Cover of The Human Stain

The Human Stain

Philip Roth, 1999

92

Cover of The Days of Abandonment

The Days of Abandonment

Ann Goldstein, 2002

ClassicsRomance

93

Cover of Station Eleven

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel, 2014

Sci-FiFantasy+1

94

Cover of On Beauty

On Beauty

Zadie Smith, 2005

ClassicsRomance

95

Cover of Bring Up the Bodies

Bring Up the Bodies

Hilary Mantel, 2012

HistoricalBiography

96

Cover of Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals

Saidiya Hartman, 2019

HistoricalRomance+1

97

Cover of Men We Reaped: A Memoir

Men We Reaped: A Memoir

Jesmyn Ward, 2013

BiographyMemoir

98

Cover of Bel Canto

Bel Canto

Ann Patchett, 2001

ClassicsRomance+1

99

Cover of How to Be Both

How to Be Both

Ali Smith, 2014

BiographyHistorical+1

100

Cover of Tree of Smoke

Tree of Smoke

Denis Johnson, 2004

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