the poet x, by elizabeth acevedo (written in verse, this YA novel definitely didn't have me as its target audience, but i really enjoyed reading it and can see why it won the printz and other awards. would highly recommend to a teenage audience or to adults who like reading YA. if YA isn't your thing, skip it.)
chain gang all-stars, by nana kwame adjei-brenyah (this is a "read with jenna" book club pick that started out hard to follow (for me) but i fell into the rhythms and the story line and am really glad i read this one. i'd describe it as hunger games meets a commentary on the american prison-industrial complex. i like many of the books that jenna bush hager recommends through her book club, but this one stopped me in my tracks: the daughter of the former republican president has elevated - perhaps even changed forever - the career of a black american author by featuring his debut novel in her book club. and that debut novel is an overt critique of our prison system. many people will read this book and learn and perhaps change their minds on this topic who never would have picked it up had she not told them to. huge props to her for using her platform in such a way.)
the lover's dictionary, by david levithan (the new york times review of books recommended this in an instagram story a few months ago highlighting great short books. i really liked this - the story of the building and crumbling of a relationship through dictionary entries. i finished it in a day and a half and think it would be the PERFECT book to take on a plane ride. recommend!)
