25 Books Cheryl Strayed Wants You to Read

Author of Tiny Beautiful Things shares her top 25 reads

4 min readSep 4, 2017

Cheryl Strayed, author of the number one New York Times bestseller-turned-movie, Wild, and co-host of the popular New York Times’ “Dear Sugar” podcast, shared 25 of her top reads with us. In sharing them, she noted, “My list is composed of a combination of books I’ve read over the past year or so and books I read decades ago (and were influential). It’s not a comprehensive list. There are not my favorite 25 books of all time, but rather books I admired.” And we admire your candor, Cheryl. Take a look at these amazing reads that have influenced this bad-ass female author.

(PS: Cheryl Strayed’s book, Tiny Beautiful Things, has been adapted for the stage and will play at The Public Theater in Fall of 2017. We’re excited.)

Top 10 Picks

1. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Both humorous and dark, this comic memoir traces the coming of age of a queer teenager as she learns about her secretive, closeted father.

2. Citizen by Claudia Rankine

These poignant essays and poems uncover painful truths about race and gender in society today.

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

A complex and heart-wrenching tale, The Bluest Eye explores notions of beauty and conformity for a young black girl trying to attain her idea of perfection.

4. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie

Relationships can be complicated, and Alexie shows how love, trauma, and loss affected his family connections growing up.

5. Outline by Rachel Cusk

This beautifully written stream-of-consciousness novel showcases the life of a creative writing teacher through ten conversations.

6. Love and Trouble by Claire Dederer

A married mother of two experiences a midlife crisis and brand new sexual awakening that causes her to recall her wild past as a teenager in this surprising and intelligent memoir.

7. Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith’s compelling perspective on life shines through in these essays about her personal experiences and views on culture.

8. Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Powerful, haunting, fearless. These are a few words that have been used to describe these poems about a refugee coming to terms with his understanding of American history and his place in society.

9. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay shares her thoughtful and often humorous perspective on culture, media, politics, and feminism as a woman of color.

10. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn

This memoir offers an honest look at a son impacted by his father’s alcoholism. The author depicts their interaction at a homeless shelter, where the son becomes a caseworker for his homeless father.