Best books … chosen by Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards writes about her husband’s infidelity and her second bout with cancer in Resilience, her new book about facing adversity.
Elizabeth Edwards writes about her husband’s infidelity and her second bout with cancer in Resilience, her new book about facing adversity.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James (Dover, $5). I am drawn to this novel because of the moral depth, and precision, of James’ fiction. As Graham Greene once said, James was the last writer to whom everything, every bit of life, was important. This is the story of a young American woman and the consequences of her decisions. Hers is a great American story, one of the best, of someone raised to be independent who has to discover how independence can survive responsibility.
The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (Vintage, $12). I could only skip Harper Lee’s work because I’m able to recommend another stunning Southern novel. Welty’s is a beautiful book for many reasons, for it is about the loss of those we love and yet also about the discovery of how that love remains—despite everything.
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.
Self Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Dover, $2). Perhaps no one understood the idea of integrity better than Emerson or was able to speak of it better than he did in “Self Reliance.” For him, integrity was not an occasional moral stance; it was the essential central fact of living. Emerson wrote on everything and wouldn’t let things rest—tried to understand what intelligence was, what love was, what loyalty was. There is in Emerson an aspect of the American spirit that is still alive today, or tries to be.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (Anchor, $14). A book about being honest. In writing. In life. It is funny and instructive, not an easy combination to pull off. But it is the simplicity of this unpretentious book that I find most irresistible. It makes you wish you had Anne Lamott as a friend.
Collected Poems by W.H. Auden (Vintage, $25). I love Auden. Few poets were so strong in grappling with what countries and governments can and should do, and at the same time could write such unsurpassed love lyrics. And there is much fun in Auden, much love of life.
Collected Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Harper, $23). Millay does not have the reputation she deserves. Her imagery, often barely noticeable, understands that much that we love in life is invested in minor moments and minor things that the great world would never notice, much less understand. Perhaps that is why they matter so much.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
El Palace Barcelona: old-world luxury in the heart of the city
The Week Recommends This historic hotel is set within a former Ritz outpost moments from the Passeig de Gràcia
-
The best history books to read in 2025
The Week Recommends These fascinating deep-dives are perfect for history buffs
-
July 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include the danger of talking politics at a family picnic, and disappearing Medicaid entitlements
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more