Best books...chosen by Molly Antopol

Last year, the San Francisco–based author was named a ‘5 Under 35’ winner by the National Book Foundation.

Molly Antopol’s debut story collection, The UnAmericans, was published in February by W.W. Norton. Last year, the San Francisco–based author was named a ‘5 Under 35’ winner by the National Book Foundation.

Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin (Vintage, $15). Only when I first read Baldwin did I see how emotionally direct stories can be while never approaching sappiness. It’s as if every one of his stories is something Baldwin felt he needed to write, that he was more interested in being honest than in wowing the reader with his cleverness.

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