Miranda Beverly-Whittemore recommends 6 books that explore the quest for home
The novelist recommends works by Meg Wolitzer, Kaitlyn Greenidge, and more
![Miranda BW.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qHpYcok44DNEX6VAjM6rse-415-80.jpg)
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's new novel, Fierce Little Thing, follows five friends as they return to the Maine commune where they grew up. Below, the author of June and Bittersweet recommends other books that explore the complex quest for home.
Love and Trouble by Claire Dederer (2017).
In this propulsive memoir, Dederer hungers for meaning during what some might call a "midlife crisis," recalling a parallel era — her adolescence — when she felt similarly undone. The memories of her expanding mind and burgeoning sexuality during that time give her hope that she has the capacity to once again remake herself. Buy it here.
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge (2021).
This beautifully written novel starts in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn and follows Libertie Sampson — who is constantly compared with her mother, one of America's first Black female physicians — first to college in Ohio, then on to married life in Haiti. Throughout, Libertie quests to find a place where she can be herself, not despite who she is, but because of it. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
Arcadia by Lauren Groff (2012).
In Groff's luscious second novel, we're introduced to Arcadia, a commune in upstate New York, through the eyes of Bit, a child who has never known another home. But as the interests and passions of the adults splinter and as Bit grows, he must survive and navigate the outside world. Buy it here.
Good Talk by Mira Jacob (2019).
Jacob's intimate graphic memoir chronicles the questions her young son, who's half Jewish and half Indian, has about race, color, and love. Her answers are found in a handful of conversations from her past. The book, as it unfolds, becomes both a map to the American experience in the age of Trump and a moving exploration of motherhood. Buy it here.
Searching for Zion by Emily Raboteau (2013).
This whip-smart memoir follows Raboteau, a young, biracial American woman, on her personal quest for home as she learns from various people who've searched for the Promised Land. Raboteau's journey from Israel to Jamaica, Ethiopia, Ghana, and through the southern United States is both a thrilling human adventure and an impeccably researched travelogue. Buy it here.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (2013).
In this decades-spanning novel, six teenagers become inseparable at summer camp — and then grow up. As they navigate varied adult lives and a shattering secret, the shared space of their friendship can sometimes seem sacred, sometimes cloying, but it is never to be ignored. Buy it here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Codeword: July 25, 2024
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine's Olympians: going for gold in the line of fire
Under the Radar Hundreds of the country's athletes have died in battle, while those who remain deal with the psychological toll of war and prospect of Russian competitors
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 riveting books to read this July
The Week Recommends The author behind the 'Magicians' trilogy turns his eye to King Arthur and Persephone gets a West African twist
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
8 new cookbooks ready to make your summer hum
The Week Recommends The most special of Vietnamese food, Italian American baking for all and a primer on turning beloved cocktails into freezer versions of themselves
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
5 satisfying books to read this June
The Week Recommends Tomi Adeyemi concludes her series, Questlove does hip-hop history and an experimental novel bends the rules
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Cristina Rivera Garza continues crossing borders into award-winning territories
In the Spotlight The prolific Mexican author just won the 2024 Pulitzer for Memoir or Autobiography
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
5 captivating books to read in May
the week recommends Brittney Griner tells her own story, a coming-of-middle-age novel, and a new book for 'Crazy Rich Asians' fans
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
5 stellar TV series based on award-winning novels
The Week Recommends Max's 'The Sympathizer' is not the only successful adaptation of prestige fiction
By David Faris Published
-
6 queer poets to read whenever but especially now
The Week Recommends April is National Poetry Month
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
5 illuminating books to read in April
the week recommends A poetry collection curated by the U.S. Poet Laureate, another adult novel from Julia Alvarez and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published