Tahj: “I was making deliveries to apartment buildings on the Upper West Side. There was a box full of books in one of the buildings and this one stood out to me. This book is in pristine condition. The inscription reads: to Sanna, from Mom. The author, Richard Dawkins, is amazing. In this book he answers the questions I want answers to, like who was the first man, and why there are so many animals.” #newyork

Lindsay: “It‘s a dark story about a British woman who goes to Japan to work and pay off her credit card debt. She works as a hostess in the sex industry and ends up being murdered. The problem is that it‘s a white dude writing about a woman‘s life—he‘s coming at this book with a complete outsider perspective. I‘m sure there are plenty of Japanese authors who write about their country but I wouldn‘t even know where to find them.” #newyork

Josefa: “It‘s a futuristic sci-fi story about young women who have electricity within themselves that they can use on people. They are about to take over when they get shunned from society—of course. I have to read 100 pages a day because I get all my books from the New York Public Library and last month I got eight books at once which are all due next week. This is my 25th book this year. The non-fictions have been slowing me down.”

Halie: “I‘m just getting to know the characters. Marie-Laure is one of them. She is blind and it‘s interesting to read about how she‘s facing that challenge, especially at the beginning of World War II. This is not even remotely close to her experience, but I recently tore my ACL and getting around was really difficult. I definitely have more compassion for those who have much harder and more permanent challenges to face.”

Bisila: “This book is a bit like if ‘The Handmaid‘s Tale‘ happened in a beehive. The author uses how insects interact to create a world that‘s scarily similar to ours. Obviously bees have categories and hierarchies and the protagonist is from the lowest kind, but she has physical powers that transcend that, so she is a menace to the system. It‘s been called a dystopian story but I don‘t really think it is—it feels too much like the real world!”

Juhee: "I grew up in the South and already know a lot of the history, but I like the perspective of formidable minds. This book is based on Maya Angelou's life. I cry on the subway when I read it. She is so honest and mature, despite having been forced into such a disadvantaged life where she had to figure out everything for herself. What's happening in our country is saddening, but in the end, this is the story of a powerful woman."

Yrsa: “Salt is a beautiful collection of poetry. I love writing that‘s rich in imagery and magic. Poetry is absolutely having a moment. I think it has to do with how shareable it is on social media. It‘s no longer for academics and intellectuals. Poetry belongs to us all. We all have a right to it.” #yrsadaleyward #nationalpoetrymonth

Leena: "Radwa Ashour got me interested in painful true stories. This novel, Blue Lorries, is about student activism against authoritarian regimes. It‘s a magnificent novel and it carries so much of our reality. I got into politics as a freshman and was part of an activist group that called for student‘s safety and rights. I bought this book, read it, and better understood how the world of politics works. You will never regret reading this story.”

Chloe: “This book is about a tooth. My brother has lost a tooth before—I have never lost a tooth before. And I don‘t mind going to the dentist because they give me lollipops.”

Marlene: “I‘m interested in social movements, especially now that there is a lot of violence and helplessness caused by the government. The authors of this book are The Invisible Committee and remain anonymous. They don‘t believe in the importance of an individual. They want to create a community where everyone has a role in the social structure. I‘m a political scientist. It‘s my duty to find new ways of organizing ourselves as a society.”

Nora: “This is the second book in the Southern Reach Trilogy. It‘s about an area that has emerged and is supposed to be pristine wilderness. The government keeps sending expeditions into Area X and they come back slightly off or completely changed. It‘s very mysterious. I work for the government at the Department of Education. Maybe there‘s a metaphysical thing going on—me being a government worker who reads sci-fi.”

Akofa: “The story seems to be about fraternal twins who live in India and end up being separated by a huge tragedy. You‘re really rooting for them to keep their joy but you know right away that it‘s not a possibility. Right now, I‘m trying to read women authors of color from around the world and I‘m really interested in immigrant stories. People are so similar across the world—despite different upbringings and histories. Our desires are the same.”

Owen: “I‘m reading this book for my women‘s health concerns class. We‘re working through topics like reproductive health, gender identity, self-esteem, and how to navigate the health care system as a woman. Women thriving around the world is the most important thing we can invest in. If you are radical in your politics and want to eliminate oppression, you have to look at all the intersections. This book is accessible and heart-wrenching.“

Jesse: “I read a lot of non-fiction. It‘s hard to find fiction that keeps my interest. This story is about a college baseball star‘s life. There are a lot of twists and turns that intertwine people and events. My boyfriend and I traded book suggestions. He gave me this book and the Count of Monte Cristo. I gave him The Book Thief and Dracula by Bram Stoker. Our rule was to give each other an all-time favorite and the last great book we read.“

Felix: “Minecraft is a game where you can create stuff or you can fight monsters. This is a Minecraft book about the Gameknight fighting Herobrine. It‘s the great war fought between the monsters and the NPCs. Reading a book about a game is fun. You can imagine that you are in the game itself. My sister likes Minecraft —but she really likes games with animals.”

Ellie: ”I‘m interested in psychology. My parents are psychologists and my grandfather was too. I think people who seek introspection become psychologists. This book is about the history of mental illness in the US. Back in the day, mentally ill people were generally seen as ‘a plague to society‘ and a lot of bad science was used to ‘cure‘ them — like electroshock therapy. I‘m taking a humanistic view. Everybody has different needs.”

Maya: “This is about a young, married, Black couple. They are starry-eyed but know it will get complicated as time goes on. A year into the marriage, the husband is accused of rape and sentenced to 12 years in jail. It completely throws off their marriage. I just went through a big breakup. We were in love and suddenly it fell apart. The story is done and there won‘t be a sequel. Maybe that‘s why I‘ve been on a major book consuming spree.”

Irina: “This is a detective novel and a murder mystery that‘s part of a series. The story is very interesting—the characters seem very real. The detective is not a perfect hero. He has his demons and is an alcoholic. You really feel for him when he has a bad day or messes up. I like reading stories that are very different from my life. I‘m an actress-slash-waitress and I have never solved a mystery. I‘d love to have the opportunity though!”

Aaron: “I read 10 pages every day and I started on Christmas. The book has 1130 pages. That means it will take me 113 days to finish it. I watched the reboot, which was awesome, and I thought why not give the ginormous book a chance. I‘m not scared reading it. But I think if someone tried to read the whole book in one day it might kill them.” #newyork

Elissa: "I left my previous copy of this book in a cab on accident and just bought it again. It's so good. With everything that's going on, I'm trying to read books that share different perspectives of America. I want to be less in a bubble – actually, it's not even about my bubble. I want to see what people who aren't me are thinking. Someone with a different life is someone I can learn a lot from.”

Citlalli: “The title might be misleading. I don't think Bukowski is having a bad time. He writes about his experience with women, but also reflects on his feelings about mankind. I like the poem 'The Crunch'. It‘s about how we all have wounds, but we don't want to understand the wounds other people have. Having empathy can be difficult. It‘s been over a year that a book has made me cry, but this poem did it.” #MexicoCity

Rachael: “This book was written in ‘86 and was given to me by my business partner‘s husband‘s dad. Everything in this book still applies to business today. Something I‘ve learned is that you have to understand other people‘s point of view and why people do what they do. It reminds me of something my grandfather said: ‘Business is business and people are people. Do good business with good people.‘

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Eduardo: “This is the final book in a series. I‘ve already read it, but I‘m reading it again because it‘s exciting. The story is about five dragons and a prophecy. The dragons have unique ways of being brave. I like that. My way of being brave is being smart and having ideas.”

Bryant: “This book is about us, human beings, becoming more transparent. It helps me to understand who I am. We tend to look at each other from the outside. But inside, in the heart, we‘re all the same. Some people block it with their ego, like Donald Trump. Meditation gets us unblocked. You have to be still to go within. All the answers are inside.”

Celia: “I read ‘His Dark Materials‘ when I was little and am indulging my inner child with this prequel. I remember being completely mind blown by the idea of having a daemon, which is like your spirit animal or a manifestation of your inner-self. I once took a quiz on the Internet to determine what my spirit animal is, and it said it‘s a fox. I‘m convinced it should be an owl, though. I like observing.” #london

Boat: “Yes, my name is Boat, like sailboat. My parents are eccentric and gave me a fun name. Eccentric means they‘re kind and free-thinkers. My dad recommended this book to me because he loved it. The story is about growing up as a girl. Each sentence feels very truthful. The women in the story are objects of admiration and the main character, Evie, lusts after them and their aura. I‘ve had plenty of girl crushes in my life so I relate to her.”

Nisan: “These are notes from Dostoyevsky‘s alter ego. He finds humans ungrateful, himself included, and that people only tend to care about their own desires. I think that‘s true. You hear the words ‘I love you‘ every day but I don‘t think people mean it. It‘s been a while since I‘ve told someone I love them. Words loose their meaning when you overuse them – it‘s like chewing gum that you chew too much.”

Charlie: "It's about a little girl named Meg and she's very bad at school. Meg has a brother named Charles Wallace. They go on an adventure that takes place between planets and time. I like the book because it's science fiction. It shows cool stuff that you can't do in real life. I like monsters and making things up." #repost

Alejandro: "When I think about books, I always think about the author. Finding this author was like walking into a record store in the 70s and finding an album by Nick Drake. I found a treasure. I love that Liceaga creates absurd characters and uses the colloquial Mexican language as well as big expressions. The sensation is like vertigo. For me reading is a pleasure, but not in a relaxing way. Reading is like a combat with life.”

Olivia: “I wanted to read ‘The Shining‘ in October to get in the mood for Halloween. I like that there‘s a deep history with the hotel, which is also the antagonist in the story. It‘s a malevolent and evil place. What makes a place evil is whatever inhabits it. Energies create a mood or a feeling and accumulate the more congested a place is. New York has great energy. New York is my favorite place in the world.”

Elsa: “The Handmaid‘s Tale made me think this would be more sci-fi. This story is about a group of women who thought one of them was dead but it turns out she is alive. Atwood describes a lot of details about the women‘s lives. I‘ve been reading more feminist sci-fi lately, like Octavia Butler. I think it‘s topical to read about the dystopian future of America. A lot has to change. People have to commit to uphold a vision of equality.”

Eileen Myles: “Acker sprung out of the poetry world and dealt with many things, like porn and prestige, and the legacy of William Burroughs. She rode the glamour train and did it with a shaved head and piercings. We live in a dying resurgence of the patriarchy. While we‘re winning, we need people who counter this resurgence. Acker has been dead for 20 years, but she stands as a monument to herself. Waves come back.”

Ingrid: “The story is about a man who attends his mother‘s funeral and the reactions he does and does not have. I just started high school and our teacher let us choose between this book and ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude.‘ I chose Camus. I usually prefer it when authors write about their own experiences, but this story is different. I like it. I‘ve never read a philosophy book and thought it would be hard to read, but it doesn‘t feel like that.“

Yrsa: “Salt is a beautiful collection of poetry. The author wrote it for people of color, and I find so much strength in it. I love things that are rich in imagery and magic. Poetry is absolutely having a moment right now. I think it has to do with social media and how shareable it makes poetry. It‘s no longer for academics and intellectuals. It belongs to us all, we all have a right to it.”

Muriel: “You know right away that the author lives on the edge and that she is stubborn but also so smart. It‘s a refreshing, gut-wrenching, and startlingly honest memoir. She starts to describe what you think is just a regular crush, until you realize that her crush is a woman. You get that sexuality is on a spectrum and that you can love anybody. We always imagine all of these experiences and they are always realer than we think.”

Gaia: “I‘m from Mexico and have lived in the United States for three years. I want to know more about the culture and the writers of this country. I watched ‘I Am Not Your Negro‘ and it made me want to read James Baldwin. The way he writes and tells stories is astonishing and intimate. I just started ‘Another Country‘ but have already dug in. So far it‘s about a Black man who is homeless. I‘m just starting to get a glimpse of his previous life.”

Amanda: "My commutes were getting frustrating so I made a conscious choice to read on the subway. I never buy two books at the same time but I accidentally bought ‘My Life on the Road‘ and ‘On the Move‘ together. What's funny is that they are both about unconventional lives and both authors talk about their love for living a life full of curiosity and openness. Am I on the move? Yes. I'm going to work and then to the dentist."

Lisa: "I like books about history. This one is about a search for a lost civilization in the Amazon. Before this, I read Isabel Wilkerson's book about the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement and Hamilton. The way we learn history in school isn't very much about story. It's a presentation of selected facts. Take Columbus Day. We're taught about it is from a Eurocentric perspective. Now we're starting to consider the Indigenous point of view.”

Melina: “Salinger is one of my favorite authors. This is a collection of short stories which is great for subway trips. You get brief glimpses into people‘s life. He‘s a slow writer and the story doesn‘t move too quickly so it feels like you are reading about these lives in real time. Things are moving so quickly and rapidly. It‘s important to find wholesome pockets of time and to enjoy being here rather than just rushing through.”

Eric: "I like reading about what makes people who they are. This is Tom Petty's biography. The author toured with Petty and obviously knows him very well. He writes about Petty's grandmother and the conditions under which he grew up. Reading about people who seem larger than life humanizes them and gives context to their success. I'm a musician this is like a bible for people with my interests – or at least a set of guidelines." #repost

Kerly: "This is a thriller from the 50s and about two strangers on a train. One is a psychopath and the other one is an architect. The two decide to murder someone for each other. The architect is not such a bad person but he's being influenced by the psychopath. I've influenced people before, like my sister or cousin, to do something they didn't want to do. When they want to say no I ask them, when have I ever taken to a place you didn't like?"

Christian: "I was in London with my friends, in this record store called Rough Trade, and saw this book in the sex section, which makes sense. The main character is having a lot of sex. The way Miller writes feels like you're running through a whirlwind of thoughts – it's really fun." / Full review on Instagram @SubwayBookReview

Danielle: "I'm teaching a course on racism at City College this Fall. Racism is on my students' minds. I'd like to assign this book or portions of it during my course. 'Between the World and Me' expresses the enduring tragedy of racism in the United States. 'The New Jim Crow' will also be required reading for my class. It's my personal and professional obligation to examine this topic as a part of an intellectual community." #repost

Yujin: "I'm from Korea and am reading the book in my mother language. I don't go to Korea often but got a chance to go this summer. I brought back 20 books by Sartre, Camus and other philosophers and thinkers. I love to hear about what was on their mind and see their thought process. Those are the writers I want to read in my native language. When I read I tend to whisper the words out loud. I like to taste the words."

"Wanderlust is a portrait of a simple act that can become very personal. Walking can be a pilgrimage or a political act – it's very creative. My characters are always in motion. They are trying to escape and find themselves." - RodrigoHasbún / Full story on Instagram

Brenda: “This novel is set in Lagos, Nigeria. Even though I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, I can relate to a lot of it. It captures how people put their assumptions on you. On the tube one time, I was wearing a short skirt and this older African woman was signaling me to put my legs together. It was funny because it's something I'd expect my aunties would do. But at the same time, how dare you? Mind your own business.”

Megara: "The perspective of a Black woman who is a comedian makes you think about hair in a whole new way. I'm a hairdresser and grew up in a liberal home. I went straight to beauty school and didn't go to college. Obviously I'm not Black but I relate because I don't understand how other people can see anyone as less than they are. It's a natural instinct to look at someone and judge them. But it's better to not dwell on it and look again."

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Adam: "The 6 train has been my train since 1980. I'm terrified to think about how many times I've walked through these turnstiles and that I'm old enough to remember tokens. The subway experience and also the experience of New York City has changed so much. My book is a memoir and about the eternal pilgrimage of young couples who come to the city to build a life. The past is always a different place where they do things differently."