The Atlantic 10: The Best Books of the Year

The editors of The Atlantic have selected their picks for the 10 best books of the year. "We were drawn to ambitious projects, and looked for writing that was clear and beautiful," reads the editorial note. "Most important, we searched for books that you won’t be able to put down." The five fiction picks included Booker winner David Diop's Beyond the Door of No Return and Emily Wilson's highly acclaimed new translation of The Iliad. The five nonfiction picks included the widely praised memoir by Safiya Sinclair of her dysfunctional upbringing in Jamaica and David Leonhardt's history of the American dream.