If the personal essay has never been more popular (and trust us, it hasn’t) could it spring from the tremor of recognition we find in other people’s experiences? In the hands of a writer like Samantha Irby, the essay becomes a common unifier, finding an echo in the knowing nods and laughs and gasps of readers. Drawing on her background in comedy, Irby mines pathos for humor in essays that are mordantly funny, self-deprecating, and profoundly human. To quote a laudatory New York Times review of her latest collection, Wow, No Thank You, "Read Irby because she understands the mutinies of the body. She understands suffering and uncertainty, and is wildly, seditiously funny on both.” Irby first came to prominence with her blog, bitches gotta eat, where she interrogated her everyday interactions in frank, unpretentious language, and invariably in the direction of a punchline. "I just started writing about all the dumb stuff that was happening to me every day, and then it kind of exploded," she told LitHub in 2017. It has not stopped exploding. Four books of essays followed, including Meaty, New Year, Same Trash, and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. Like one of her idols, David Sedaris, they revel in the absurdities of the human condition, a take we need now as much (if not more) than ever. Below are Samantha Irby's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Samantha Irby'S FAVORITE BOOKS

David Gray is an award-winning creative and writer, living on the edge of his beloved Red Hook in Brooklyn. He cheerfully admits that the ever-changing dockside neighborhood plays a big part in his writing, from the backdrop to his cyberpunk short story, Huskers, to the setting for his debut novel, the post-Armageddon (lite) Moonflowers. The stories of the Scots-born writer have appeared on the venerable podcast, Starship Sofa, acclaimed online magazine, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, upstart graphic imprint, Ahoy! Comics, and many more. In 2020 he plans to publish his contemporary Scottish fairy tale, Neverthere, and, distractions apart, complete the sequel to Moonflowers. He would like to be well-known enough to be considered reclusive. Below are David Gray's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

David Gray'S FAVORITE BOOKS

Helen McCrory initially turned down the role of playing a gangster matriarch in Peaky Blinders, the cult drama series that is set in Birmingham between the wars. The era seemed too redolent of her grandparents’ childhoods in the slums of Glasgow. But when the creator suggested she think of it in terms of classic Westerns, she reconsidered. The show, which has had five seasons and counting, has made her name in the U.S., although she was a pitch-perfect Cherie Blair in The Queen, and a devilish Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. “Both of my parents are bookworms, and even though my dad was a diplomat, and we moved from place to place, the two things we took everywhere with us were paintings and books,” she says. “I’m appalled to say I do not like a Kindle or an audiobook; I like a paper book.” Who are we to disagree? Below are Helen McCrory's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Helen McCrory'S FAVORITE BOOKS

Born in Mexico City, where her Kenyan father was teaching at the time, Lupita Nyong’o has fast become one of America’s most celebrated actors. She won an Oscar for her movie debut in Steve McQueen’s searing film, 12 Years A Slave, and quickly expanded her audience as a Wankandan spy in 2018’s Black Panther, and as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars franchise. Although she considers theater her first love, TV and film has been the focus of much of her attention lately. She is currently at work as both a producer and actor on HBO’s adaptation of Chima­manda Ngozi Adichie’s bestselling novel, Americanah. When she’s not acting, she’s writing: in 2019 she published her first children’s book, Sulwe, about a young girl “born the color of midnight” who wishes for her dark skin to be lighter until learning to celebrate who she is. Asked to address the challenges of being black in Hollywood, Nyong’o told Vogue in 2017, “I don’t think of what I don’t have; I think of what I do, and use that to get the next thing.” Below are Lupita Nyong'o's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Lupita Nyong'o'S FAVORITE BOOKS

Born in Houston, Texas, and raised by his mother in Venezuela until returning to California as a teenager, the prolific musician Devendra Banhart is admired for his shimmering, folk-inflected psychedelia. “I can’t imagine anyone approaching art without the joy of experimentation,” he has said—an axiom borne out in his output. In a near two-decade career, Banhart has worked with Yoko Ono, Beck, and Caetano Veloso.  The self-described “very bad Buddhist,” and keen skateboarder, is also a visual artist and poet. His debut poetry collection, Weeping Gang Bliss Void Yab-Yum, was published in April 2019, and, like his songs, reflects a quirky, whimsical, at times melancholic sensibility. His most recent album is Ma, a collection of tender and elegant songs that speak to the Buddhist belief that everyone has been a mother at some point. Banhart is currently touring, and will be performing at Brooklyn Steel on December 5. Below are Devendra Banhart's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Devendra Banhart'S FAVORITE BOOKS