Emma Stone Book Recommendations

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood is a representative dystopian novel, said to be among the most important literature works written in the 20th century that deals with totalitarianism, which requires the military enslavement of fertile women to produce children. At the same time, it provides a stark warning of the erosion of the right to the female and the dangers such extremist ideologies present with power, control, and resistance in this powerful, chilling tale.

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern is a breathtaking novel about a phantasmagoric circus that is an illusion of the platform for a magical battle between two young illusionists. The story tells—lushly imaginatively—an imaginative love story of love and fate against the strange cosmic wonder that will enthrall readers with an appetite for vibrant imagery and a heady, moving plot.

A memoir of friendship and coming-of-age, the story details the relationship between the two artists dealing with the bohemian New York City of the late 1960s and 1970s. It maps their struggles, growth, and aspirations as friends and partners, through establishing themselves as influential creators in their own right. Set in a swirling, vibrant and changing city, pure testament to the power of creativity, love and resilience. This report, intimate in its form, presents a window on the lives of two young people determined to make art true to themselves in a touching reaffirmation of the importance of friendship and pursuit of the dream.

"Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger is a complex, soul-searching spiritual and existential pathos journey of siblings belonging to the Glass family. Their dialogues and inner tussle bring forth issues related to religion, fame, and finding one's own self in the characters of post-war America.

"Blue Nights" is Joan Didion's deeply personal account of mourning her daughter's death. We follow as Didion revisits questions of aging, memory, and loss, giving a tender look at life's frailty and the pain of parental grief against a background of her time in New York and Los Angeles, using reflective prose.

In "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters," Seymour: An Introduction, Salinger follows up with an illustration of the inanities of the Glass family over Seymour Glass's wedding day and the comments thereafter made by his brother, Buddy. At the same time, it provides a more vivid insight into the intellectual and emotional depth of the members of the Glass family and further reveals more of Salinger's sophisticated talent with his philosophical judgments.