On Beauty - Zadie Smith

A true post-modern take on how people living in one culture can sometimes completely misunderstand another one or even to fail to comprehend it at all. Believe the hype!

The Human Stain - Philip Roth

My goodness, why hasn't this man gotten the Nobel he so richly deserves yet? Still, struggling mightily with the terrible lack of recognition which he's gotten over the years, Roth comes up with a novel that hasn't become dated at all in the years since it was published. And while it might read like a really, really involved persecution fantasy, The Human Stain shows once again what a keen observer of racial relations Roth is.

And if you don't have the time to read the novel, rent the movie. It's even better!