Essential American Literature, According to PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Publishers Weekly picks 15 essential works of American literature, Barnes & Noble announces this year’s Discover Prize winner, a library quiz, and more. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Essential American Literature, According to PW

Publishers Weekly came up with a list of 15 essential works of American literature by polling their staff and identifying the top picks. These are books published in the U.S. since 1776 (the year the Declaration of Independence was issued, and the reason for this year’s U.S. semiquincentennial celebration). You’ll find an interesting mix of books on the list, including personal favorite and widely beloved classic Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; the book my sister and fellow nature nut read in high school and still talks about, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson; the book that won Colson Whitehead a Pulitzer and turned me into a forever-fan, The Underground Railroad; and a bestselling work of queer, trans fiction that became an instant classic, Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. I’m very into this list.

Kwame Alexander Gets an Imprint

It makes sense when a bestselling, award-winning author gets an imprint, so it might come as no surprise that Publishers Weekly announced the debut of Kwame Alexander Books. The Sourcebooks imprint from the prolific author of The Crossover will not be exclusive to Kid Lit but will publish everything from picture books to adult books. Discovery and mentorship of new voices will be a main feature of KAB; it will also serve as the home of Alexander’s future projects, including publishing a keepsake edition of his book for adults, Say Yes. “I’ve always believed it is my calling to create a literature that builds and restores,” said Alexander. “I want this imprint to breathe new life, to help young and old readers bring this space we call home back to life.”

The Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner

A quick shout-out to the winner of Barnes & Noble’s 2026 Discover Prize celebrating outstanding debut authors. This year’s prize winner is Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu. Yu’s novel follows the aftermath of decisions made by one town’s various characters who thought wrong that they only had minutes to live. Browse all of the 2026 Discover Prize finalists.

A Fun Quiz For Your Friday

If your Friday mood is in search of entertainment, The New York Times has a bookish quiz about legendary libraries. You win even if you score poorly because the answers drop down to more context around the libraries and their artifacts with links to full articles concerning the hallowed institutions. Take a trip around the globe and learn something new while you fitter away these last hours of the work week.

“Won’t Someone Think of the Children?”–Youth Library Cards and Privacy Q+A

The final installment in this series of posts about youth privacy and youth library cards in the public library brings the intertwining topics together in a Q+A intended to help libraries revisit their own policies. It’s also a piece intended to help the average library user understand what is happening in their own library and to advocate for stronger policies that protect young people and the libraries that serve them. I developed the questions, while Amy Mikel, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Brooklyn Public Library–who wrote last week’s incredible piece on library card policies being the new landscape of public library censorship–provided answers and insight from her research. These questions are organized around several themes.