The last year was a hard one, but it was a great time to read lots of books—to fill the time, to cope with anxiety, and to learn more about our world. According to DC Public Library, 2020 found “customers exploring and adjusting to this year’s events,” judging by the books that they checked out.
So what were we actually reading this year? Below are the top reads of 2020, according to the DCPL.
Top 10 Non-Fiction Ebooks
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, by Layla Saad
Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover
Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Yellow House: A Memoir, by Sarah M. Broom
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed, by Lori Gottlieb
How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, by John Carreyrou
Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books
Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-delusion, by Jia Tolentino
Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, by Ronan Farrow
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, by Mira Jacob
Hillbilly Elegy: a Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J. D. Vance
Top 10 Fiction Ebooks
Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid
Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo
Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett
The Goldfinch, by Tartt, Donna
Normal People, by Sally Rooney
An American Marriage:, by Tayari Jones
Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan
Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty
Top 10 Fiction Books
Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood
The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead
There There, by Tommy Orange
Normal People, by Sally Rooney
Circe, by Madeline Miller
The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett
Jacqueline comes to Washingtonian with close to five years of digital content experience and SEO best practices. She previously was a senior editorial associate at WeddingWire, specializing in wedding fashion, and before that, an assistant at Vow Bride. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she now lives in Columbia Heights.
