Before Donna Tartt, Andrew Sean Greer, Louise Erdrich, and Jonathan Lethem became revered authors, they were first reverent readers. In this ebullient book, librarian Nancy Pearl and playwright Jeff Schwager interview a diverse range of 23 notable and influential American writers about the books that shaped them and inspired them to leave their own literary mark. Writers like Jennifer Egan, Luis Alberto Urrea, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Laila Lalami, and Michael Chabon passionately discuss the books that made them think, brought them joy, and changed their lives.