15 Underrated Essay Collections Books You Should Read At Least Once

Rebecca Solnit is a genius with her words. In this book, she guides you towards a belief and also helps you make the discovery yourself. A scathing indictment of 'mansplaining,' the book is written comically and targets conversations between men and women. Known for popularising the term 'mansplaining,' this gem brings to light some awkward and angry encounters Rebecca has had with men. There are also bits of Virginia Woolf's inquiry into the equality in marriage, and it leaves you with an appreciation of what it takes to be a critic and not a cynic when it comes to gender and empowerment. 

Goodreads rating: 3.8/5

Author: Rebecca Solnit

Published year: 2014

Number of pages: 138 pages

Genre: Feminism

Part memoir and part blistering social critique, Kiese Laymon's collection of essays spotlights the American experience, targeting race and culture, and offers a vulnerable expression of his upbringing in Mississippi. Reading through the pages, you will realise there is no other black writer, interrogating and cataloguing black popular culture and racial politics in America like Kiese does. Many readers have identified hints of Mark Twain's distinctive writing style in his work, perceiving it as a harsh denunciation of the glamorous American life. 

Goodreads rating: 4.3/5

Author: Kiese Laymon

Published year: 2020

Number of pages: 144

Genre: Memoir, philosophy

This is a collection of essays that review everything on Earth as we know it, from the QWERTY keyboard to sunsets on a five-star scale. The book is a signature blend of Green's wit, earnestness, and intellectual curiosity. It is a funny exploration of a 'human-centred' world, as the author calls it, and feels like a friendly conversation that probes you to think about life as you know it and how you shape life just as much as life shapes you. If you are feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, consider this lighthearted book, which will guide you to some much-needed epiphanies. 

Goodreads rating: 4.4/5

Author: John Green

Published year: 2021

Number of pages: 304

Genre: Memoir

George Orwell was a frequent commentator on art, literature and language for most of his career. In the 1940s, he sharpened his pen for some more incisive writing and birthed this book that tears apart different pieces of art. From Charles Darwin to Charlie Chaplin, he keeps all of them under the same lens of scrutiny and writes with intent. Some of the works and authors he criticises include Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool, Good Bad Books, Rudyard Kipling, T.S. Eliot, and more. 

Goodreads rating: 4.2/5

Author: George Orwell

Published year: 1941

Number of pages: 374

Genre: Philosophy

Burnout, in general, is sadly a common thing a lot of us experience. We aren't given a manual to navigate our life amidst all the noise, and Wallace, in his collection of seven essays, holds a mirror to just that. Ranging from television to tennis, from the Illinois State Fair to the films of David Lynch, he unpacks the universe, blending intellectualism with raw honesty. Rich, crisp, and emotionally charged, this collection of essays aims to change your world.

Goodreads rating: 4.1/5

Author: David Foster Wallace

Published year: 1996

Number of pages: 353

Genre: Philosophy

As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin considers animals and plants to be our primary teachers. As a botanist, she writes about our connection with nature, highlighting how living beings, apart from humans, deserve the care we seldom give, and how they protect our life on Earth. It is not a boring rendition advocating for nature's protection but rather a thought-provoking read to develop our ecological consciousness. 

Goodreads rating: 4.5/5

Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer

Published year: 2013

Number of pages: 353

Genre: Philosophy

Samantha Irby has blended her wit, humour and some bittersweet lessons in this near-perfect essay book to make you laugh mostly and then quiver in some quiet retrospection. Her essays explore the ghosts of her past, ranging from the time she drove to Nashville to deposit her father's ashes to why she should qualify as a bachelor. If you are one to find comfort in the emotional absurdities of life, this is an easy pick for you. It has no grand theories to make it in life, just a raw rendition of the times life happened to her, like it happens to all of us.

Goodreads rating: 3.9/5

Author: Samantha Irby

Published year: 2017

Number of pages: 275

Genre: Comedy, Autobiography

If you are up for some dark humour and reality checks mixed with quips that make you laugh out loud, this is the pick for you. The book dabbles with topics like love, anxiety, and courage, with the fierce honesty of someone who has gone through it all. It talks about growing up as an Indian immigrant under the influence of Western culture. Whether it's a shopping trip, awkward conversations with her bikini waxer, or navigating the fears and anxieties of her parents, the book delves into the life of a woman of colour who wants nothing to do with marriage and kids, and hopes to advance her career while surviving with her wit. 

Goodreads rating: 3.7/5

Author: Scaachi Koul

Published year: 2022

Number of pages: 240 pages

Genre: Memoir

This book is like an honest, late-night conversation with a close friend. Nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for its humorous narration, this collection of essays explores the connection between pop culture and identity, revealing how one helps you understand the other in a different light. Taking after her own experiences with pop culture, like the FBI knocking down her door for her tweet on GOT or how she dived deep into her sexuality after a binge of Orange Is The New Black, Jill takes out powerful epiphanies with laugh-out-loud comic quips. She slowly walks you through the simplicity of women finding themselves at their best, at their worst, and their authentic selves with a heavy dosage of Taylor Swift, Harry Potter and other pop references. 

Goodreads rating: 3.8/5

Author: Jill Gutowitz

Published year: 2022

Number of pages: 240 pages

Genre: Memoir

For centuries, India has been slowly evolving. It is a multifaceted nation that cannot be classified under one lens. Celebrated writer, essayist and leader Shashi Tharoor has given this a spin with his comparison of our country's momentum, from a slow democratic awakening as 'the elephant,' to a fierce dynamism described as equivalent a 'preying tiger,' and how the 'cellphone,' becomes the element that can connect, clarify and ensue chaos in a country as diverse as ours. India is home to the highest number of billionaires in Asia. Yet, it has a staggeringly tall chasm between the privileged and the underprivileged. 

Goodreads rating: 4.1/5

Author: Shashi Tharoor

Published year: 2007

Number of pages: 384

Genre: Politics

If you are looking for a deep dive into world economics and concepts of poverty, globalisation and capitalism, then this Amartya Sen book should ease you into it. While many people find it dry and not exactly 'fast paced,' or 'plot-filled,' it is a direct indictment of how freedom is both the goal of development and also a catalyst to it. The Nobel-prize-winning intellectual depth doesn't overwhelm with cold economic theory, but rather enriches it with a deeply human perspective on life and society as it affects us. 

Goodreads rating: 4.1/5

Author: Amartya Sen

Published year: 2000

Number of pages: 384

Genre: Philosophy

Nearly 40 countries have banned this book, and that should give us more reason to absorb everything in these pages. The book is a collection of almost 70 essays, spanning over ten years. It is a personal rendition of the life of an immigrant, about how shifting between nations, seeking an imaginary homeland, goes beyond the notion of survival. He writes about the post-colonial world, granting a political commentary on the India-Pakistan split, the Labour Party, religious fundamentalism in America, racial prejudice; and slowly translating his critical gaze towards the literature of the world, scrutinising the likes of Julian Barnes, George Orwell, Kipling, V.S. Naipaul, Graham Greene, John le Carré, Raymond Carver, Philip Roth and Thomas Pynchon among others.

Goodreads rating: 4/5

Author: Salman Rushdie

Published year: 2010

Number of pages: 432

Genre: Politics

If you are looking for an essay book that challenges your inherent beliefs and understanding of history, then this essay book by Arundhati Roy will lead the way for you. The book strikes a chord with Roy's vocal admonition of Mahatma Gandhi's beliefs towards the 'untouchables.' She also brings Ambedkar's actions and reform under scrutiny, drawing a picture to help understand the inequality and classist biases you see in India today. Her book immortalises a clash between two towering giants who helped shape the fabric of a society that affects both you and me. If you are looking to widen your opinions on politics, religion, class and the mesh of beliefs that hold up our nation, this is one book you can't miss. 

Goodreads rating: 4.3/5

Author: Arundhati Roy

Published year: 2017

Number of pages: 184 pages

Genre: Political

Ruskin Bond is our resident Wordsworth in prose. His books have shaped many generations, inspiring them to write and read. His essay book, "The Lamp Is Lit," explores his experience as a freelance writer. It begins by discussing his works in the magazines of the 1950s and 1960s. His essays also delve into his bond with his friends and acquaintances, about a princess who playfully loves death, about a new moon in a purple sky and life's little joys like getting to smell onions frying or watching the sun set. Reading his essay book is a journey of everyday wisdom and quiet reassurance of the beauty and chaos of life, entwined into one. With him, you get to pause, savour and appreciate the little and big things of life and your place in this world. 

Goodreads rating: 4.2/5

Author: Ruskin Bond

Published year: 1998

Number of pages: 216 pages

Genre: Autobiography

"The Ghosts of Mrs. Gandhi" is not an essay book, but rather a published essay by Amitav Ghosh in The New Yorker, written after Indira Gandhi's assassination. It is a personal reiteration of history as he witnessed it on the day the bullet was fired in 1984. He talks about his experience of living in New Delhi, boarding the bus and the eerie normalcy on a day bloodshed soon became the norm, with sikhs being hunted down after the assassination, burning down houses, businesses and more to avenge Mrs. Gandhi's death. 

Published in: New Yorker

Author: Amitav Ghosh

Published year: 1995

Genre: Autobiography

If you are looking to treat yourself to an e-reader, these budgeted options should help. If you wish to get some books delivered, hit this list up. Romantasy? Japanese fiction? Classics? Thrillers? Mythology? Short reads? We have a reading list for them all! Join a celebrity book club to meet your reading goals by clicking here.