Before the Decade Ends, Here Are the Best Novels of the 21st Century

The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2015)

After spending his childhood as a subject in racially-charged psychological studies thanks to his controversial sociologist father, the narrator of The Sellout resigns himself to the fate of all lower-middle-class Californians. The narrator then pulls a stunt so egregious that it lands him in the Supreme Court.

Advertisement

Next Page →

The More You Know

  • The wolf's jaw can exert 1500 pounds of pressure per square inch, twice the jaw pressure of a German Shepherd. Wolves can crush large bones in just a few bites.
  • A single dollar bill costs 5 cents to make.
  • Your brain is sometimes more active when you're asleep than when you're awake.
  • In 1923, jockey Frank Hayes won a race at Belmont Park in New York despite being dead — he suffered a heart attack mid-race but his body stayed in the saddle until his horse crossed the line for a 20–1 outsider victory.
Next Page →