Danez Smith, one of America's most popular young poets and the author of Don't Call Us Dead, recommends his 5 favorite books.

This book about aliens from the novelist who predicted "Make America Great Again" asks necessary questions about the harmful structures which we put our faith in despite our intelligence, and also how or if we will evolve out of our most dangerous selves. An essential, human book — with aliens!

The book is my bible. Open up to any page and Clifton delivers a word. Whether the subject is roaches, family, death, or surviving, she has a poem for all occasions. She can create the most complicated magic out of the simplest words.

In his brief prose poems, Zeller represents the voice of a recently dead friend as he travels through the afterlife. Besides attracting me with its beauty to this day, it taught me that we can offer the dead not just our grief but our imaginations and dreams as well.

I'm a big fan for high school drama, superpowers, good-hearted heroes, and complicated bad characters. This manga(动漫) series is one of my favorite escapes. In a world where everybody and their mama has a superpower (literally), what makes someone a hero isn't about power or strength but about the desire to make people smile. Instant tears.

I recently picked this chapbook for a prize. It's a marvel of language and heart. Reid's lyrics map the ordinary and the extraordinary with rare and invigorating skill. In a world and a country ever dangerous to the black people, this poet says," If I am to be a twist ending, let it be that I lived." I am so excited to follow Reid's poems into the future.

A Book-list by Trusted Critics

Has your mom ever caught you picking your nose or biting your nails? In this book, bad habits yield complex explanations that justify their very existence.

And really, how hard is it to believe that nose pickers are actually pushing hidden nose buttons that release “cheerful beams” that make everyone happy?

What happens when you have to leave your home where the desert reaches all the way to the sea and 100 butterflies always fill the sky? This picture book about immigration deals with its serious subject matter while keeping heart, humor and family close at hand.

It tells the true story of how the girl and her family moved from one land to another.

Our lives are our stories. In this one Sophie Blackall manages to spin a single sentence capturing the imagined lives of a houseful of children on a farm. The images and story were inspired by the detritus (废弃物) she discovered in an old farmhouse.

The resulting images are sure to delight children and adults alike, while the story is a reminder of what we leave behind.

It’s never easy to explain that a family member is imprisoned, and it can be especially hard for children.

This simple picture book draws on the author’s own childhood to tell the story of a young girl whose brother is in prison. A gentle and hopeful story for kids about very adult situations and complex feelings.

Make every meal a feast and every moment with loved ones an occasion with Come for Dinner.

Revsin, the former owner and chef of Manhattan’s Restaurant Leslie, offers a collection of over 150 recipes designed for small get-togethers of friends and family. There are various ethnic dishes that draw from Asia, the Mediterranean, Latin cultures and more. Revsin believes cooking at home provides the opportunity to connect with friends and family on a good level.

Grab your beach blanket and your surfboard — it’s time for a beach party! With more than 100 recipes for beach picnics and barbecues, Retro Beach Bash is the beach lover’s companion for fun in the sun.

Half information and half cookbook, you can browse the pages that are filled with beach fun tips and advice. The second half of this book is a cookbook, which can help you make foods to satisfy every taste on the beach.

You’ve seen them decorating plates at restaurants, admired them at weddings, and expressed great surprise at the chefs who designed them — and now you can produce them at home.

Sidney shares lots of practical tips that will give your finished food sculptures a professional look and send you on your way towards creating your own original works of food art.

If you’re a fan of Spanish Tapas bars, this book is a must-have for your library. Even if you don’t cook, you’ll still want this book if you’re a fan of Tapas bars, only for the lively discussions of the cheeses of Spain along with other Spanish wines and spirits.