Zendaya Reveals Her All-Time Favorite Books—Plus Who She Follows on Goodreads
'It's very hard once you read them to read anything else,' says the 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' star
Key Takeaways
- Zendaya says ‘The Bluest Eye’ and ‘Giovanni's Room’ are her all-time favorites.
- She's currently reading 'Sula' as part of a deep dive into Toni Morrison's work.
- Zendaya follows book influencer Jack Edwards, whose videos she's watched for years
Between The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Dune: Part Three and The Drama, Zendaya is set to dominate screens everywhere this year. And while her acting chops consistently blow us away, her red carpet style is equally iconic. But you know what else is impressive? Her reading list! In a recent interview, the multi-talented actress opened up about her favorite books and even revealed who she follows on Goodreads. Want to know which titles made the cut? Keep scrolling to discover Zendaya’s must-read recommendations.
Zendaya shares her favorite books
In a recent interview to promote The Odyssey, Zendaya sat down with book influencer Jack Edwards to reveal that her two favorite books are The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.
For those who are unfamiliar, The Bluest Eye was published in 1970 and follows Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl living in Lorain, Ohio, who grows up believing she is ugly. To make matters worse, she becomes obsessed with blonde-haired, blue-eyed children and desperately wishes for blue eyes herself. It’s a powerful tale of love, loss, identity and growing up.
Giovanni’s Room, on the other hand, was published in 1956 and is set in 1950s Paris. David has just proposed to his girlfriend, but when she’s away on a trip, he begins a passionate affair with a bartender named Giovanni that forces him to question who he is and what he wants. It’s a heartbreaking love story that defied all of the norms set by society during that time.
“It’s very hard once you read them to read anything else,” Zendaya said. “It’s a very spoiling experience….Those are really my favorites.”
As for what she’s reading now, the 29-year-old actress said that she’s “on a tear because I’m going through all of Toni Morrison’s books, so that’s kind of my thing. I am reading Sula now.”
Zendaya reveals who she follows on Goodreads
Ask any reader what app they use to track how many books they have read and they will most likely say Goodreads. For those that are unfamiliar, Goodreads is an app that allows readers to rate and keep track of how many books they have read. Goodreads also lets its users follow their friends, family or other readers to see what they’re reading and rating certain books.
As for who Zendaya is following, she said that Edwards is one that she always has her eye on.
“I have followed you on YouTube for years and you’ve given me many book recommendations,” she told him. “I’m serious, I even follow you on Goodreads.”
“Then when you started doing interviews I was like for Dune or The Odyssey, ‘I hope we get to meet,'” Zendaya added. “So this is very exciting.”
As for how Edwards responded in his TikTok video caption, he wrote, “Imagine this, okay. I’m sitting in the corridor waiting to do the interview like a schoolboy outside the principal’s office, when Law Roach comes gliding down the corridor. I’m starstruck, I’m in awe. And, of course, where there’s Law, there’s Zendaya. She practically floats down the corridor behind him, humming to herself, just majestic in every way. I glance in her direction and do that classic, awkward half-smile that is baked into every British person’s DNA. It’s a small gesture, but really a reflex response to seeing anyone we deeply admire. Luckily, she’s fluent in Britishisms—she married one of our people!!! She understands our culture!!! She stops in her tracks, literally HALTS, and goes ‘oh my god I watch your videos!’ I nearly fall off my chair.”
“Watching it back, I’m still in shock. But also, wow, what great book selections—our overlapping taste isn’t a Venn diagram, it’s just a circle,” he added.
To watch the full video, click here!
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