Read by Shonda Rhimes
What books does Shonda Rhimes recommend?
The showrunner who reshaped television with Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton is also a devoted reader, and Shonda Rhimes's book recommendations reveal the stories that shaped her voice. The founder of Shondaland and author of Year of Yes has gathered 19 titles here, sourced from Shondaland's curation, book blurbs, and interviews with outlets like ELLE and Redbook. Society and politics, psychology, history, fiction, and memoir recur across the list. Wright Thompson's The Barn is a top pick that, she says, "literally changed my outlook on the world." She returns to Little Women "every time I break up with a guy," and credits Stephen King with teaching her "how to suck people in." From Andre Agassi's raw memoir Open to Toni Morrison's Beloved, the list blends literary classics with the honest, character-driven storytelling that defines her own work.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Barn
The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi
byWright Thompson
2024448 Pages“It literally changed my outlook on the world…incredible.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Shondaland Official Curation
Read by Mark Zuckerberg, Tobias Lütke, Shonda Rhimes and 1 others
Open
An Autobiography
byAndre Agassi
2009400 Pages(146,754)
“This is a book that changed my life mainly because as a writer... I'd never read an autobiography that was so raw and so honest about a public figure.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: YouTube Interview (Tier 2)
byLouisa May Alcott
1868504 Pages(2,200,000)
“I read Little Women every time I break up with a guy... There's some profound comfort in that book for me.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Redbook Interview via Radical Reads
byMaya Angelou
1969304 Pages(1,600,000)
“The dichotomy of the carefree joy and the seething rage rubbing against one another stanza by stanza always felt — and continues to feel — like the perfect maddening definition of the human experience.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Radical Reads / Official Selection
Read by Shonda Rhimes
byDave Cullen
2009432 Pages“Reading it broke my heart open. It's not about a shooting as much as it's about what happens to people who survive this kind of tragedy.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Radical Reads / Author Recommendation
Read by Shonda Rhimes
The Stand
The Complete & Uncut Edition
byStephen King
19901152 Pages“Stephen King taught me how to suck people in. As a child, I spent about 85 percent of my time with my nose buried in a book.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Radical Reads / Author Interview
Read by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes and 1 others
byAlice Walker
2003300 Pages“Loved as a teen and adult.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: YouTube Interview (Tier 2)
byMichelle Obama
2018448 Pages(1,200,000)
“It's deeply personal and refreshingly honest. She's thoughtful, humorous, bracingly revealing.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Shondaland Review (Tier 1)
Read by Shonda Rhimes
I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual
The Do-Better Manual
byLuvvie Ajayi
2016256 Pages“A truth-riot of a book!”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Book Blurb (Tier 1)
I Am Malala
The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
byMalala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
2013352 Pages“The intimate details she shares are amazing.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: YouTube Interview (Tier 2)
Read by Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Tim Cook and 3 others
byHarper Lee
1960281 Pages(6,752,249)
“To Kill a Mockingbird just gets better with age. I've read Harper Lee's masterpiece over and over again.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Radical Reads / Favorite List
Read by Shonda Rhimes
byLouise Fitzhugh
2002320 Pages“One book she loved as a kid.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: YouTube Interview (Tier 2)
Read by Shonda Rhimes
Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
bySusan Rice
2019544 Pages“Her new book #ToughLove hits shelves today! I hope you'll read it.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Twitter Account (Tier 1)
byCharlotte Brontë
1847624 Pages“It's one of those books that when you read it, it kind of changes you.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: ELLE Interview (Tier 2)
Read by Shonda Rhimes
Presence
Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
byAmy Cuddy
2015352 Pages“Reading 'Presence' helped me learn to be more present in my own life.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Book Blurb (Tier 1)
Read by Shonda Rhimes
The Kid
What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant
byDan Savage
2000256 Pages“One of Shonda's recommended books about adoption for adults.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Shondaland Curation (Tier 1)
byZora Neale Hurston
1937264 Pages“Here are some of my favorite books.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Twitter #BookLoversDay Post (Tier 1)
Read by Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Pedro Pascal and 1 others
byToni Morrison
1987324 Pages“Here are some of my favorite books.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Twitter #BookLoversDay Post (Tier 1)
Read by Shonda Rhimes
byFrances Hodgson Burnett
1911368 Pages“Here are some of my favorite books.”
— Shonda Rhimes
Source: Official Twitter #BookLoversDay Post (Tier 1)
Also recommends books in
Frequently asked questions
What books does Shonda Rhimes recommend?
Her 19 recommendations include The Barn, Open by Andre Agassi, Little Women, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Columbine, blending memoir, literary fiction, and works on American life.
What is Shonda Rhimes's favourite book?
Wright Thompson's The Barn is a top pick that she says "literally changed my outlook on the world." She also returns to Little Women repeatedly, noting she reads it "every time I break up with a guy."
Where do Shonda Rhimes's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from Shondaland's official curation and reviews, book blurbs she has written, her Twitter account, and interviews with outlets including ELLE and Redbook.
Has Shonda Rhimes written any books?
Yes. She has authored three titles noted here: her bestselling memoir Year of Yes, its companion The Year of Yes Journal, and Inside Bridgerton.
Which author taught Shonda Rhimes about storytelling?
Stephen King. She says his novel The Stand and his work "taught me how to suck people in," recalling that as a child she "spent about 85 percent of my time with my nose buried in a book."
All 19 Books Shonda Rhimes Has Recommended
- The Barn · Wright Thompson
- Open · Andre Agassi
- Little Women · Louisa May Alcott
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings · Maya Angelou
- Columbine · Dave Cullen
- The Stand · Stephen King
- The Color Purple · Alice Walker
- Becoming · Michelle Obama
- I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual · Luvvie Ajayi
- I Am Malala · Malala Yousafzai
- To Kill a Mockingbird · Harper Lee
- Harriet the Spy · Louise Fitzhugh
- Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For · Susan Rice
- Jane Eyre · Charlotte Brontë
- Presence · Amy Cuddy
- The Kid · Dan Savage
- Their Eyes Were Watching God · Zora Neale Hurston
- Beloved · Toni Morrison
- The Secret Garden · Frances Hodgson Burnett