Summer Reading List

Summer is a bracingly honest season for readers: it's too hot to pretend to be clever, so you just read books you actually like. TIME asked some of its favorite writers what they read when they read for fun

Colson Whitehead

  • Print

Colson Whitehead picks Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

It's a novel! It's a book of poetry! It's a novel and a book of poetry! And like all sturdy volumes, it can also serve as a coaster on a hot summer afternoon. The "Red" of the title is Geryon, red-winged monster and minor player in Greek mythology, struck down by Herakles during one of his labors. As this modern Geryon awakens to all the possibility of the world — romantic, erotic, artistic — Carson's playful and mind-bending reinterpretation is never less than bewitching. Do yourself a favor and get in touch with your inner red monster.

Whitehead's most recent novel is Sag Harbor

Listen to the extended interview: Colson Whitehead talks to TIME about his summer reads

View the full list for "Summer Reading List"