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Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2020

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2020 names 60 books across 6 categories. 12 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Children's

  1. And the People Stayed Home by Kitty O'Mearasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Animals in the Sky by Sara Gillinghamsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackallsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Me and the World by Mireia Triussource (opens in a new tab)
  6. No Reading Allowed by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpentersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Play with Your Plate! by Judith Rossellsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Mountain and The Goat by Siamak Taghaddossource (opens in a new tab)
  9. This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridgessource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Wild Symphony by Dan Brownsource (opens in a new tab)

Food

  1. Cool Beans by Joe Yonansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigleysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. How to Be a Conscious Eater by Sophie Egansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. In Bibi's Kitchen by Hawa Hassansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Best American Food Writing 2020 by J. Kenji López-Alt and Silvia Killingsworthsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharmasource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard by John Birdsallsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Mexican Home Kitchen by Mely Martínezsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorrsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Xi'an Famous Foods by Jason Wangsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Caste by Isabel Wilkersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965 by Jia Lynn Yangsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Paynesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer by Jennet Conantsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Other Madisons by Bettye Kearsesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Three-Cornered War by Megan Kate Nelsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Zealot and the Emancipator by H. W. Brandssource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Uncrowned Queen by Nicola Tallissource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Veritas by Ariel Sabarsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coesource (opens in a new tab)

Photography

  1. American Monuments by David Benjamin Sherrysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Friday Night Lives by Robert Clarksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Gingers by Kieran Doddssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. I Can Make You Feel Good by Tyler Mitchellsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Imogen Cunningham: A Retrospective by Paul Martineausource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Meet Bob by Jasper Doestsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Necessary Fictions by Debi Cornwallsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Santa Barbara by Diana Markosiansource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Secreto Sarayaku by Misha Vallejosource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Surfboard by Joni Sternbachsource (opens in a new tab)

Science

  1. All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Clean: The New Science of Skin by James Hamblinsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolkersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Nerve by Eva Hollandsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaghtsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Alchemy of Us by Ainissa Ramirezsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Book of Eels by Patrik Svenssonsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Human Cosmos by Jo Marchantsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Waste by Catherine Coleman Flowerssource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Millersource (opens in a new tab)

Travel

  1. Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Kovalsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Art Hiding in New York by Lori Zimmersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Feasting Wild by Gina Rae La Cervasource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Robertssource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Refuge by Ian Shivesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Roadside Americans by Jack Reidsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Spirit Run by Noe Alvarezsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Address Book by Deirdre Masksource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Museum of Whales You Will Never See by A. Kendra Greenesource (opens in a new tab)
  10. World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathilsource (opens in a new tab)

About the Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year

Smithsonian magazine's year-end "Ten Best" subject lists, one category per list: History, Science, Travel, Food and Children's for 2017-2025, and Photography for 2017 and 2020-2025. Each list has ten books; none is ranked. The 2018 and 2019 best-books hubs link no photography list, so those years have none. robots.txt allows all agents, but Cloudflare blocks scripted fetches of smithsonianmag.com, so pages were read from copies. 2017-2019 lists and all Photography lists come from Wayback Machine copies of the Smithsonian articles. 2020-2025 History, Science, Travel, Food and Children's lists come from booklisti.com, which copies each article's full list and links back to it. 2024 History was checked against the Smithsonian article itself: booklisti adds an 11th book, Jon Grinspan's Wide Awake, which the article only mentions in its intro, so it is left out. 2017-2019 articles name books only through Amazon widgets. Their titles drop Amazon's subtitles and series tags, and their authors are Open Library's first-listed author for the linked ISBN (co-authors and illustrators dropped). Exceptions: two 2019 Science authors come from the article text (both linked to Kindle editions), and three Photography books whose heading names no author use a retailer listing (Sneaker Freaker: Simon Wood) or Open Library (I'm So Happy You Are Here: Pauline Vermare; Life Dances On: Robert Frank). booklisti titles and authors are kept, with corporate credits (Atlas Obscura, Britannica) and degree suffixes dropped and three all-caps entries fixed against Open Library. Not included: 2014-2016, where the Wayback Machine has only scattered lists; the Smithsonian scholars' favorite-books roundups, which are staff picks; and one-off gift guides.

Organization: Smithsonian magazine. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2020