Paradise by Toni Morrison, published in 1997, weaves folklore, history, beautiful poems, tragedy, and mysticism together into this bestselling book about race, religion, gender, and violence. It is set in Ruby, a patriarchal community founded by descendants of freed slaves and survivors hiding out in a hostile world. But just 17 miles away, a group of women exiles have fled, only to be discovered by some male citizens of Ruby set on torturing and terrorizing them. In a time when we are still dealing with racism and violence toward Black Americans, Morrison's haunting book is definitely worth another read.