Book recommendations by Spider-man's MJ Zendaya: Looking for your next read? Check actor's favourite novels on identity, love and belonging

Fresh off the blockbuster success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and set to appear in Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Odyssey, Zendaya continues to make headlines both on and off the screen. While The Odyssey places her inside one of literature's oldest surviving stories, the actor's relationship with books extends beyond film adaptations. Asked which titles she believes everyone should read, Zendaya named The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin as two of her personal favourites. Both novels are emotionally powerful classics that explore identity, longing and the lasting impact of societal rejection.

Check list of books recemmended by Zendaya:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Published in 1970, Toni Morrison's debut novel The Bluest Eye is set in Morrison's hometown of Lorain, Ohio. The novel follows Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old Black girl who longs for blue eyes because she believes they will make her "beautiful" and accepted like the blonde-haired, blue-eyed children around her. Alongside Pecola's story, the novel explores the lives of her parents and their struggles as African Americans in a predominantly white community.

Morrison, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, is widely celebrated for her lyrical writing and powerful exploration of race, identity and belonging.


Widely regarded as a landmark of American literature, The Bluest Eye examines the lasting effects of racism, beauty standards and social exclusion through the eyes of a young girl.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Zendaya's other favourite novel is Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.

First published in 1956, the novel follows David, an American living in Paris who struggles to reconcile his feelings for another man with the expectations imposed by society. When he meets Giovanni, a bartender, the two enter an intense relationship that forces David to confront his identity, desires and fears.

Through themes of love, loss and identity, Baldwin explores the emotional complexities of human relationships. Once considered controversial, Giovanni's Room is now regarded as one of the defining works of American literature and remains relevant for its portrayal of sexuality and self-acceptance.

Sula by Toni Morrison

Alongside the books she considers essential reading, Zendaya also revealed the novel she is currently reading: Sula, another work by Toni Morrison.

The story centres on two girls growing up in a small town—Sula, who is fiercely independent, and her more conventional friend. Their close friendship is shaped by a shared secret that follows them into adulthood. Years later, Sula's return to the town and her choices strain the relationship, forcing both women to confront love, loyalty and betrayal.

Set against the backdrop of a community still living with the legacy of slavery, Sula explores friendship, identity, freedom and the tension between personal desire and societal expectations.