Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The book follows the life of Calliope Stephanides, a Greek-American hermaphrodite, who narrates her epic story starting from her grandparents' incestuous relationship in a small village in Asia Minor to her own self-discovery in 20th century America. The novel delves into themes of identity, gender, and the American dream, while also providing a detailed history of Detroit through the eyes of three generations of an immigrant family.
The 418th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
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Total Points: 822
This book was first published in 2002
27 Lists
- score: 99 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 170)
- score: 97 -- 100 Best Books of the 21st Century - 2024 (Weight: 173)
- score: 87 -- A Premature Attempt at the 21st Century Canon - 2018 (Weight: 160)
- score: 80 -- The Ideal Library - 2024 (Weight: 120)
- score: 78 -- The 30 best fiction books of the last 30 years - 2025 (Weight: 130)
- score: 66 -- The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels - 2015 (Weight: 160)
- score: 55 -- Readers Pick Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century - 2024 (Weight: 89)
- score: 46 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 41 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 100)
- score: 37 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) - 2026 (Weight: 60)
- score: 34 -- The Millions: The Best Fiction of the Millennium - 2009 (Weight: 110)
- score: 29 -- Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 19 -- The Best Books of the 2000s - 2009 (Weight: 58)
- score: 18 -- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 86)
- score: 11 -- 100 Best Books of the 21st Century - 2024 (Weight: 20)
- score: 7 -- 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 1 -- Best Fiction Books of the 21st Century (So Far) - 2025 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Australia’s Radio National top 100 books of the 21st century - 2025 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 17 Books That You’ll Cancel Plans to Finish - 2025 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Modern classics: 11 novels that belong in the classroom - 2012 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000) - 2009 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Paste Magazine's Best Books of the Decade(2000-2009) - 2009 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Greatest Books of All Time - 2022 (Weight: 1)