White TeethWhite Teeth
Score Modern
What it's about
Archie Jones, a hapless Englishman, and Samad Iqbal, a proud Bangladeshi Muslim, became friends as soldiers at the end of the Second World War. Decades later, in multicultural north London, their families are entangled: Archie's Jamaican-born wife and daughter, Samad's twin sons, one sent back to Bangladesh and one becoming a radical, and a very English family of scientists working on a genetically engineered mouse.
Why it's worth reading
Zadie Smith wrote it in her early twenties. It's on TIME's list of the best novels, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It's big, funny and bursting with energy.
You'll love it if you liked
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Americanah
The CorrectionsGood to know
It's long and sprawling, jumping across generations. The ending is a comic pile-up.
By the numbers
- Readers9 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics95 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller45 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #144 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #661 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1250 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Zadie Smith
If you like this, read next
The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie Bain
Half of a Yellow Sun
Infinite Jest
My Brilliant FriendExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is White Teeth worth reading?
Yes. Zadie Smith wrote it in her early twenties. It ranks #1,250 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is White Teeth about?
Archie Jones, a hapless Englishman, and Samad Iqbal, a proud Bangladeshi Muslim, became friends as soldiers at the end of the Second World War. Decades later, in multicultural north London, their families are entangled: Archie's Jamaican-born wife and daughter, Samad's twin sons, one sent back to Bangladesh and one becoming a radical, and a very English family of scientists working on a genetically engineered mouse.
How long does it take to read White Teeth?
About 11 hours (448 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after White Teeth?
If you liked it, try The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.