"When it comes to art that expands people’s worlds, nothing quite compares to literature. The immersive experience that books provide transports readers not only to other places but to other frames of mind. This year, for our third annual 25 Books to Read Before You Die list, we sought to highlight literature that exposes readers to cultures and ways of life that may be different from their own. We hope to inspire people to read out of their comfort zone — and the 25 books on this list are well worth experiencing. They are vital works that speak not just to a public close at hand, but to the world at large" (Powell's).