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Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com’s books column, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you’re here), love books. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.
Uzo Aduba was once told by a would-be talent agent to change her Nigerian name and to fix the gap in her front teeth. She did neither, in part because she understood the value of her immigrant story given to her by her mother. (Aduba also did not hire that agent.) Now the three-time Emmy Award winner, perhaps best known for playing Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black, and only 1 of 2 actors—the other is Ed Asner—to win in both comedy and drama for the same show), recounts the strong will of her late mother and family history in The Road is Good (Viking).
Her first name Uzoamaka means “the road is good”; her middle name Nwanneka means “nothing is more important than your sisters”; and her last name means “the mediator.” The Boston-born, Medfield, MA-raised, L.A.-based Aduba is one of five children; majored in classical voice at Boston University (she sang opera on The View and on Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour). She once was a competitive figure skater and state-champion sprinter, who planned on becoming a lawyer and almost quit acting hours before landing Orange, for which she also won five SAGs for it plus an Emmy for playing Shirley Chisholm in F/X’s Mrs. America and an Emmy nomination for HBO’s In Treatment.
She has a daughter named Adaiba; starred in Netflix’s Painkiller on the opioid crisis, National Champions about college sports, and Amazon Prime’s Solos; played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz Live, and voiced Commander Alisha Hawthorne in Lightyear (the backstory of Toy Story); has a dog named Fenway (Mr. Fenway Bark); is a founding member of Angel City FC; has a production deal with CBS Studios with her production company Meynon Media (named for her mother, who she took to the Africa Leaders Summit Dinner at the White House); is Heifer International’s ambassador to Africa and ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer; and was the inaugural host of Netflix’s Book Club. She’ll soon play the lead in Shonda Rhimes’s White House-set murder mystery, The Residence, also on Netflix.
Fan of: Michaela Coel and London; watching sports, especially tennis, and The Real Housewives franchise; being outside.
The book that:
…I’ve re-read the most:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. My college roommate gave it to me right as we set sail into the “real world.” It changed my life. I’ve re-read it during big turning points in my life and it really anchors me. I think that’s the kinda book that finds you.
…I’d pass on to a kid:
Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham that my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Interrante, gave to me.
…currently sits on my nightstand:
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. I haven’t read it yet, but I plan to.
…has the best opening line:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Just sets the scene so dramatically and perfectly. I remember the rush from reading it in high school.
…inspired me to donate to a cause:
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. Reading about his background inspired me to start participating even more in our political process.
…kept me up way too late:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. As I read this story set during the Biafra Civil War, it helped to understand my parents and their experiences better.
…shaped my worldview:
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley. Read it in college and understood firmly the power of each of our voices and the impact of conviction.
…I asked for one Christmas as a kid:
The Sweet Valley Twins complete series by Francine Pascal. Oh man. I looooved these books! I was obsessed.
…features a character I love to hate:
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I still have the copy my English teacher, Mrs. Dugan, gave to me in high school. What a ride, this kid.
…I’d like turned into a TV show:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Wow. This book is a true revelation and POWERFUL.
…I swear I’ll finish one day:
Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I’m almost there. I have like, 30 pages. Putting it on my year-end goals list.
Riza Cruz is an editor and writer based in New York.