Last summer, an unknown book came out of nowhere to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for Young Adult books. Its short time at the top exposed some flaws in bestseller lists and provoked questions about why we care so much about bestsellers.

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The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Further reading:

Constance Grady on the bestseller list landscape

Lila Shapiro's profile of Lani Sarem

Lila Shapiro's profile of Justina Ireland

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