Here's the Full Scoop on 'Today' Star Jenna Bush Hager's Latest Book Club Pick

Readers follow two different timelines in this novel: Marian Graves and Hadley Baxter's. Set in the 1900s, Marian drops out of school at 14 to pursue her passion of flying. With the help of a bootlegger, she becomes a pilot but is forced to repay her debt for the rest of her life. In present day, actress Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a production and draws strength from the explorer who achieved so much. "Now, more than ever, I love reading about women who chart their own courses," Jenna said. "As a mom of two little girls and a young boy, I believe it is important to highlight fictional and nonfictional stories of fierce, independent women who don’t conform to what society says we need to be."

After being happily married for more than 20 years, Flora Mancini begins questioning everything when she finds an envelope containing her husband Julian’s lost wedding ring. Flora thinks back to her and Julian’s life together and how their move to L.A. — specifically, their reunion with her best friend turned Hollywood star Margot — may have impacted them more than she’s ever realized. "It’s in some ways a coming-of-age book for a woman that is about to become an empty nester. We will always evolve and change. Watching this character do that will feel very relatable for a lot of different women," the Today star said.

Set in North Carolina, the novel follows Lacey May and Jade, two mothers who have differing opinions about their community’s changing school system. Lacey May’s daughter, Noelle, and Jade’s son, Gee, cross paths when students from the largely Black neighborhoods on the east side of town start attending high schools on the west side, which are predominantly white. "As a mother myself, I related to the mothers' fierce love for their children even when they made mistakes,” Jenna said. "The story is epic in scope. It is about understanding the demons and the hardships that come before us and how they affect our lives."

Inspired by real-life events, Send for Me is set in pre-World War II Germany and modern-day Wisconsin. Annelise is a young Jewish woman living in Feldenheim, Germany where anti-Semitic sentiments are growing. She’s forced to leave her parents behind when she’s given the opportunity to escape to America with her husband and their daughter. Two generations later, Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, discovers a collection of her grandmother’s letters. The novel tells the stories of the two women who make difficult choices. "I’ve read so many books set in this time period leading up to World War II but this one felt really raw and fresh," said Jenna. “I think I read it in two days."

Jenna’s second pick for February is also a historical fiction written by the author of the bestseller The Nightingale. Kristin Hannah’s latest novel, The Four Winds, takes place in Texas in 1921 and follows Elsa Wolcott's life after she marries Rafe Martinelli. When the Great Depression hits, the family's land is devastated by drought and dust storms causing starvation and illness. With Elsa's marriage on its last leg, she must decide whether she will stay and fight or try her luck in California with her children.

Mateo Askaripour’s debut novel follows Darren, a 22-year-old Starbucks manager from Bed-Stuy, New York. While working, he's approached by the CEO of a tech startup and is introduced to the world of sales. As the only Black person in the company, Darren deals with racism and learns the meaning of success. "Black Buck is raw and intimate — and a title I knew our book club readers needed to read as we begin this new year with a fresh start," Jenna said. "The writing is so intimate. At moments, it's satirical and funny and then at moments, it's heartbreaking.”

To celebrate Toni Morrison’s debut novel The Bluest Eye, Jenna shares the first time she read it in high school in Texas — a state that banned the book in select schools. Set in the 1940s in Ohio, a young Black girl named Pecola grows up praying each night for blue eyes like those of her white classmates. In the book, Toni touches on tough topics and important themes. “It was the first book that really opened my eyes to how literature can create understanding and take you into worlds you don’t know," the Today star said.

Jenna believes White Ivy is unlike any coming-of-age book you'll ever read. For one, Ivy is not your typical heroine — she does whatever needs to be done to be accepted into her white Protestant community as a Chinese immigrant. Regardless of Ivy's sometimes questionable behavior, the novel sparks important questions about ambition, happiness, and what it means to feel like the outsider.

This suspenseful story is perfect for thriller lovers out there, according to Jenna. In fact, the Today star advised that this one be "read with the lights on." When Amanda, Clay, and their family head out to the Hamptons for some peace and quiet away from bustling New York City, their vacation suddenly takes a turn when they receive a mysterious knock at the door. "It is suspense at its core, but to call it only a thriller discredits the incredible detail and intimacy with which the author writes about and understands family dynamics and race," Jenna declared.

A follow-up to her best seller Homecoming, Transcendent Kingdom centers around Gifty, a sixth-year PhD Stanford neuroscience candidate researching the human brain. Through science, Gifty is better able to understand all of the struggles and challenges she has experienced in her life. The story raises important points about mental illness and tragedy, as well as what it means to be an immigrant in the United States. "We hear Gifty’s story of moving from Ghana to Alabama. We walk in her shoes and we know what it feels like to be an immigrant and to feel like you are different or other," Jenna said about the novel.

With the help of Noelle Santos, owner of independent bookstore The Lit Bar, Jenna chose this memoir as her second August book club pick. Author and ELLE Senior Staff Writer R. Eric Thomas opens up about his life, identity, and journey to self-acceptance as a Black and queer person in this powerful read. “Thomas’s incredibly poignant memoir of essays is hilarious and heartbreaking,” the Today star said. “I hope this book will inspire conversation and create dialogue for change!”

A young actress named Grace Turner is at the center of this mystery thriller. After disappearing for a year, she returns to L.A. determined to be a better person and reconnect with her loved ones. But when she’s asked to present an award to a director who controlled her for years, she has to make a decision: speak up or continue living in silence. “Berman weaves a narrative that is light and exciting, even while addressing difficult topics,” Jenna said. “At its core, this book is about redemption, grace, and pain.”

Per the synopsis, a new mother and accomplished journalist named Elisabeth struggles to adapt to small-town life after living in the Big Apple for many years. When she hires a college-age babysitter named Sam, the two instantly grow close. But over time, their relationship gets more complicated as the differences between the two women's lives are brought to the surface. "It’s a compelling book that takes on modern issues surrounding adulthood, motherhood, and class," Jenna wrote on Instagram while announcing her latest pick." Friends and Strangers ultimately reveals that happiness comes from authenticity and purpose rather than wealth, success, and secrets."

Megha Majumdar’s debut novel reads like a thriller, focusing on three unique characters reaching for the middle class, fame, and political power. It all begins with Jivan, a young Muslim girl from the slums, being falsely accused of bombing a train station. Lovely, an aspiring actress, puts her career at risk when she stands behind Jivan. Meanwhile PT Sir, an opportunistic gym teacher, decides to use Jivan’s downfall for his own political gain. Jenna called the book "devastatingly beautiful" and believes it’s a chance “for all of us to learn more about the plight of people all over the world."

With each chapter told from a different person’s perspective, Emma Straub’s novel follows the Strick family as they navigate life in their own way. After matriarch Astrid witnesses a longtime acquaintance get hit by a bus, her perspective changes and forces her to take a closer look at her three adult children. At the same time, she reflects and realizes that she, too, is also growing alongside them. Described as a fine balance between light and important, Jenna adds that "it's about how families can be messy and complicated and at the same time centered on love."

Set in Odessa, Texas in 1976, a town grapples with the aftermath of 14-year-old Gloria Ramirez being viciously attacked in the early hours after Valentine’s Day. Through different characters’ perspectives, Elizabeth Wetmore’s debut novel explores the intersection of violence, race, class, and region. While men embrace the imminent oil boom, women band together to overcome fear and search for hope instead. "Elizabeth really developed these characters that I felt like I knew," Jenna said. "I found myself missing them when the story was over. The women are complicated. They are a lot of things at once."

In this coming-of-age story, protagonist Casey Peabody is forced to take a hard look at her career and love life after her mother’s unexpected death. Recognizing that she’s not exactly where she wants to be in early 30s, Casey becomes more determined than ever to live a creative life. “It is in some ways a love story. That’s clear from the title,” Jenna explained. “But I think what Lily King did really well was that when you are done with this book, what you find is that as long as you are true to yourself and you really understand what makes you happy, that is the true love story.”

Debut novelist Abi Daré tells the powerful story of a 14-year-old Nigerian girl determined to create her own future. After being sold by her father to be a local man’s third wife, Adunni runs away and chooses a life of servitude, but she doesn’t forget about her ultimate goal: to get an education. "She doesn’t get an education, she isn’t allowed to learn. Although it’s the fictional story of one young girl in Nigeria, it really is the story of so many others," Jenna said about the novel. And while we’re two months into 2020, Jenna says it’s “the most hopeful story” she’s read this year.

Inspired by true events, Dear Edward tells the story of a 12-year-old boy named Edward as he rebuilds his life after losing his family in a tragic plane crash. The novel goes back and forth in time showing moments unfolding on the flight from New Jersey to California, and Edward’s present-day with his aunt and uncle. "The theme or the message that I took away is really about shared humanity, about goodness, about faith, about finding redemption and grace even after the unthinkable, and that’s what Edward does,” Jenna explained. While the Today star acknowledged the sadness, she also found it to be "a really hopeful, beautiful book."

To end the year, Jenna chose a collection of essays that touch on love, loss, and hope, which she describes as “slow and reflective and gorgeous.” What started as a way to help author Margaret Renkl process important events in her life turned into a book that paints a picture of her complicated, loving family. "It was a beautiful walk in the woods, you stopped and took in all of these beautiful things about life," the Today co-host said about reading the book. "About relationships, about family, about friendships, about finding who you are."