Year-End Lists

Kirkus Reviews: Best Nonfiction Books of 2021

[see also Best Fiction Books of 2021]

• Homo Irrealis
  André Aciman
• 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows
  Ai Weiwei
• Fear of a Black Universe

  An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics
  Stephon Alexander
• Boyz n the Void

  a mixtape to my brother
  G'Ra Asim
• The Sound of the Sea

  Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans
  Cynthia Barnett
• Welcome to Dunder Mifflin

  The Ultimate Oral History of The Office
  Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman
• Twelve Caesars

  Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern
  Mary Beard
• The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden
  Peter L. Bergen
• Carefree Black Girls
  Zeba Blay
• The Devil You Know

  A Black Power Manifesto
  Charles M Blow
• The Shattering

  America in the 1960s
  Kevin Boyle
• Liner Notes for the Revolution

  The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound
  Daphne A. Brooks
• Punch Me Up to the Gods
  Brian Broome
• Rock Me on the Water

  1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics
  Ronald Brownstein
• Journey to the Edge of Reason

  The Life of Kurt Gödel
  Stephen Budiansky
• Unbound

  My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
  Tarana Burke
• Surviving the White Gaze
  Rebecca Carroll
• Floating in a Most Peculiar Way
  Louis Chude-Sokei
• Unwell Women

  Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World
  Elinor Cleghorn
• How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch

  In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe
  Harry Cliff
• Children Under Fire

  An American Crisis
  John Woodrow Cox
• What White People Can Do Next

  From Allyship to Coalition
  Emma Dabiri
• Nice White Ladies

  The Truth about White Supremacy, Our Role in It, and How We Can Help Dismantle It
  Jessie Daniels
• King of the Blues

  The Rise and Reign of B.B. King
  Daniel de Vise
• Letters to Camondo
  Edmund de Waal
• Belonging and Betrayal

  How Jews Made the Art World Modern
  Charles Dellheim
• Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds

  A Refugee's Search for Home
  Mondiant Dogon and Jenna Krajeski
• The Glitter in the Green

  In Search of Hummingbirds
  Jon Dunn
• Entertaining Race

  Performing Blackness in America
  Michael Eric Dyson
• The Ground Breaking

  An American City and Its Search for Justice
  Scott Ellsworth
• Covered with Night

  A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America
  Nicole Eustace
• A Human History of Emotion

  How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know
  Richard Firth-Godbehere
• Dress Codes

  How the Laws of Fashion Made History
  Richard Thompson Ford
• Being a Human

  Adventures in Forty Thousand Years of Consciousness
  Charles Foster
• The Black Church

  This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song
  Henry Louis Gates Jr.
• Featherhood

  A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie
  Charlie Gilmour
• The Bomber Mafia

  A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
  Malcolm Gladwell
• The Dawn of Everything

  A New History of Humanity
  David Graeber and David Wengrow
• Racism, Not Race

  Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
  Joseph L. Graves Jr. and Alan H. Goodman
• Read Until You Understand

  The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature
  Farah Jasmine Griffin
• I Live a Life Like Yours

  A Memoir
  Jan Grue
• The 1619 Project

  A New Origin Story
  Nikole Hannah-Jones (creator)
• Operation Pedestal

  The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942
  Max Hastings
• There Is Nothing for You Here

  Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century
  Fiona Hill
• Liberty Is Sweet

  The Hidden History of the American Revolution
  Woody Holton
• People Love Dead Jews

  Reports from a Haunted Present
  Dara Horn
• A Brave and Cunning Prince

  The Great Chief Opechancanough and the War for America
  James Horn
• Dvorak's Prophecy

  And the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music
  Joseph Horowitz
• Mothers, Fathers, and Others

  Essays
  Siri Hustvedt
• The Letters of Shirley Jackson
  Shirley Jackson
• Empire of Pain

  The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
  Patrick Radden Keefe
• Tacky

  Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer
  Rax King
• Corruptible

  Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us
  Brian Klaas
• Under a White Sky

  The Nature of the Future
  Elizabeth Kolbert
• Everybody

  A Book about Freedom
  Olivia Laing
• Walk with Me

  A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer
  Kate Clifford Larson
• Tom Stoppard

  A Life
  Hermione Lee
• Nuestra América

  My Family in the Vertigo of Translation
  Claudio Lomnitz
• State of Emergency

  How We Win in the Country We Built
  Tamika D. Mallory
• The Secret of Life

  Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix
  Howard Markel
• A Worse Place Than Hell

  How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation
  John Matteson
• Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?

  Essays
  Jesse McCarthy
• All That She Carried

  The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
  Tiya Miles
• The Power of Women

  A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing
  Denis Mukwege
• The Education of Corporal John Musgrave

  Vietnam and Its Aftermath
  John Musgrave
• Names for Light

  A Family History
  Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint
• A Bigger Picture

  My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis
  Vanessa Nakate
• A Ghost in the Throat
  Doireann Ní Ghríofa
• A Quantum Life

  My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars
  Hakeem Olusey and Joshua Horwitz
• Squirrel Hill

  The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood
  Mark Oppenheimer
• Wildland

  The Making of America's Fury
  Evan Osnos
• Last Best Hope

  America in Crisis and Renewal
  George Packer
• Disruption

  Inside the Largest Counterterrorism Investigation in History
  Aki J. Peritz
• Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be
  Nichole Perkins
• This Is Your Mind on Plants
  Michael Pollan
• The Baseball 100
  Joe Posnanski
• The Disordered Cosmos

  A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred
  Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
• Geniuses at War

  Bletchley Park, Colossus, and the Dawn of the Digital Age
  David A. Price
• Becoming Abolitionists

  Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom
  Derecka Purnell
• The Plant Hunter

  A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines
  Cassandra Leah Quave
• Seek You

  A Journey Through American Loneliness
  Kristen Radtke
• Mud Sweeter than Honey

  Voices of Communist Albania
  Margo Rejmer
• Letters to My White Male Friends
  Dax-devlon Ross
• Smile

  The Story of a Face
  Sarah Ruhl
• Every Day the River Changes

  Four Weeks Down the Magdalena
  Jordan Salama
• Looking for the Good War

  American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness
  Elizabeth D. Samet
• App Kid

  How a Child of Immigrants Grabbed a Piece of the American Dream
  Michael Sayman
• Toxic Legacy

  How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment
  Stephanie Seneff
• Economy Hall

  The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood
  Fatima Shaik
• Smalltime

  A Story of My Family and the Mob
  Russell Shorto
• How the Word Is Passed

  A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
  Clint Smith
• The Young H. G. Wells

  Changing the World
  Claire Tomalin
• As You Were
  David Tromblay
• The Empathy Diaries

  A Memoir
  Sherry Turkle
• In the Midst of Civilized Europe

  The Pogroms of 1918–1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust
  Jeffrey Veidlinger
• Horizontal Vertigo

  A City Called Mexico
  Juan Villoro
• It's Better to Be Feared

  The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness
  Seth Wickersham
• Power and Liberty

  Constitutionalism in the American Revolution
  Gordon S. Wood
• The Plague Year

  America in the Time of Covid
  Lawrence Wright
• Pessoa
  Richard Zenith

Decider: Best TV of 2021

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018]

1. Hacks
2. The White Lotus
3. Succession
4. Mythic Quest
5. What We Do in the Shadows
6. Ted Lasso
7. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
8. Only Murders in the Building
9. WandaVision
10. It's a Sin
11. Starstruck
12. Squid Game
13. Dickinson
14. Mare of Easttown
15. The Mosquito Coast
16. Yellowstone
17. Cobra Kai
18. For All Mankind
19. Sweet Tooth

The Economist: The Best Films of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

• Another Round
  Thomas Vinterberg
• Drive My Car
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Dune
  Denis Villeneuve
• The Father
  Florian Zeller
• The French Dispatch
  Wes Anderson
• The Green Knight
  David Lowery
• Limbo
  Ben Sharrock
• Minari
  Lee Isaac Chung
• No Time to Die
  Cary Joji Fukunaga
• The Power of the Dog
  Jane Campion
• Riders of Justice
  Anders Thomas Jensen
• Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  Questlove
• Supernova
  Harry Macqueen
• Titane
  Julia Ducournau

Uproxx: The Best Albums Of 2021, in alphabetical order

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

• Collapsed in Sunbeams
  Arlo Parks
• Ultrapop
  The Armed
• How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
  Big Red Machine
• Happier Than Ever
  Billie Eilish
• Sling
  Clairo
• War & Wonders
  D Smoke
• Die 4 Respect
  DDG & OG Parker
• Absolutely
  Dijon
• Planet Her
  Doja Cat
• Life of a Don
  Don Toliver
• I Know I'm Funny haha
  Faye Webster
• 1176
  Guapdad 4000 and !llmind
• Back of My Mind
  H.E.R.
• If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
  Halsey
• USEE4YOURSELF
  IDK
• Any Shape You Take
  Indigo De Souza
• The House Is Burning
  Isaiah Rashad
• The Off-Season
  J. Cole
• Jubilee
  Japanese Breakfast
• Heaux Tales
  Jazmine Sullivan
• Little Oblivions
  Julien Baker
• Star-Crossed
  Kacey Musgraves
• Pressure Machine
  The Killers
• Chemtrails over the Country Club
  Lana Del Rey
• The Voice of the Heroes
  Lil Baby and Lil Durk
• Montero
  Lil Nas X
• Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
  Little Simz
• Home Video
  Lucy Dacus
• Afrique Victime
  Mdou Moctar
• Carnage
  Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
• Sour
  Olivia Rodrigo
• Lean Into Life
  Petey
• Whole Lotta Red
  Playboi Carti
• Hall of Fame
  Polo G
• Nightmare Vacation
  Rico Nasty
• Romeo
  Sega Bodega
• An Evening with Silk Sonic
  Silk Sonic
• All The Brilliant Things
  Skyzoo
• Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies
  Snoh Aalegra
• Still Over It
  Summer Walker
• Evermore
  Taylor Swift
• 333
  Tinashe
• Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
  Topaz Jones
• Glow On
  Turnstile
• Call Me If You Get Lost
  Tyler, The Creator
• Vince Staples
  Vince Staples
• Folarin II
  Wale
• I Don’t Live Here Anymore
  The War on Drugs
• A Billion Little Lights
  Wild Pink
• Punk
  Young Thug

Glide Magazine: 20 Best Albums of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018]

• Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!
  Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Born Against
  Amigo the Devil
• Wary + Strange
  Amythyst Kiah
• Renewal
  Billy Strings
• Black Market Tango
  Bloodkin
• I Be Trying
  Cedric Burnside
• New Long Leg
  Dry Cleaning
• Seek Shelter
  Iceage
• Senjutsu
  Iron Maiden
• Hardcore From The Heart
  Joana Serrat
• We Are
  Jon Batiste
• Pohorylle
  Margo Cilker
• The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band
  Menahan Street Band
• Afrique Victime
  Mdou Moctar
• A Little More Time with Reigning Sound
  Reigning Sound
• Long Time Coming
  Sierra Ferrell
• Bright Green Field
  Squid
• Glow On
  Turnstile
• I Don’t Live Here Anymore
  The War on Drugs
• Stand For Myself
  Yola

20 Honorable Mentions

• Introducing...
  Aaron Frazer
• Outside Child
  Allison Russell
• Comfort To Me
  Amyl and The Sniffers
• My Bluegrass Heart
  Béla Fleck
• Vol. II Baca Sewa
  Cochemea
• Infinite Granite
  Deafheaven
• I Told You So
  Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
• Sweep It Into Space
  Dinosaur Jr.
• I Know I'm Funny haha
  Faye Webster
• From Dreams To Dust
  The Felice Brothers
• One Woman Band
  Ghalia Volt
• Moondust For My Diamond
  Hayden Thorpe
• Downhill From Everywhere
  Jackson Browne
• The Horses and the Hounds
  James McMurtry
• Leftover Feelings
  John Hiatt and Jerry Douglas
• Hey What
  Low
• Riddy Arman
  Riddy Arman
• Drunk Tank Pink
  Shame
• Silver Synthetic
  Silver Synthetic
• Welfare Jazz
  Viagra Boys

Paste Magazine: The 50 Best Albums of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
2. Glow On
   Turnstile
3. Ignorance
   The Weather Station
4. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
5. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
6. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
7. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
8. Ultrapop
   The Armed
9. Entertainment, Death
   The Spirit Of The Beehive
10. Valentine
    Snail Mail
11. Afrique Victime
    Mdou Moctar
12. Hey What
    Low
13. Carnage
    Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
14. Deacon
    serpentwithfeet
15. Between the Richness
    Fiddlehead
16. Haram
    Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
17. An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
    Cassandra Jenkins
18. Bright Green Field
    Squid
19. Sound Ancestors
    Madlib
20. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
21. Collapsed in Sunbeams
    Arlo Parks
22. Pray For Haiti
    Mach-Hommy
23. Sinner Get Ready
    Lingua Ignota
24. Heaux Tales
    Jazmine Sullivan
25. Any Shape You Take
    Indigo De Souza
26. Black To The Future
    Sons of Kemet
27. Infinite Granite
    Deafheaven
28. Home Video
    Lucy Dacus
29. Projector
    Geese
30. Juno
    Remi Wolf
31. Twin Plagues
    Wednesday
32. Nine
    Sault
33. Cool Dry Place
    Katy Kirby
34. Bo Jackson
    Boldy James & The Alchemist
35. Fortitude
    Gojira
36. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
37. MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD: The First 24 Songs
    Dazy
38. Fatigue
    L'Rain
39. I Know I'm Funny haha
    Faye Webster
40. For the First Time
    Black Country, New Road
41. Nurture
    Porter Robinson
42. Vulture Prince
    Arooj Aftab
43. Dark in Here
    The Mountain Goats
44. Death of a Cheerleader
    Pom Pom Squad
45. Half God
    Wiki
46. Eternal Home
    Fire-Toolz
47. Second Line
    Dawn Richard
48. GUMBO'!
    Pink Siifu
49. Things Take Time, Take Time
    Courtney Barnett
50. Smiling with No Teeth
    Genesis Owusu

Christopher Borrelli: Best of Books 2021, as published by The Chicago Tribune, "in no particular order" but numbered as follows.

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018]

1. A Little Devil in America

   Notes in Praise of Black Performance
   Hanif Abdurraqib
2. Second Place
   Rachel Cusk
3. The Trees
   Percival Everett
4. Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch
   Rivka Galchen
5. When We Cease to Understand the World
   Benjamin Labatut
6. Beloved Beasts

   Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction
   Michelle Nijhuis
7. 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet
   Pamela Paul
8. Dirty Work

   Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America
   Eyal Press
9. Smile

   The Story of a Face
   Sarah Ruhl
10. The Man Who Lived Underground
    Richard Wright

Cahiers du Cinéma: Top Ten Films of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. Annette
   Leos Carax
3. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
4. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
5. France
   Bruno Dumont
6. The French Dispatch
   Wes Anderson
7. All Hands on Deck
   Guillaume Brac
8. The Girl and the Spider
   Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zürcher
9. The Card Counter
   Paul Schrader
10. Benedetta
    Paul Verhoeven

Ben Travers: The Best TV Shows of 2021, as published by IndieWire

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

1. The Underground Railroad
2. Succession
3. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
4. Hacks
5. The White Lotus
6. Dave
7. Ted Lasso
8. Reservation Dogs
9. Mythic Quest
10. Tuca & Bertie

The Alternative 10

• Exterminate All the Brutes
• The Good Fight
• The Great North
• Kevin Can F**k Himself
• Maya and the Three
• Philly D.A.
• Starstruck
• Swagger
• This Way Up
• Ultra City Smiths

Honorable Mentions

• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Sex Education
• What We Do in the Shadows
• Maid
• Mare of Easttown

The Root: The 10 Best Shows of 2021

• What If...?
• Gangs of London
• The Underground Railroad
• Insecure
• The Equalizer
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
• WandaVision
• Batwoman
• Pose
• Colin in Black & White