Tom Hanks is one of Hollywood's most beloved and versatile actors, whose career spans decades with roles that have captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide. Born in 1956 in Concord, California, Hanks rose to fame in the 1980s with starring roles in films like "Big" and "Splash." Over the years, he has portrayed a wide array of characters, from the lovable Forrest Gump to the heroic Captain Miller in "Saving Private Ryan." His performances have earned him numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards for Best Actor. Hanks is also known for his voice role as Woody in the "Toy Story" series, further cementing his place in cinematic history.
❝Reading non-fiction is the only way I can escape my brain.❞ — Tom Hanks
Aside from his acting career, Tom Hanks is an enthusiastic reader and has a particular fondness for historical non-fiction and narratives that delve deep into the American experience. His love for reading has also influenced his venture into writing; Hanks has published a collection of short stories, "Uncommon Type," where he explores various themes through the common thread of typewriters—another of his passions. His reading habits enrich his understanding of characters and settings, influencing his craft and storytelling abilities.
Tom Hanks' Favorite Books
Last Updated: May 2024
Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America
Author: Donald L. Miller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: May 6th, 2014
Donald L. Miller explores how Manhattan became a cultural and economic hub in the 1920s, epitomizing the era's dynamism and influencing the development of modern America.
Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give
Author: Ada Calhoun
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date: Jun 5th, 2018
Ada Calhoun presents a candid, heartfelt collection of essays on the complexities, challenges, and unexpected joys of married life, drawing from personal experience and the realities that traditional vows tend to overlook.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Publisher: Harper
Date: Feb 10th, 2015
Yuval Noah Harari provides a compelling overview of the history of our species from the emergence of ancient human tribes to the present day, exploring how biology and history have defined us.
The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J. D. Salinger
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date: Jul 16th, 1951
J.D. Salinger's classic novel depicts a few days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a disillusioned teenager navigating his way through the challenges of adulthood in New York City.
Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
Author: Mark Bowden
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Date: Jun 6th, 2017
Mark Bowden delivers a gripping account of the Tet Offensive's pivotal Battle of Hue, where American forces faced a brutal and unexpected confrontation that marked a significant turning point in the Vietnam War.
Spies of the Balkans
Author: Alan Furst
Publisher: Random House
Date: Jun 15th, 2010
A thrilling historical novel by Alan Furst that follows a Greek police officer who becomes involved in a network of espionage during World War II as he tries to save lives from the encroaching Axis powers.
Mila 18
Author: Leon Uris
Publisher: Bantam
Date: Dec 1st, 1983
Leon Uris's novel based on the true story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, portraying the Jewish resistance in Poland during World War II as they stand up against the Nazi regime.
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943
Author: Rick Atkinson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Date: Oct 2nd, 2002
Rick Atkinson offers a comprehensive and gripping account of the North African campaign in World War II, examining both the strategic importance of the campaign and the human experiences of the soldiers.
Stoner
Author: John Williams
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Date: Jun 20th, 2006
John Williams' novel tells the life story of William Stoner, a university professor in Missouri, capturing his unremarkable career and personal disappointments, yet profound inner life, against the backdrop of the 20th century.
The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Penguin Press
Date: Apr 12th, 2004
Carlos Ruiz Zafón crafts a labyrinthine tale of post-war Barcelona, where a young boy discovers a forgotten book that leads him into the heart of a deep, dark mystery that stretches back into the shadows of the city's past.
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire
Author: David Remnick
Publisher: Vintage
Date: Apr 26th, 1994
David Remnick's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the fall of the Soviet Union, as witnessed through the events leading up to and following the collapse, providing deep insights into Russian society and politics.
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age
Author: William Manchester
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date: Jun 1st, 1993
William Manchester provides a vivid portrayal of the late Middle Ages, setting the stage for the profound changes brought about by the Renaissance.
Light a Penny Candle
Author: Maeve Binchy
Publisher: Arrow
Date: Jun 6th, 2006
Maeve Binchy's novel explores the enduring friendship between an English girl and an Irish girl who meet during World War II and the subsequent entwining of their families over the following decades.
The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: William Morrow
Date: Sep 19th, 1997
J.R.R. Tolkien's prelude to "The Lord of the Rings," where the hobbit Bilbo Baggins embarks on an adventure to help a group of dwarves reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug.
The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America 1932-72
Author: William Manchester
Publisher: Bantam
Date: Jul 1st, 1984
William Manchester provides a detailed and engaging narrative of American history spanning forty years, covering the major social, political, and cultural events from the Great Depression through the Watergate scandal.
The Fire Next Time
Author: James Baldwin
Publisher: Vintage
Date: Dec 1st, 1992
James Baldwin's profound exploration of race in America, delivered through two essays that examine his early life in Harlem and a more philosophical exploration of racial identity and relationships.
In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Publisher: Vintage
Date: Feb 1st, 1994
Truman Capote's pioneering work of the non-fiction novel genre, meticulously detailing the brutal murder of a family in Kansas in 1959 and the subsequent investigation and trial of the killers.
The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date: Feb 11th, 2014
Andy Weir's novel tells the story of Mark Watney, a resourceful astronaut left behind on Mars, who must rely on his ingenuity and engineering skills to devise a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Author: Erik Larson
Publisher: Crown
Date: May 10th, 2011
Erik Larson tells the chilling story of the American Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, and his family during the rise of Hitler in the 1930s, revealing the gradually unfolding horror they witnessed.
Midnight In Europe
Author: Alan Furst
Publisher: Random House
Date: Jun 3rd, 2014
In this historical spy novel by Alan Furst, a Spanish lawyer recruited by the anti-Fascist coalition embarks on a dangerous mission across Europe to secure arms for the Spanish Civil War as World War II looms on the horizon.
