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Leila Mottley
15 ratings | 2 reviews | avg rating:4.93

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Leila Mottley

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October 2017


Leila Mottley is the author of the novel NIGHTCRAWLING, an Oprah’s Book Club pick and New York Times best seller. NIGHTCRAWLING was longlisted for the Booker Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Mottley was the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate and published her debut poetry collection WOKE UP NO LIGHT in 2024. Mottley’s writing has also been published in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Marie Claire, and more. Her sophomore novel, THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG, is forthcoming in June 2025.

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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.97 · 73,817 ratings · 10,240 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors
Nightcrawling
3.95 avg rating — 59,633 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions
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The Girls Who Grew Big
4.03 avg rating — 13,839 ratings — published 2025 — 15 editions
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Woke Up No Light
4.08 avg rating — 384 ratings — 4 editions
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This, That, or the Other Wa...
4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings
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QuIP: An Anthology of Young...
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
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Juneteenth Babies
4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2021
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Florida Babys: Roman
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Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Wandering Stars
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There There is the most authentic, poignant depiction of Oakland I've ever read. Somehow, Wandering Stars takes that a step further and creates a stunning, sweeping depiction of Oakland, addiction, and belonging that builds on and surpasses Tommy Ora ...more
Feb 25, 2024 05:46PM  · 30 likes ·   · see review ·  preview book
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Quotes by Leila Mottley  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Mama used to tell me that blood is everything, but I think we’re all out here unlearning that sentiment, scraping our knees and asking strangers to patch us back up.”
― Leila Mottley, Nightcrawling
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“The idea of drowning doesn’t bother me, though, since we’re made of water anyway. It’s kind of like your body overflowing with itself.”
― Leila Mottley, Nightcrawling
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“art is the way we imprint ourselves onto the world so there is no way to erase us.”
― Leila Mottley, Nightcrawling
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
2025 & 2026 Readi...: Joy's Gems: 200 in 2022 11 194 Jan 16, 2022 06:32PM  
Turn of a Page: Reading the Waves (T10) 251 55 Jul 25, 2022 02:20PM  
21st Century Lite...: C21L - Booker Prize 2022 2 45 Jul 26, 2022 08:44AM  
Play Book Tag: Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley - 2 stars 4 25 Aug 19, 2022 11:59AM  
Audiobooks: This topic has been closed to new comments. August 160 190 Aug 31, 2022 12:28PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. * Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD 3131 307 Aug 31, 2022 09:00PM  

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