Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Rumaan Alam's books

1061 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:5.00

more photos (1)

Rumaan’s Year In Books

Rumaan’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Rumaan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Rumaan’s 2025 Year in Books

Rumaan Alam’s Followers (2,082)

Rumaan’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (2)
read (1066)
did-not-finish (0)

Rumaan’s Friends (203)

spalanai ⛤

8,036 books | 700 friends

Jillian

2,310 books | 217 friends

Mohammed Fawzy (BookTuber)

730 books | 1,539 friends

Paola Iacobelli

57,081 books | 876 friends

Jude Nichols

618 books | 768 friends

Stephanie

1,907 books | 2,082 friends

Dan

13,559 books | 2,051 friends

Emily Sunshine

715 books | 1,546 friends

More friends…

2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Rumaan Alam has read 98 of 100 books.

98%

Rumaan Alam

Goodreads Author

Website

http://rumaanalam.com/

Twitter

Rumaan

Genre

Fiction

Member Since

August 2015

edit data

I'm the author of the novels Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, Leave the World Behind, and Entitlement.

My short fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly, Crazyhorse, Meridian, and elsewhere. I've also written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, and the New Republic. I studied writing at Oberlin College. Now I live in New York with my husband and two kids.
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Rumaan Alam questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Rumaan Alam’s books

Average rating: 3.09 · 209,823 ratings · 29,985 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Leave the World Behind 3.13 avg rating — 174,272 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rich and Pretty 2.78 avg rating — 11,231 ratings — published 2016 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Entitlement 2.95 avg rating — 9,160 ratings — published 2024 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	That Kind of Mother 3.07 avg rating — 7,835 ratings — published 2018 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Children's Bach by Helen Garner, Rumaan Alam (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 3.51 avg rating — 4,709 ratings — published 1984 — 38 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shell Game 2.26 avg rating — 3,998 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design by Christiane Lemieux, Rumaan Alam (Goodreads Author), Deborah Needleman (Foreword) 3.53 avg rating — 535 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Domestic Animal by Francis King, Rumaan Alam (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 3.85 avg rating — 295 ratings — published 1970 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	There Are Flowers in Ohio by Rumaan Alam (Goodreads Author), Michael Crouch (Narrator), Allison Hiroto (Narrator) 2.97 avg rating — 361 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Leave the World Behind by Alam, Rumaan by Rumaan Alam (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Rumaan Alam…

If it seems like a lot of your favorite books are turning into movies and TV series lately, you’re right. Extremely right. In fact, it’s...

Rumaan is Currently Reading

Rumaan Alam is currently reading

The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos

by Carlos Barragán (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM

Rumaan Alam is currently reading

Oliver Twist

by Charles Dickens

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sep 01, 2026 09:00PM

rss
Rumaan’s Recent Updates

Rumaan Alam rated a book it was amazing Desperation by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM · 2 likes · like
Rumaan Alam rated a book it was amazing The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rumaan Alam is currently reading The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos by Carlos Barragán (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rumaan Alam finished reading Desperation by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM · like
Rumaan Alam finished reading The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2026 04:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rumaan Alam is currently reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 01, 2026 09:00PM · 1 like · like
Rumaan Alam is currently reading The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 31, 2026 12:44PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rumaan Alam rated a book it was amazing Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 30, 2026 12:54PM · 8 likes · like
Rumaan Alam is currently reading Desperation by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 27, 2026 04:38AM · 1 like · like
Rumaan Alam rated a book it was amazing Look at Me by Anita Brookner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2026 04:47PM · 3 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Look at Me by Anita Brookner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Look at Me by Anita Brookner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Rumaan's books…

Quotes by Rumaan Alam (?)

“Parenthood was never knowing what was going to hurt your kids, but knowing only that something, inevitably, would.”
― Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind

21 likes

“Ruth had learned only one thing from the current reality, and it was that everything held together by tacit agreement that it would. All it took to unravel something was one party deciding to do just that. There was no real structure to prevent chaos. There was only a collective faith in order.”
― Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind

19 likes

“You never know when a time is the last time, because if you did you could never go on with life.”
― Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind

18 likes

See all Rumaan Alam's quotes »

Polls

January BoTM Nominations ~ Book Published in 2020 ~ 1st Poll
Top 5 Move onto Final Poll!

The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett

9 votes, 21.4%

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

9 votes, 21.4%

The Henna Artist

by Alka Joshi

8 votes, 19.0%

This Is How I Lied

by Heather Gudenkauf

6 votes, 14.3%

The Last Flight

by Julie Clark

5 votes, 11.9%

The House in the Cerulean Sea

by T.J. Klune

3 votes, 7.1%

These Ghosts Are Family

by Maisy Card

1 vote, 2.4%

Leave the World Behind

by Rumaan Alam

1 vote, 2.4%

Pride of Eden

by Taylor Brown

0 votes, 0.0%

The Lost Orphan

by Stacey Halls

0 votes, 0.0%

Luster

by Raven Leilani

0 votes, 0.0%

The Cold Millions

by Jess Walter

0 votes, 0.0%

42 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Nothing But Readi...: Draco Lizards READ BOOKS	1304	390	Nov 07, 2016 02:36AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2555	480	Nov 30, 2016 09:00PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2017: Reading Plans	59	333	Jul 20, 2017 08:26AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2921	518	Aug 31, 2017 09:01PM
Around the Year i...: 8: A book written by a person of color	84	239	Oct 24, 2017 02:11PM
WACKY READING CHA...: Marina's Wacky Challenges	27	31	Jan 18, 2018 12:04AM

More…

Rumaan’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Rumaan’s Year In Books

Rumaan Alam’s Followers (2,082)

Rumaan’s Bookshelves

Rumaan’s Friends (203)

2026 Reading Challenge

Rumaan Alam

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Rumaan Alam’s books

Related News

Rumaan is Currently Reading

rss
Rumaan’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — Look at Me by Anita Brookner

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

recent posts
Rumaan’s Groups

Rumaan’s Friend Comments

Rumaan Alam’s Followers (2,082)

Rumaan Alam

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

Related News

rssRumaan’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — The Bay of Angels by Anita Brookner

See a Problem?

Preview — Look at Me by Anita Brookner

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

rss
Rumaan’s Recent Updates