Book Recommendations for Chidi Anagonye from The Good Place

Our favorite show of the decade, The Good Place, is quickly coming to an end. (We’re not crying. You’re crying.) And we're spending a fair amount of time daydreaming about our favorite characters. Which is how we came up with this list of book recommendations for our favorite ball of nerves: Chidi Anagonye.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

We don’t consider Chidi an introvert at all, but we know that he sees this world – and this afterlife that he lives in – as one filled with a lot of noise and chaos. Which is why we’re recommending Quiet by Susan Cain, a much needed breath of fresh air in a world where (in this reboot) the most annoying man in the history of existence thinks that he deserves a place in “The Better Place.” And who know! Maybe Chidi will pick up a thing or two from the introverts Cain studies.

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My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel

Chidi will be the first to tell you that he lives with an incredible amount of anxiety, but we know he’s always turned to philosophers for answers to his toughest problems – rather than reaching out to contemporaries. And while we can’t pinpoint one person in The Good Place who could get on Chidi’s level without sending him into a tailspin on the subject, we can recommend My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel. Because if he’s going to be looking for answers in books, he might as well turn to a book that understands him.

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The League of Regrettable Sidekicks by Jon Morris

We know that sometimes Chidi feels like he’s surrounded by regrettable sidekicks – and sometimes he feels like a regrettable sidekick himself! The League of Regrettable Sidekicks by Jon Morris will not only show him that he’s not alone, it’ll also give him a much needed laugh in the controlled chaos that is The Good Place. And hey, we’re all about pumping our pal Chidi up and letting him know that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Because at least he’s not Rick Jones, forgettable sidekick to half the Marvel universe.

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Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston

Sometimes you just need a book that’s pure candy deliciousness – to keep you from creating a Peep chili during your Wednesday afternoon lecture. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston is just the ticket. It’s romantic and swoony in all the best ways, with just enough unbelievable accomplishment-by-proxy for Chidi to pick apart by way of discussion. Before you know it, he’ll be starting a Good Place book club with a handful of the Janet Babies, restoring order to the afterlife.

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Forking Good by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu

Speaking of Peep chili, we want to make sure we send Chidi off with a memorable cookbook. Forking Good might feel a little on the nose, but he’s setting out to create a new afterlife. (And Eleanor is the answer! Awww!) So this cookbook serves as a souvenir of sorts – a way to look back on the shrimp-filled skies and infinite frozen yogurt with some level of nostalgia. 

Buy the Book:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Books a Million | Target