Book description
From ghosts to pink dolphins to a fight club of young women who practice beneath the Alaskan aurora borealis, By Light We Knew Our Names examines the beauty and heartbreak of the world we live in. Across 13 stories, this collection explores the thin border between magic and grief.
Why read it?
1 author picked By Light We Knew Our Names as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Full disclosure: Anne is a dear friend and was an MFA workshop-mate of mine.
But even if she wasn’t, I’m confident this would still be one of my favorite collections. There is so much magic in Valente’s writing, in the gorgeous prose but also in the content of the stories: ghosts, pink dolphins, tiny librarians, Northern Lights.
Much of the magic is not supernatural, but just the magic of the natural world, and Valente is a master of place; I’ve always admired her use of setting. Many of the stories deal with loss, grief, and pain, but the magic acts…
From Jacqueline's list on magical realism by women writers.
If you love By Light We Knew Our Names...
Aggressor
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
Want books like By Light We Knew Our Names?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like By Light We Knew Our Names.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like By Light We Knew Our Names, you might also like...
Ramón Ramirez's Dog
Ramon Ramirez’s Dog is a collection of essays written over the years about the adventures and misadventures, mostly outside but occasionally inside the diplomatic career of a U.S. ambassador. Common threads weaving the stories together are a desire for a life well-lived, balancing career with family and friends, keeping physically…
I, Robot Alien
“Intelligent, unique, and tremendously entertaining.” - Readers' Favorite 2025
BOOKLIFE EDITOR’S PICK!
EARTH… CENTURIES AFTER THE FALL!
I was created by beings who couldn’t touch this world... only watch it crumble. Every twenty years, a new tribe... a new hope... a new failure.
I was told, “Do not interfere.” But…
