I am always asking people for good book recommendations. As an academic, I am constantly reading books for work. However, whenever I read fiction, I am overwhelmed with a profound sense of joy, relaxation and a connection to worlds known and unknown. In so many ways, reading a good book (fiction or nonfiction) can connect us to ourselves, our past and our present day realities.

I recently reread Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which was first published in 1969. In it, she makes so many relevant, poignant and timeless points about race relations, urban growth, politics and familial ties. I first read the book when I was in eighth grade and likely missed 95 percent of the larger narrative. That matters not.

I revisited the book and discovered so much more. William Feather wrote that, “Finishing a good book is like leaving an old friend.” In so many ways, finishing “Caged Bird” made Angelou’s passing real for me. A necessary discovery among the many others she provided in the text.

I encourage all of us to read one good novel this year. No matter how long it is or how profound. Just read. Support your local bookstore or brother on the corner selling books. Find booksellers who specialize in used books (even Amazon sells used books). There is nothing like reading someone else’s notes in the margins to connect you to the author and the previous reader. And share your old books. Many of us could stand to do a little spring-cleaning. Give away any extra books to a local library or someone who knows a young person. Books build community.

Some people have found great success in starting a small book club with friends. I was a member of a book club where we read books about New York City that were hundreds of pages long, and we knew we would never finish these important works without a community of readers and the support of others. And don’t forget, a book club does not need to be comprised of your best friends. All you need is another person or people who are interested in taking a little time for themselves to discuss ideas and how a good book makes you feel.

So I ask all of us to take just a little time this year and find a book that will become an old friend. And if you need some authors to get you started, may I suggest Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Gloria Naylor, Jamaica Kincaid and, of course, Dr. Angelou.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Fordham University and the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration and the Pursuit of the American Dream.”