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Standalone Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Standalone books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Standalone series? Start with "The Third Life of Grange Copeland" (1970) and follow publication order through all 24 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

The Third Life of Grange Copeland
1970

Meridian
1976

Finding the Green Stone
1991

By the Light of My Father's Smile
1998

Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart
2004

Revolutionary Petunias
1973

In Love & Trouble
1973

Once
1976

Good Night, Willie Lee, I'll See You in the Morning
1979

You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down
1981

Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful
1985

Alice Walker Poetry
1985

Her Blue Body Everything We Know
1991

Everyday Use
1992

Giving Birth, Finding Form
1993

The Complete Stories
1994

The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart
2000

Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth
2003

A Poem Traveled Down My Arm
2003

Collected Poems
2005

Hard Times Require Furious Dancing
2010

The World Will Follow Joy
2013

Collected Essays, Prose, and Stories
2018

Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart
2018
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