I’m going to come right out and say that I relate strongly to young boys in coming of age novels. Especially if they have suffered some sort of trauma and are overly sensitive or thoughtful. This has been the case for me since high school, and I feel that it should be acknowledged before getting into this list, because it is a common theme among many of my favorite books.
These are my 10 favorite books. They have inspired, comforted or intrigued me in some way that other books have not. As it is a personal list, I don’t know if you will agree, but here you go anyway!
1. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer
Words cannot express how much I love this book. I would have it tattooed all over my body if I could. The writing is absolute perfection, and I have written down many quotes over the years. It features three points of view, with the main focus being on 9-year-old Oskar Schell. Oskar is eccentric and unique–an aspiring jewelry maker and inventor (with business cards) who is hypothesized to be on the autism spectrum. Oskar’s father passed away suddenly in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and he attempts to solve the mystery of a key he finds in his father’s closet. It’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching story that deals with loss and finding closure. Read this book, it will change your life.
Fun fact: my friend lived down the block from Jonathan Safran Foer a few years ago, and you best believe she gave me updates such as, “I think Jonathan (we considered ourselves to be on a first name basis) threw out a vacuum cleaner, today. I thought about taking it for you, but didn’t want to be weird.”
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
I’m posting this amazing gift that my friend made for me in lieu of a book cover. She cut up a copy of the book into hearts and put them in this jar (just realized that I have a jar of hearts). I first read this book when I was in the seventh grade, and I really liked it. However, I was able to appreciate it so much more once I was in college. I still re-read it pretty often, and each time, I find myself relating to and loving a different character. I’ve always been able to relate to Ponyboy’s innocence and way of viewing the world, and so this was a book that I turned to for comfort when I was unsure of myself. “Stay Gold” is one of my all-time favorite quotes, and as lame as it sounds, something that I try to live by.
If you aren’t familiar with the book, it follows the life of a 14-year-old boy named Ponyboy. Ponyboy is a “greaser” which is synonymous with being an outsider in society. The world is made up of “greasers” and “socs,” who are known for being richer and more entitled. Ponyboy’s life changes when he witnesses his friend (a fellow greaser) murder a soc during a rumble. His innocence and view on right vs. wrong are challenged, and as the reader, we witness Ponyboy attempt to cope with this. The Outsiders is another life-changing book that I highly recommend.
3. The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty (specifically Sloppy Firsts & Second Helpings)
This is one of the more cheerful (umm maybe the only cheerful) books on my list. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but this one is not about a young boy coming of age! Instead, it’s about an incredibly snarky teenage girl coming of age and navigating high school, college and adulthood. I had a friend recommend this to me in high school and as soon as I read it, I thought, “Oh my god, I’m not the only freak who thinks like this,” and felt infinitely less alone. That’s powerful stuff when you are a teenage girl. It’s hilarious, and Jessica Darling is a wonderful character. She’s honest, opinionated, smart and witty. Plus, Marcus Flutie (her love interest) is a dreamboat, and I’m dating the real life version of him. The first and second books in this series are my favorite, but I enjoy all five.
4. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
“Rip yourself open. Sew yourself shut.”
This is an amazingly disturbing book, which is what Chuck Palahniuk is known for, but I feel that this is where he does it best. The story is unique, well written, and hits the nail on the head in terms of society’s emphasis on beauty. It follows a former catwalk model who is involved in an automobile “accident” that leaves her physically disfigured. Over time, it’s been one of those books that I recommend over and over to people because I think it’s such a good story, it just makes you feel a little icky.
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
This one is about an extremely logical 15-year-old boy who attempts to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog. This book was recommended to me in graduate school, as it is an accurate portrayal of an individual at the higher end of the autism spectrum. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you will most certainly root for and love the main character. I also saw this play, which was just as amazing and creative as the book is. Definitely a book that I feel everyone should read, at least once.
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I read this in one sitting when I was in high school. It’s the perfect book for any teen (or adult) that feels like they are just a bit on the outside of things. The main character, Charlie, is emotional, thoughtful and somewhat of a loner. It’s a darker coming of age story, as Charlie navigates family issues and high school. I found one of my favorite songs (Asleep by the Smiths) through this book, and I’m sure that you have seen the quote from this book about being “infinite” all over the internet. While I do like the movie adaptation, I feel that the book is much less commercialized. It’s not really a happy book, and so the tone is not as light-hearted as I feel the movie is.
7. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
David Sedaris is an amazing writer. This is a collection of short essays about his life that will probably make you laugh out loud. If you are weird like I am, you may force others to listen to you read these essays out loud, whether they like it or not. Discovering David Sedaris’ existence was very important to me, because I didn’t realize that people could create books that were full of essays about their lives. I don’t know why exactly that never occurred to me, but it gave me hope that if I wanted to, I could one day do the same.
8. Dear Martin by Nic Stone
A newer addition to my list of favorites, but important all the same. If I were an English teacher, my students would be reading this book. Justyce is an ivy-league bound student, who is racially profiled by a police officer, one night. This leads him to look for answers and guidance through the words and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a hauntingly accurate portrayal of race relations in America (which, let’s be real, would read like a dystopian horror novel). It’s a YA book, so it’s a pretty quick read and the writing appeals to all ages.
9. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
This is based upon the lives of three women during World War II. The first being Caroline Ferriday, a New York socialite who is posted at the French consulate during Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The second being a young girl in Poland, named Kasia (who is fictional). Kasia is a courier for the underground resistance movement and is sent to Ravensbruck, one of the notorious Nazi concentration camps for women. The third woman is Herta Oberheuser, who is a doctor that is hired at the concentration camp and becomes known for performing torturous operations on the women that are imprisoned at the camp. This is such a well researched and memorable novel. It tells important, albeit horrifying, accounts of what has happened in history, and I was emotionally invested the entire time.
10. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
This is the first book that I reviewed on this blog. It’s about a girl on her way to a secluded farm with her boyfriend, and that’s really all I can write without giving anything away. This book is terrifying. As I mentioned in my original review, it starts off with one of the most boring car rides in the history of all car rides. However, once you hit a certain point, the book picks up and then you seriously CAN NOT put it down. My boyfriend and I stayed up until 2 AM reading this thing and then I didn’t sleep afterwards because I was so terrified. If that sounds like fun to you, then read it. Also, I would like to clarify that my boyfriend and I read our own separate e-readers at the same time…this wasn’t a popcorn, read-aloud event.
Did you make it this far into my post? If so, good for you! Here are some honorable mentions that I also loved, but that did not warrant a spot on my list:
- The One by John Marrs
- This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (a happy outlier on this list)
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
If anyone is reading this and wants to tell me their favorite book/books, I would love to know!
