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50 Books Every Teen Should Read — Flavorwire

With all the recent discussion about To Kill a Mockingbird, I was inspired to re-read the #2 Most Classic Novel for Teenagers (#1 is The Catcher in the Rye, of course). And, well, it's great. But also, it's not exactly the most relevant thing for teenagers in 2016 — at least not relevant enough that it should be the pinnacle of their reading list, promised to change their minds about everything. As Jenny Slate might say in my favorite Jenny Slate performance of all time: "Everybody can do everything now! I can't relate to that goddamn story! Just read a frickin' Dilbert and go to sleep." Well, let's not go crazy, because there are tons of great books that are utterly relevant to modern teenagers — or at least should be. From old books to brand-new ones, from YA to poetry, from sci-fi to nonfiction, here are 50 books every modern teenager (and many modern adults) should read.
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I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the I (Malala Yousafzai and Christian Lamb)
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the I
1
Malala Yousafzai and Christian Lamb
We the Animals
We the Animals
2
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Joan Didion)
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
3
Joan Didion
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
4
Shirley Jackson
We Should All Be Feminists (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
We Should All Be Feminists
5
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Black Hole (Charles Burns)
Black Hole
6
Charles Burns
After Claude (Iris Owens)
After Claude
7
Iris Owens
Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
Hunger Games
8
Suzanne Collins
Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm : A New English Version (Philip Pullman)
Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm : A New English Version
9
Philip Pullman
Transformations
Transformations
10
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman)
The Golden Compass
11
Philip Pullman
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
12
Sylvia Plath
Ghost World (Daniel Clowes)
Ghost World
13
Daniel Clowes
Citizen (Claudia Rankine)
Citizen
14
Claudia Rankine
Weetzie Bat
Weetzie Bat
15
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Persepolis
16
Marjane Satrapi
The Lover (Marguerite Duras)
The Lover
17
Marguerite Duras
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
18
Margaret Atwood
Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Fun Home
19
Alison Bechdel
Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)
Parable of the Sower
20
Octavia Butler
Tipping the Velvet (Sarah Waters)
Tipping the Velvet
21
Sarah Waters
Every Day (David Levithan)
Every Day
22
David Levithan
Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
Geek Love
23
Katherine Dunn
How to Be a Woman (Caitlin Moran)
How to Be a Woman
24
Caitlin Moran
BLACK SWAN GREEN (David Mitchell)
BLACK SWAN GREEN
25
David Mitchell
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
26
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Magic for Beginners (Kelly Link)
Magic for Beginners
27
Kelly Link
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
I Capture the Castle
28
Dodie Smith
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
29
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
30
Donna Tartt
Step Aside, Pops - A Hark! a Vagrant Collection (Kate Beaton)
Step Aside, Pops - A Hark! a Vagrant Collection
31
Kate Beaton
Ooga Booga
Ooga Booga
32
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
The Bloody Chamber
33
Angela Carter
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
34
Neil Gaiman
Project X (Jim Shepard)
Project X
35
Jim Shepard
Among Others (Jo Walton)
Among Others
36
Jo Walton
Crush (Richard Siken)
Crush
37
Richard Siken
If I Was Your Girl (Meredith Russo)
If I Was Your Girl
38
Meredith Russo
Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi)
Mr. Fox
39
Helen Oyeyemi
The Rest of Us Just Live Here (Patrick Ness)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
40
Patrick Ness
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