Good Books to Read for Teens and Young Adults In 2023
After well-received articles on Best Self Help Books of All Time and Best Self Help Books for Women, I have been asked by many teenagers to write an article about Good Books to read for Teens and Young Adults. An article which talks about some of the Best Classic Books, Teen Fiction, Inspirational Books, Book Series for Teens which are highly recommended books for tweens. You can easily find them among top 100 books every teenager should read.
“Leaders are Readers”
The most common advice a teenager or a young adult gets from elder people is to develop the habit of reading good books.
Vera Nazarian has correctly said,
“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.”
Reading is not just about passing time or entertainment. When you read a good book, it helps you develop a new perspective on life, society, people and your own self.
But the question is which books to read. There are millions of books out there and it’s quite difficult to sift through all of them.
Confused? 😉
Don’t worry!
After investing around 3 weeks of time, I have prepared a list of books which can be considered as some of the all time best Books to read for Teens and Young Adults. As a teenager, these are also the must read books. (I’ll keep on adding more books to this list)
You can refer to below table for a quick reference.
Which are some Good Books to Read for Teens and Young Adults?
Related Posts:
Read detailed reviews about all the Good Books to Read for Teens and Young Adults below.
Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]“If you are willing to learn some of the greatest lessons of life through an amazing heart touching story, read this book, you’ll thank yourself.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926. She was a graduate of Huntingdon College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. She died on 19th of February, 2016. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best classic books every teenager should read and the most loved story of all time. Written by Harper Lee in 1960 and won Pulitzer Prize. Translated into more than 40 languages and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. A movie was also made based on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ in 1962 with 8.3 rating on IMDB.
The novel tells a touching story showcasing the face of society from the times of the 1930s, tragedy of racism and the ‘Great Depression’ in South America. The story, from the eyes of two teenagers, shows the struggle of poverty, racial discrimination, and injustice. Scout and Jem watch their father (a lawyer) fight for justice of a black man who is charged with the rape of a white girl. The tale lets you see the prejudiced minds of people who support discrimination based on race and class. And shows you the true face of cruel society.
Few lines from the novel:
‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’, an advice given by a lawyer father to his children as he fights for the justice of an innocent black man. The mockingbird is used as an analogy for the real-life black man in the story.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story filled with moments of good-natured humor and sorrow which make readers’ experience worthwhile. Amazing characters, genuine storyline and deep message to make this one of the good books to read for teens.
Reviews in Media
“There is humour as well as tragedy in this book, besides its faint note of hope for human nature; and it is delightfully written” (Sunday Times)
“No one ever forgets this book” (Independent)
“One of the best novels I remember … uniquely unsentimental” (Guardian)
Who must read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird?
If you are willing to learn some of the greatest lessons of life through an amazing heart touching story, read this book, you’ll thank yourself.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults here:
Outside India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]“As a teenager, if you too feel that ethical dilemma and find it difficult to keep with the world, you must read this book to learn how you can handle all these challenges.“[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Jerome David Salinger or J.D. Salinger was born in New York in 1919. He started writing at a very young age during his school. He dropped out of several schools before enrolling in a writing class at Columbia University. After his early success of publishing short stories and The Catcher in the Rye, he led a private life for almost 50 years.
The Catcher in the Rye was his first published novel and was inspired from his own life as a youngster. He had also published other books which include Nine Stories, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, Franny and Zooey and Go See Eddie. He was also into Zen Buddhism and Vedantic Yoga. He died in 2010. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
The protagonist in this story is the sixteen-year-old boy called Holden Caulfield. He is thrown out of his fourth school and is a lazy and reclusive boy. In this book, the confused and disillusioned boy narrates his experience of getting frustrated and going through the struggles of the teenage dilemma. The behavior of his parents, his roommate chasing girls and ‘phoniness’ of adulthood. The book shares about his revolt to head to New York and his encounters with flirtatious middle-aged women, prostitutes, nuns, wayward taxi drivers, alcohol and drugs.
It’s Holden’s journey of self-discovery where he turns to a life full of indulgence into bad things. But his sister Phoebe comes to his rescue and helps him recover from it. He narrates all these events in this book as a flashback. An ethical dilemma as a teen about how life works, the strong feeling of alienation and the struggle to keep up with the world, beautifully explained in this classic fiction for teens. However, the protagonist uses offensive language to convey strong emotions about his experiences throughout the book.
The book exhibits what a teenager goes through his/her life mentally and emotionally, the extreme struggle, breakdown, and recovery. A beautiful classic fiction novel and a must read for teenagers.
Who must read ‘The Catcher in the Rye’?
As a teenager, if you too feel that ethical dilemma and find it difficult to keep with the world, you must read this book to learn how you can handle all these challenges.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults here:
Outside India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you wish to have a new perspective to look at life and feel how fortunate you are, read this story of uncommon friendship.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy in India and Outside India
About The Author
Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American writer. He practiced medicine for over a decade before becoming a full-time writer after the success of his first novel: The Kite Runner. Hosseini has written other amazing novels as well.
All three of his novels were bestsellers: The Kite Runner (2003) was on The New York Times Best Seller list, A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) was on The Times Best Seller list. And the Mountains Echoed (2013) also made to the Times Best Seller list.
He is also the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a non-profit organization. It provides humanitarian assistance to the people in Afghanistan. Hosseini is a Goodwill Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
The Kite Runner has won the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize in 2004. It was the debut novel by Hosseini and got published in 2003. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller for over two years and sold over 7 million copies in the US.
The book got so many positive reviews and appreciation that a movie was made based on this novel in 2007, The Kite Runner (film). It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007.
The Kite Runner is a beautifully written novel in the devastating backdrop of Afghan history over the last 30 years. It is a story about power, betrayal, possibility, and exploration. A story of love, sacrifice, lies of fathers for their sons. A story of family, and friendship. The Kite Runner is an unconventional and a powerful novel. It has become one of the most loved and classic books for teens including readers from all age groups across the globe. It is one of the best novels of the 21st century to read.
The protagonist of the novel, Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan is his servant and Hazara (Hassan’s son) is a constant companion from a despised and impoverished caste. The unique bond of Amir and Hazara is broken by Amir’s choice to leave his dear friend amidst the rising ethnic, religious, and political tensions in the country, pulling them far apart. But Amir travels back to a far away world due to the strong bond between the two friends, in an attempt to correct the past mistakes for the only true friend he ever had.
This is an unforgettable, heart-wrenching story of a friendship, one of its kind, between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant,
A true classic and one the good books to read for teens and young adults. If you’ll rank this book, it’ll easily make it to the top 10 teenage books.
Reviews in Media
“A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story … it is a novel of great hidden intricacy and wisdom, like a timeless Eastern tale. It speaks the most harrowing truth about the power of evil” – Daily Telegraph
“Hosseini’s ability to reach the core of experiences of love and loss places him in the company of such fine chroniclers of the new America as Chang-rae Lee. The Kite Runner is a first novel of unusual generosity, honesty and compassion” – Independent
“The shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini… a rich and soul-searching narrative … a sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled” – Observer
Who must read ‘The Kite Runner’?
If you wish to have a new perspective to look at life and feel how fortunate you are, read this story of uncommon friendship. It’s a must read for every teenager.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Tweens and Young Adults here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Animal Farm by George Orwell
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you are interested in understanding the realities of life using allegorical references, you must read it. It’s an eye-opener.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism and outspoken support of democratic socialism.
He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). The Times ranked him second on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
The Animal Farm is an allegorical novella written by George Orwell and was first published in England in 1945.
According to Orwell, the book reflects events that led to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then to the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Orwell wrote this book between November 1943 and February 1944. During that time, the United Kingdom was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union and the British people and intelligentsia (a status class of educated people) held Stalin in high esteem, a phenomenon hated by Orwell.
The book was selected as one of the 100 best English-language novels during 1923 – 2005 by the Time magazine and was featured on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels. It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 and is also included in the Great Books of the Western World selection.
A movie was also made based on The Animal Farm in 1999.
The enslaved animals of Manor Farm defeat their master, Mr. Jones and take over the farm in order to control all of it by themselves. They anticipate it to be the new beginning of independence, abundance and prosperity for all. However, a deceitful and unkind elite bunch among the animals gradually starts to take control. The other animals find themselves helplessly trapped under a new form of dictatorship.
The Animal Farm is a social commentary and a satirical tale on idealism deceived by power and corruption in the government. It was refused by publisher after publisher and remained unpublished for a long time, due to its fierce attack on Stalin who was Britain’s then ally. But today, it’s considered as one of Orwell’s best works and also one of the world-famous classic books for teens as well as readers of all ages.
Reviews in Media
“A delightfully humorous and caustic satire on the rule of the many by the few” – The Guardian, 1945
“A gentle satire on a certain State and on the illusions of an age which may already be behind us.” – Tosco Fyvel, The Tribune.
Who must read ‘Animal Farm’?
This book is one of my personal favorites in the category of classic books for teens.
If you are interested in understanding the realities of life using allegorical references, you must read it. In fact, I believe, everyone should read this book at least once in a lifetime. It’s an eye-opener. It is one of the best YA books for adults.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you are a lover of classic novels which beautifully talk about pain, compassion, betrayal and give lessons for life, you must give it a read. You’ll love it.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
William Styron was an American novelist and essayist, born in Newport News, Virginia in 1925. He won major literary awards for his work. He completed his education at Duke University and served in the US Marine Corps. He lived mostly in Europe after 1952, before settling in a rural part of Connecticut and died in 2006.
Styron was best known for his novels, Lie Down in Darkness (1951), The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967) and Sophie’s Choice (1979). Although his novels created a lot of controversy throughout the world but won various awards too. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
Sophie’s Choice was published by Styron in 1979. It won the National Book Award in 1980 and also became National Bestseller in the United States. A 1982 film based on the novel was nominated for five Academy Awards under Oscars.
Although the book initially was banned in South Africa, Poland, censored in the Soviet Union and also banned in some high schools in the United States but now it’s considered as one of the best classic books for teens and young adults.
Avid fiction readers and literature lovers must have at least heard about this book, if not have read it. Such is the popularity of this book. It’s such one of the classic novels everyone should read.
This extraordinary novel is about the relationships between three people who share a boarding house in Brooklyn.
Stingo, a young twenty-two-year-old chap, an aspiring writer from Southern America. He began writing his first novel and got recently fired from the last job. He decided to dedicate some months to his novel. While working on his novel, he meets a couple (lovers) in an intense and difficult relationship.
The Jewish-American scientist Nathan Landau who is a genius and has paranoid schizophrenia. At times he behaves like a quite normal and generous person, but sometimes he behaves entirely opposite of that, jealous, violent, abusive and delusional. And there is his lover Sophie Zawistowska, a beautiful Polish Catholic who is a survivor of the Holocaust and German Nazi concentration camps.
Stingo, in this novel, shares his experience of living with them during the summer of 1947. He uncovers Sophie’s dark, painful memories of pre-war Poland, the concentration camp and her choice – the terrible secret.
This heart wrenching, compassionate and a very controversial novel is a craft of interwoven fabrics of survivor guilt, madness, and betrayal.
Reviews in Media
“A masterpiece, [which leaves] more conventional treatments of the Holocaust, such as Schindler’s List, looking obtuse and sentimental” (The Times)
“William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice is a landmark of mid-20th-century American fiction – an impressively fat novel that most literate Americans claim to have read even if they haven’t” (Sunday Telegraph)
“Styron is a writer’s writer, capable of setting a pastoral idyll in Brooklyn, and the traumas narrated occur alongside a classic American coming-of-age story” (Xan Brooks Guardian, 1000 novels everyone must read)
‘A passionate novel . . . courageous and masterly’ New York Times
Who must read ‘Sophie’s Choice’?
If you are a lover of classic novels which beautifully talk about pain, compassion, betrayal and give lessons for life, you must buy this book and give it a read. You’ll love it.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Miller Hemingway
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you love reading stories which infuse you with an extreme level of vigor to beat all kinds of pessimism and emerge as a winner despite all odds, then you must read this classic novel.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy in India and Outside India
About The Author
Ernest Miller Hemingway, an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, was born in Chicago in 1899. Hemingway wrote most of his work from the mid-1920s to mid-1950s. H work included seven novels, six short-story collections, and two non-fiction books. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 after publishing his last major fiction work ‘The Old Man and The Sea’ in 1952.
He started his career as an ambulance driver at the Italian front and then came back to America in 1919. He joined as a reporter on the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Afterward, he resigned from his job and moved to Paris in order to focus on his writing. During the period while he was writing, he traveled a lot and became an internationally recognized literary master of his work, won Nobel Prize too. He died in 1961. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
‘The Old Man and The Sea’ was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1951 and was published in 1952. It was his last major work of fiction in his lifetime. It was his one of the most famous craft. ‘The Old Man and The Sea’ won Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for Fiction. It was also a major contributing factor for Hemingway to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Three films have been made based on the book: The Old Man and the Sea (1958 film), The Old Man and the Sea, animated short film (1999 film), and The Old Man and the Sea (miniseries). It is often included in Literature curriculum of high schools of America as well as in other countries as classic novels for high school.
The classic novel tells the story of an aging Cuban fisherman, Santiago. The story about how he strives to overcome his unluckiness of not being able to catch a fish for 84 days. And finally, when he catches a giant Marlin on the 85th day, he struggles to bring it with him. Due to Marlin’s blood in the sea, sharks start to follow him. Instead of getting scared, he fights back and kills them in order to bring his Marlin back to the shore. His attempt helps him to restore his respect and dignity among fellow fishermen.
The story shows how Santiago never gives up irrespective of his failing attempts and remains consistent with his sincere efforts and optimism.
It is one of the best tween books of all time.
Reviews in Media
“The best story Hemingway has written…No page of this beautiful master-work could have been done better or differently.” (Sunday Times)
Who must read ‘The Old Man and The Sea’?
If you love reading stories which infuse you with an extreme level of vigor to beat all kinds of pessimism and emerge as a winner despite all odds, then you must buy this classic novel and read it.
Check out this one of the Classic Books for Teens and Young Adults here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Teen and Young Adult Fiction Books
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you enjoy reading a love story that is more than a mere love story and moves you, a story that expresses love, pain, and strength at the same time, then you must read this teen fiction book.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
John Green was born in 1977 in the US. He is a New York Times Bestselling Author for books like Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns and The Fault in our Stars.
He has also been awarded the Printz Award for ‘Looking for Alaska’ in 2006, the Edgar Award for ‘Paper Towns’ as Best Young Adult Novel in 2009 and Children’s Choice Book Awards for ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ as Teen Book of the Year in 2013.
Green’s books have been published in over 12 languages. Also, various films have been made based on his novels.
Apart from being an author, he is also a vlogger, writer, producer, editor, and educator. Green was included in the Time magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2014.
About The Book
The Fault in our Stars was published in 2012 and it was Green’s sixth novel. It’s not just one of the teen and young adult fiction books but a book for everyone. It’s an emotional feel-good novel for all. It became a major selling book all over the world and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
The Fault in Our Stars got to #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Chapter Books. It was also #1 on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list, #1 on the Indiebound bestseller list, and #9 on The Bookseller bestseller list. (Source: Wikipedia)
Also, a film was made as an adaptation to this novel, ‘The Fault in our Stars Film (2014)’, an American Romantic Tragedy Film, directed by Josh Boone.
The Fault in our Stars is a story about two teenagers, 16 years old Hazel Grace Lancaster and 17 years old Augustus Waters, also the protagonists of the story. It is about how their lives change post-diagnosis with terminal cancer and how they live after that.
They meet for the first time at a support center for cancer patients and survivors. This is when they interact with each other and start to see some rays of hope for their lives again. They start to feel alive and better together. They start living the lives they had dreamt of.
The YA fiction novel shows daily struggles, fears, happiness, hope, humor, love, drama, emotion, pain and death. It’s a sneak peek into the reality of life which is not always bright and happy. The protagonists beautifully accept their fate and strive to live their best without feeling pity for themselves.
When you read ‘The Fault in our Stars’, you go through the rollercoaster of emotions and you’ll not be able to feel anything but love, courage, and strength.It can be considered as one of the best YA romance books which teens as well as adults will love.
This novel is one of the most interesting books for young adults as well as young adults romance books best sellers.
Reviews in Media
A novel of life and death and the people caught in between, The Fault in Our Stars is John Green at his best. You laugh, you cry, and then you come back for more (Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief)
Damn near genius . . . Simply devastating . . . Fearless in the face of powerful, uncomplicated, unironized emotion (TIME)
Who must read ‘The Fault in Our Stars’?
If you enjoy reading a love story that is more than a mere love story and moves you, a story that expresses love, pain, and strength at the same time, then you must read this teen fiction book.
Check out this one of the Best Teen and Young Adult Fiction Books here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Charles Sparks
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”Fan of reading love stories where love is everlasting despite tears and sadness? Then this one’s for you.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Nicholas Charles Sparks is a renowned American Novelist, Screenwriter, and Producer. He has published around twenty novels and two non-fiction books. A number of his novels have gone to become international bestsellers.
Sparks was born in 1965 in Omaha, Nebraska. He wrote his first novel, ‘The Passing’, in 1985 as a student at University which was never published. He wrote his second novel in 1989, also unpublished,’The Royal Murders’.
After college, he spent three years trying various careers, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products and starting his own manufacturing business.
In 1990, Sparks co-authored a non-fiction book with Billy Mills, ‘Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding’.
Sparks started selling pharmaceuticals in 1992 and came to Washington, D.C. in 1993. There, he wrote another novel ‘The Notebook’ in his spare time and later on, was discovered by a literary agent called Theresa Park to represent Sparks.
In 1995, Park got a $1 million advance for The Notebook from Time Warner Book Group and it was published in October 1996. It made to the New York Times best-seller list in the first week of its release
Many of his romantic-drama novels have been acquired for film adaptations films: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Notebook (2004), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Dear John (2010), The Last Song (2010), The Lucky One (2012), Safe Haven (2013), The Best of Me (2014), The Longest Ride (2015), and The Choice (2016), earning multi million-dollars at box office. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
A Walk to Remember is an amazing book, one of the best novels for teens and young adults, written by an American writer Nicholas Sparks in 1999, his third novel.
Sparks has said that her younger sister, Danielle “Dana” Sparks, who died at the age of 33 from a brain tumor, was the inspiration for the main character of this novel.
A Walk to Remember is a story of two teenagers who fall in love with each other despite having different personalities and being incompatible. The story sets in 1958-’59 in Beaufort, North Carolina. A film adaptation was also made based on this novel, A Walk to Remember Film (2002).
The story starts with a prologue from Landon at the age of 57 and then the story moves from the perspective of a 17-year-old teen Landon Carter, who is a high school senior boy. Landon is a son of a genial, charismatic congressman and lives in a small, religious town of Beaufort, North Carolina. His father is not around for most of the time as he lives in Washington.
The story shows how he fell in love with a girl who is very different from her. The story goes through a sequence of events when eventually Landon finds himself in love with Jamie, daughter of the Beaufort church minister. A girl who is very religious and took bible wherever she went.
Despite being so different personality-wise, Landon not just loves her but tries to make her feel special and fulfills her life’s most important wish.
The story is a mixture of love, romance, tragedy, drama, pain and all in all an amazing experience. A lot to learn from this story. If you have read it, you know what I mean and if you haven’t then you must. It is one of the best YA books of all time.
Reviews in Media
New York Daily News ~ “has written a sweet tale of young but everlasting love, and though he’s told us to expect both joy and sadness, the tears will still come”
The Sunday New York Post ~ “never fails to be interesting, touching, at times riveting … a book you won’t soon forget“
Who must read ‘A Walk to Remember’?
Fan of reading love stories where love is everlasting despite tears and sadness? Then this one’s for you.
Check out this one of the Best Teen and Young Adult Fiction Books here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”If you wish to be moved by a story two women who dream of a bright future even in the darkest phases of life, grab this one of the recommended books for teens of all time.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American writer who wrote bestselling novels like The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) and Mountains Echoed (2013).
The founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and a Goodwill Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency. (Read more on Wikipedia)
About The Book
‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ was the second novel in 2007 by Khaled after his debut novel ‘The Kite Runner’ in 2003, a New York Times bestselling book which sold four million copies. This second novel by Hosseini was a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that proved him to be one of the most important literary writers. It went on to become #1 New York Times bestselling book.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of two women brought together by fate, war, and loss. Women who were born a generation apart. They had very different ideas about love and family. The story focuses primarily on these female characters, Mariam and Laila, living in Afghan society.
Hosseini considers the novel as a “mother-daughter story” unlike The Kite Runner, which he considers a “father-son story”.
Through the story, as they survive the increasing dangers around them in their home and in the streets of Kabul, they start to develop a bond. A bond that’s like sisters as well as mother-daughter. And that bond shapes their life as well as that of the next generation.
Facing so much struggle and pain, the story shows the level of courage and self-sacrifice a woman can exhibit because of her love for the family or memory of love and make it the key to survival.
It’s one of the great books for teens that can help you visualize how one can lead a life despite so many adversities.
The title of the book has come from the Josephine Davis translation of a poem “Kabul” by the 17th-century Iranian poet Saib Tabrizi:
“Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls”
This one of the classic teen fiction books is an incredibly compelling story of survival, endurance, perseverance, fear, helplessness, unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.
Reviews in Media
“A Thousand Splendid Suns is an ambitious work. Once again the setting is Afghanistan, but this time [Hosseini] has taken the last 33 years of that country’s tumultuous history of war and oppression and told it on an intimate scale, through the lives of two women.”—The New York Times
“Just as good, if not better, than Hosseini’s best-selling first book, The Kite Runner”—Newsweek
“Hosseini revisits Afghanistan for a compelling story that gives voice to the agonies and hopes of another group of innocents caught up in a war. . . . Mesmerizing . . . A Thousand Splendid Suns is the painful, and at times violent, yet ultimately hopeful story of two women’s inner lives. Hosseini’s bewitching narrative captures the intimate details of life in a world where it’s a struggle to survive, skillfully inserting this human story into the larger backdrop of recent history.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Who must read ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’?
If you wish to be moved by a story two women who dream of a bright future even in the darkest phases of life, grab this one of the recommended books for teens of all time. A must read for every teenager.
Check out this one of the Best Teen and Young Adult Fiction Books here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Book Series for Teens and Young Adults (Inspirational / Biographies)
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
[su_highlight background=”#f5ff99″]”Every teen and young adult must read this book and other books from the series of Maya Angelou’s autobiography.”[/su_highlight]
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
About The Author
Dr. Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She lived an extraordinary life by rising from poverty, violence, and racism.
Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences which is considered to be one of the best book series for teens. Also, her books are some of the best books every teenage girl should read, especially.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) was her first autobiography which was followed by six volumes of autobiography. The seventh, final volume, Mom & Me & Mom, was published in 2013. She wrote three essay books; volumes of poetry including ‘His Day is Done’, a tribute to Nelson Mandela; and two cookbooks as well. She was also credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.
Angelou was one of the world’s most renowned writers and activists. She was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. She had received a number of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. She was appointed as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at the Wake Forest University of North Carolina for a lifetime.
About The Book
‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ was published in 1969 as the first book in the seven-volume book series of her autobiography. This book described early years of the American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The story shows how a strong character and a love for literature can help one overcome racism and trauma of rape.
The book captures the story of Maya from when she was a three-year-old girl and she was sent to Stamps, Arkansas along with her older brother to live with their grandmother. And the story ends when 16 years old Maya becomes a mother.
During the course of her story, Maya transforms herself from a girl who suffers from an inferiority complex and is a victim of racism into a young woman who is self-possessed, dignified and is capable of responding to preconceived notions.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was nominated for a National Book Award in 1970 in the United States and was a New York Times Bestseller.
The title of this book comes from the third stanza of a poem ‘Sympathy’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar, an Afro-American poet. She admired Dunbar’s work for years. Lines from the poem are:
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings –
I know why the caged bird sings.
Maya Angelou’s seven volumes of autobiography are an evidence of the talents and resilience of an extraordinary writer. She loved the world and also knew its cruelty. She knew what it means to be a human being. Being a black woman, she had faced discrimination and extreme poverty but also knew how to have hope, joy, achievement, and celebration.
Reviews in Media
‘A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman’ Barack Obama
Who must read ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’?
Every teen and young adult must read this book and other books from the series of her autobiography.
Check out this one of the Best Book Series for Teens and Young Adults here:
India: Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Outside India: Paperback | Hardcover | Audiobook
Check out other six books from the Book Series for Teens by Maya Angelou:
Gather Together In My Name by Maya Angelou
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
Singin’ & Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
The Heart Of A Woman by Maya Angelou
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
Mom and Me and Mom by Maya Angelou
Click here to buy: India and Outside India
So, how do you find this list of good books to read for teens? 
Which of these recommended books stand out for you? Let me know in the comment section.
I’m sure, you must have read many great books. Do you feel that any other book should have been included in this list of Good Books to Read for Teens and Young Adults? Please feel free to let me know about it and why do you love it by leaving a comment below. It will help in making the list of Best Books for Teens richer and beneficial for fellow readers.
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