I recently turned 19 and kind of lost my passion for reading. I realized that when I was reading, I didn’t read many “meaningful” books. What five books would you recommend that I read before I turn 20 to make be a more well-rounded person?
by bradyxbuell
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Set Boundaries, Find Peace – I think absolutely every human should read this book, it’s an accessible read on boundaries, why people struggle with them, why people break them, how to set them, what to do when people cross them, with some question prompts for yourself. Invaluable life skills for literally everyone.
The Body is Not an Apology – book that unpacks a lot of the shit people have about bodies, especially fat and disabled.
Gender Failure – two non binary writers on gender in a very binary world, thoughts on the construction of gender
Convenience Store Woman – fiction that is very neurodivergent coded about a woman who doesn’t understand why everyone is angry with her for working in a convenience store when she is perfectly happy. Critique of social norms and the idea of fitting in.
The Metamorphosis – classic novel that looks at alienation and transformation.
The Gifts of Imperfection – or really most books by Brenne Brown. Atlas of the Heart is another good one. So many people are so out of touch of their feelings and inner world and she does a masterful job of helping you connect.
Depends on what you would define as “meaningful”. The top 5 that have shaped me:
1. You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train by Howard Zinn. See my username, it knocked me on my ass and helped me identify and act on the stakes of society for others.
2. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. An incredible anti-war novel. I grew up around and was in high school during the Iraq/Afghanistan surge. It helped me understand and verbalize the intensity of war and why it should always be opposed. I’d also throw in Black Rain by Ibuse and Hiroshima by Hersey as follow ups.
3. How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. A really interesting piece on the Trump era, right after he was elected and the failures of the Democratic Party.
4. The Time Machine by HG Wells. Man, I just love Wells. There’s a reason he’s held up so high and the class consciousness it helped awaken in me is always something I remember.
5. Frankenstein by Shelley. So many think pieces on it, but the difference between film and book is a really interesting aspect to look through.
Anyway, this is just off the top of my head so 🤷
’Roots’ by Alex Haley
’Siddhartha’ by Herman Hesse
‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley
‘The Jungle’ by Upton Sinclair
’1984’ by George Orwell (or ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury if you prefer a shorter read).
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–And How to Make the Most of Them Now
Book by Meg Jay
For well rounded on knowing history and science. …. “A really short history of nearly everything”