By: Dana Trumpower Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- Set in 1987, this heart-touching novel dissects many societal judgements. June Elbus is a fourteen-year-old girl living in Manhattan. Shy and unconfident, the only person she trusts is her uncle, Finn. However, when Finn dies from a taboo illness, June is left virtually alone until a mysterious teapot from Finn’s apartment arrives. This leads her to Toby, the only person who can understand the pain she feels from Finn’s death.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt– This story follows a boy named Theo. At age thirteen, he survives an explosion which kills his mother. He lives his life as a nomad, encircled with misfortune and mystery. The only thing he manages to keep with him is a stolen painting: The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius. His story eventually skips ahead to later in his life, when a life of drugs and blackmail has corrupted him. A story about a painting may not seem interesting, but it has a captivating and enthralling aura.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty– Three ordinary Australian women, Cecilia, Tess and Rachel, are trying to live their lives as normally as possible. However, Cecilia, one of the wives, has found a secret letter her husband wrote, to be opened only after he dies. Tess’s husband is apparently in love with her cousin. Finally, Rachel’s daughter was murdered in 1984, but the killer was never found. Moriarty has seamlessly entwined these women’s lives into an earth-shattering tale that leaves you wondering how well you really know the ones you love.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway– Most people stay away from books by authors like Hemingway, associating them with English class. However, The Sun Also Rises is not only debateably Hemingway’s best work, but also a huge statement on the Lost Generation. This book is based on the author’s real circle of friends, most of whom had fought in the Great War and then turned to literature. The group heads to Pamplona, Spain in order to see the bullfights, but drama quickly engrosses the friends. Love affairs, fighting and drinking as main motifs of the 1920s follow the characters everywhere, leaving the reader wondering about all the missed opportunities in life.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks– Almost everyone had an imaginary friend as a child, but most people’s eventually fade away. Max is a special kid though; his imaginary friend, Budo, has lasted four years. Unfortunately, now that Max is in elementary school, no one else has imaginary friends anymore. His parents are debating sending him to a school for special needs children, but Max gets very nervous when anything unordinary happens. Unordinary is the center of this story, though. Budo is fighting to stay alive in Max’s mind, but the world is against him. A child’s mind is a complicated place and this story explores it all, as well as some of the frustrations that adults feel.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger– Here is yet another book that people avoid, most likely because of its publication date in 1951. Teenagers are the last people that should be avoiding this book, though. Holden Caulfield is the epitome of the alienated, rebellious teenager. He was expelled from a prestigious prep school in Pennsylvania and goes on to talk about his angst-filled teenage life. This book has actually been banned for its discussion of controversial topics and language, so if there are any sensitive readers out there, think twice. The Catcher is the Rye is definitely worth a read, though. All teenagers can relate to Holden’s now eternal story.
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