Anonymous wrote:I am from Europe and a woman so it won't be helpful, but for me a turning point was Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment. Yes, I was a huge nerd, and read it in 8th grade. As for advice, for my DS Holes and Hatchet.

Holes came out when I was in 7th grade and I enjoyed it. To this day, if someone says "if only" I go through the whole "if only if only" poem in my head so I guess it stuck with me.

Anonymous wrote:Island of the blue dolphins.

+1 though a bit young for a teen?

East of Eden
Invisible Man

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flowers in the Attic

LOL, yes I found this riveting as a teen. Not sure that means I would suggest it to my own teen.

I was just pulling your leg. I had to hide the book from my mom. I then got heavily into grocery store romance novels and then Clan of the Cave Bear (a little cave man sex). At the same time though, I was reading (for pleasure, yes) Jane Austen, Emerson, and of all writers, Edith Wharton.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie

Anonymous wrote:Gone With the Wind really resonated with me.

Uh, okay.

Anonymous wrote:Flowers in the Attic

LOL, yes I found this riveting as a teen. Not sure that means I would suggest it to my own teen.

Good Omens

The Mists of Avalon.

Agree that maybe graphic novels are the way to go. I really loved the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, The Watchmen (do not be deterred if you saw the terrible movie), V for Vendetta (movie's actually pretty good).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fountainhead... but not in the way you think.

Sorry anything Ayn Rand deserves an

Kerouac is a snooze fest and Catcher in the Rye is one of the most over-rated books ever.

OP, if your teen hasn't developed a love of reading, he probably won't at this point. I'd take him to the closest comic book store and let him pick out some graphic novels for the summer. (Many very under-rated in terms of their literary value.) Take him to some plays. There are great playwrights not just great novelists. Rent Hitchcock movies and have him learn about great story telling. Take him to some concerts and learn to appreciate musical expression.

Agreed on comic books and graphic novels. My child picked up Xmen compilation and I was amazed at the quality of writing and level of vocabulary. Plus, the historical background and the allegory between peaceful civil protest and militant is explored in detail. For a more up-to-date read - he could try Ta-Nahesi Coate's re-boot of the Black Panther.

Very interesting thread. Huge life-long reader here so I am scanning this with interest, although my kids are younger. One of my observations of teens/tweens today (I have many close family members in that age group) is that they are mostly engaged in multi-sensory/task activities at all moments. It makes me wonder whether some of these engrossing but slower paced novels that affected us as teens would have the same impact on current teens. I see elements of this with my younger kids and their friends - they are accustomed to the pace of books Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, and books that I loved like Henry Huggins, etc just can't capture their attentions.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1984
The Bell Jar. Really, anything Sylvia Plath.
Tom Robbins - specifically Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Skinny Legs and All
The Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Frankenstein
Kerouac
Vonnegut

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fountainhead... but not in the way you think.

Sorry anything Ayn Rand deserves an

Kerouac is a snooze fest and Catcher in the Rye is one of the most over-rated books ever.

OP, if your teen hasn't developed a love of reading, he probably won't at this point. I'd take him to the closest comic book store and let him pick out some graphic novels for the summer. (Many very under-rated in terms of their literary value.) Take him to some plays. There are great playwrights not just great novelists. Rent Hitchcock movies and have him learn about great story telling. Take him to some concerts and learn to appreciate musical expression.

Not PP, but I disgree with you about Fountainhead. I loved that book.

I loved Atlas Shrugged and read it when I was 14 in about a week. Couldn't put it down.