General Discussion

2theleft

(1,137 posts)

208. Pat Conroy. Love. I have a ton of modern fiction that I love along with the classics mentioned...

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 12:22 AM

Jan 2013

None of these are going to be considered great literature at this point in time, but, in my opinion are well written books with stories that this age group can relate to and are written by modern authors

Pat Conroy...The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides, Lords of Discipline, Beach Music, The Water is Wide...I just LOVE his books. I am from the South, so that may be my draw, but his books are just so relateable.

I also adore Barbara Kingsolver. The Poisonwood Bible is an amazing story that will make you cry.

Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor.

Before Women Had Wings by Connie Fowler.

My 15 year old step-daughter loves all of the books by Jodi Piccoult. I also like to read her books for an easy read, especially if I'm looking for a good cry. She also borrowed my copy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. That book affected her I think more than other she has read to date.

My step-son who is 12 is an AVID reader. He just finished Gods and Generals and now wants to read Roots. He is in love with Pat Conroy novels...which thrills me because PC is one of my favorite authors. He writes beautifully. He did his 6th grade summer book report on The Water is Wide. Love that kid. He also really liked Seabuscuit and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

And, I really think The Kite Runner is a must read.

Just finished two great books - Cutting for Stone and The Dove Keepers. Have passed those around to people at work, and everyone has really liked them both so far.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

217 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

What top 5 books would you list when directing a teenager? [View all] Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 OP

Bernal Diaz del Castillo's True History Coyotl Jan 2013 #1

seriously? BainsBane Jan 2013 #88

A dose of reality! Coyotl Jan 2013 #95

Interesting. Rider3 Jan 2013 #2

1984, Slaughterhose Five, On The Road, Sand County Almanac, The Jungle Earth_First Jan 2013 #3

I read The Jungle in 9th grade. Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jan 2013 #23

Damn! I immediately thought of To Kill a Mockingbid, 1984, and Slaughterhouse Five! 11 Bravo Jan 2013 #4

choose a Heinlein to add to the list NMDemDist2 Jan 2013 #5

either that or RedRocco Jan 2013 #73

A rewrite of the New Testament Sekhmets Daughter Jan 2013 #152

Good grief Orrex Jan 2013 #162

ROFL ok, you have a point NMDemDist2 Jan 2013 #165

I've gone back and forth on Heinlein's characterizations Orrex Jan 2013 #167

yes NMDemDist2 Jan 2013 #168

interesting article here NMDemDist2 Jan 2013 #172

Nice--a very cool overview Orrex Jan 2013 #174

They usually are not as experience as a season Actor so you need to find out who... BlueJazz Jan 2013 #6

yours rates as the most bizarre reply to this OP Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #119

I'm doped up on cold syrups and stuff plus no sleep (coughing and hacking) BlueJazz Jan 2013 #121

no worries. I figured there was some reference I wasn't getting :) Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #122

I'd start with The Adventures of Huclebery Finn by Mark Twain malaise Jan 2013 #7

All Quiet on the Western Front CanonRay Jan 2013 #8

Another one on those lines... GoCubsGo Jan 2013 #28

I have that sitting here in my "stack" 2naSalit Jan 2013 #45

I meant to suggest "Lord of the Flies", too. GoCubsGo Jan 2013 #47

It's a challenge to narrow it down to five 2naSalit Jan 2013 #49

Don't forget his Alaska. :) Blue_In_AK Jan 2013 #124

Indeed, it depends on 2naSalit Jan 2013 #153

It's very good and quite accurate Blue_In_AK Jan 2013 #161

The Plague (Camus), the Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing), Les Miserables (Hugo), To Kill a Mass Jan 2013 #9

Thank you. I am directing my daughter and catching up on some "great" ones I never read Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #11

I would add etherealtruth Jan 2013 #10

don't forget The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers NRaleighLiberal Jan 2013 #12

that's such a great novel fishwax Jan 2013 #118

Can't leave out John Irving - Owen Meany or Cider House Rules NRaleighLiberal Jan 2013 #120

One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzehenitsyn Barack_America Jan 2013 #13

Tuesdays With Morrie should be added to the list. OneTenthofOnePercent Jan 2013 #14

Here's mine... LP2K12 Jan 2013 #15

I would add Silent Spring by Rachel Carson peacebird Jan 2013 #52

Ah, finally, some NON-fiction ! eppur_se_muova Jan 2013 #131

I am reminded of this quote: NashvilleLefty Jan 2013 #16

I LOVE that quote! LOTR is wonderful Hekate Jan 2013 #139

One of the things I loved best about LOTR truebluegreen Jan 2013 #181

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn azlatina Jan 2013 #17

I should read that one. But every time I see that book title, I think of Good Will Hunting Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #19

Available as a 25 hour audio book from Audible.com Bozvotros Jan 2013 #194

amazing book Marrah_G Jan 2013 #191

Why just fiction? intaglio Jan 2013 #18

well, I definitely agree nonfiction is good too, but I decided to keep it to nonfiction Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #21

Lord of the Rings AnnieBW Jan 2013 #20

i think at least one should be this type of book JI7 Jan 2013 #50

All are fine works however most kids today have no sense of history stultusporcos Jan 2013 #22

My 5 and my honorable mentions FSogol Jan 2013 #24

Many good books have already been listed. I would add ... surrealAmerican Jan 2013 #25

I imagine "directing a teenager" is like "directing a cat" Skittles Jan 2013 #26

Lol. Yes. But my daughter is open to my suggestions Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #34

If she likes dystopic fiction with a message then I have a couple of suggestions. Fumesucker Jan 2013 #48

Brave New World stopwastingmymoney Jan 2013 #83

Wow, this is a must read for teenagers. We had to read it in my English class. Pisces Jan 2013 #178

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen arcane1 Jan 2013 #27

Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh, pangaia Jan 2013 #29

My 5 would be Joe Bacon Jan 2013 #30

The Catcher In The Rye WiffenPoof Jan 2013 #31

Yes it was the most moving book I ever read at the time and 48 years later it still works for me. gordianot Jan 2013 #135

Any thing by PasadenaTrudy Jan 2013 #32

I will try not to do repeats. Kalidurga Jan 2013 #33

Here's my additions. backscatter712 Jan 2013 #35

I'm really glad you posted these. More "lighthearted" & fun. KittyWampus Jan 2013 #44

Ok, now we're getting somewhere! let me add "The Fan Man" by Kotzwinkle JustABozoOnThisBus Jan 2013 #214

Jiddu Krishnamurti notundecided Jan 2013 #36

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins Whisp Jan 2013 #37

or Robbins' Another Roadside Attraction or his Skinny Legs and All patrice Jan 2013 #89

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Whisp Jan 2013 #97

Did not see the movie. Love Tom Robbins! Hard to pick my favorite. Good reading for teenagers patrice Jan 2013 #99

I LOVED Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Blue_In_AK Jan 2013 #125

Another Roadside Attraction was a *BIG* deal for this Catholic-school girl in her early 20s. patrice Jan 2013 #187

Atlas Turbineguy Jan 2013 #38

Lol. It is on some reader-chosen lists as a top one Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #54

Hey, it's probably better to be exposed to it early. There's nothing wrong with a 14 year old... Recursion Jan 2013 #68

I read Rand at twelve. Hatchling Jan 2013 #217

he, he . . . you got me! patrice Jan 2013 #100

Man, those are mostly heavy duty reading. narnian60 Jan 2013 #39

My thought as well. It's hard enough to get many kids to read anymore. KittyWampus Jan 2013 #42

King Jesus by Robert Graves Egalitarian Thug Jan 2013 #40

Robert Graves? Wow. I haven't read this one. Have your read his White Goddess, a little patrice Jan 2013 #101

I think it depends on the person. I read it at my mom's behest when I was 17. Egalitarian Thug Jan 2013 #116

Black Beauty, Siddharta (for older crowd) Illusions or Jonathan Livingston Seagull for anyone KittyWampus Jan 2013 #41

Oh, yes, Black Beauty. My childhood favorite. narnian60 Jan 2013 #46

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Diamond, and make them watch the first galileoreloaded Jan 2013 #43

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card stlsaxman Jan 2013 #51

Just one is needed... RagAss Jan 2013 #53

My all time favorite! etherealtruth Jan 2013 #58

i thought of that d_r Jan 2013 #106

I would add Ursula K. Le Guin to add a bit of estrogen Whisp Jan 2013 #55

For children especially truebluegreen Jan 2013 #66

Lathe of Heaven Blue_In_AK Jan 2013 #126

Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed for political science Hekate Jan 2013 #196

my 5 Botany Jan 2013 #56

Light fiction mainstreetonce Jan 2013 #57

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a great book FedUpWithIt All Jan 2013 #59

My 12yo is a HUGE Lois Lowry fan. She read all her books, and read The Giver twice. blm Jan 2013 #177

My three oldest and my niece all read it and really rated it high. FedUpWithIt All Jan 2013 #212

heres my five loli phabay Jan 2013 #60

I *loved* Seven Pillars as a teenager Recursion Jan 2013 #72

i must have read herodutus a dozen times over the years loli phabay Jan 2013 #74

Did you ever read Lawrence's translation of The Odyssey? Recursion Jan 2013 #75

no i will have to look it up. i recommend prester john by buchan as another excellent adventure sto loli phabay Jan 2013 #76

Thanks for the info. nt eppur_se_muova Jan 2013 #132

The Republic by Plato mia Jan 2013 #61

I think a "lighter" Plato would be good: Meno, Phaedo, or Phaedrus? Recursion Jan 2013 #69

The Apology is really accessible datasuspect Jan 2013 #81

This was part of a 10th grade Greek & Roman Literature course for me. mia Jan 2013 #154

You must mean the top end of teenagers. LWolf Jan 2013 #62

DUers live in Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average Fumesucker Jan 2013 #103

The Infernals, and The Gates, by John Connolly - so so funny Sarah Ibarruri Jan 2013 #63

Seventeen by Booth Tarkington. libinnyandia Jan 2013 #64

My 5 gulliver Jan 2013 #65

Freddy's Book, HMS Surprise, Don Quixote, Wuthering Heights, Also Sprach Zarathustra Recursion Jan 2013 #67

Great books, but that's a list for a teen growing up in the 1970s. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #70

Human nature has changed since the publication dates? WinkyDink Jan 2013 #173

I guess no one should write books and no one should read them because .... Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #179

Zinn, A People's History of the US RedCappedBandit Jan 2013 #71

Grapes of Wrath JEB Jan 2013 #77

GREAT work of art! (not just politics at all) patrice Jan 2013 #104

A very human tale JEB Jan 2013 #109

There's real mastery of the form and medium in that, not to do too much, not to do too little. patrice Jan 2013 #110

Steinbeck JEB Jan 2013 #111

Yes! More poetry! I think both Whitman & Ginsburg are accessible to teens and WORTH it!! patrice Jan 2013 #113

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran riverbendviewgal Jan 2013 #78

+++1 patrice Jan 2013 #91

Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences datasuspect Jan 2013 #79

Anything by Harlan Ellison RoccoR5955 Jan 2013 #80

East of Eden. And anything by Hemingway. madaboutharry Jan 2013 #82

Huckleberry Finn. Read it myself, of course, but I've also read it to my son... reACTIONary Jan 2013 #84

Huckleberry Finn, The Last of the Mohicans, Our Town, The Sound and the Fury, Great Gatsby. pinto Jan 2013 #85

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn patrice Jan 2013 #86

^^ This one^^ HarveyDarkey Jan 2013 #163

Yep. My absolute #1!! If they don't read anything else, they should read Zinn. nt patrice Jan 2013 #175

I've been planning to get around to that myself... truebluegreen Jan 2013 #182

I have it on my iPod. It was a little expensive, but I'm glad I get to listen to it, or any part of patrice Jan 2013 #186

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn stopwastingmymoney Jan 2013 #87

Wow... Lots of great stuff listed... Ohio Joe Jan 2013 #90

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison patrice Jan 2013 #92

To Kill a Mockingbird #1 for sure.... sheshe2 Jan 2013 #93

Pat Conroy. Love. I have a ton of modern fiction that I love along with the classics mentioned... 2theleft Jan 2013 #208

Hi, 2theleft ! sheshe2 Jan 2013 #209

Yes...I have read and LOVED South of Broad 2theleft Jan 2013 #210

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, in it's un-edited original version patrice Jan 2013 #94

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman patrice Jan 2013 #96

Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt & Black Boy by Richard Wright & An Instance of the patrice Jan 2013 #98

SORRY!! one more: Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez nt patrice Jan 2013 #102

5 d_r Jan 2013 #105

Not in any order salinen Jan 2013 #107

Thanks for posting this. JEB Jan 2013 #108

Confession (Death Penalty novel by John Grisham) & Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver nt Laura PourMeADrink Jan 2013 #112

5 was not possible for me ~ The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill A Mockingbird, Zorra Jan 2013 #114

I had to add another favorite riverbendviewgal Jan 2013 #115

The Scarlet Letter BainsBane Jan 2013 #117

Pretty much anything by Tennessee Williams Stargleamer Jan 2013 #123

Nonfiction? Manifestor_of_Light Jan 2013 #127

the 4 books about LBJ by Caro. I wouldn't pick any book that promotes anarchy or coup'd'etats. graham4anything Jan 2013 #128

Barack Obama-Dreams From My Father. Hillary Clinton-It takes a village.Jerry Brown-Dialogues graham4anything Jan 2013 #129

Anything I could get them to read at first. I wouldn't be too quick to push anything heavy brewens Jan 2013 #130

"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl GliderGuider Jan 2013 #133

Steinbeck: The Pearl RoverSuswade Jan 2013 #134

Eh, I would recommend Elmery Gantry. catpuke9000 Jan 2013 #136

Like many others, Huck Finn Whovian Jan 2013 #137

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to reply to this thread Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #138

What a great thread. So many books, so little time. Hekate Jan 2013 #140

My list to my daughters MrYikes Jan 2013 #141

You recommend they read the dictionary? Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #144

I've read a few dictionaries, and several encyclopedias. MineralMan Jan 2013 #148

Orwell and Kafka? Good grief. I mean, don't get me wrong, fine works. Warren DeMontague Jan 2013 #142

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Warren DeMontague Jan 2013 #143

Islandia by Austin Tappin Wright wilsonbooks Jan 2013 #145

Ursula Le Guin keeps coming up. I'll have to check her out Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #146

If you wait until the teen years, you wait too long. MineralMan Jan 2013 #147

I posted upthread that I read LOTR when I was 10. truebluegreen Jan 2013 #183

Something from Herman Hesse mrs_p Jan 2013 #149

Oh mrs_p Jan 2013 #150

Lord of the Rings samsingh Jan 2013 #151

Parting The Waters by Taylor Branch and Angela's Ashes by Frank Mc court. Also include mfcorey1 Jan 2013 #155

The only one I read from that group is Angela's Ashes Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #159

Trinity by Leon Uris nt truckin Jan 2013 #156

100 Years of Solitude morningfog Jan 2013 #157

1) "Delta of Venus" by Anais Nin OmahaBlueDog Jan 2013 #158

You would leave the teenage boy in the bathroom with a sock Whovian Jan 2013 #170

If he takes the advice in the 2nd and 3rd books, he'll win over a beautiful wife OmahaBlueDog Jan 2013 #184

"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry applegrove Jan 2013 #160

The Catch Trap and The Front Runner dickthegrouch Jan 2013 #164

good question! i think the 5 Chronicles of Prydain books are better than LOTR, personally farminator3000 Jan 2013 #166

I've kept this paperback book in my library since the late 60's... Tikki Jan 2013 #169

"Of Mice and Men." "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." "Black Like Me." "Cry, the Beloved WinkyDink Jan 2013 #171

All of those are great, and I read them when young. Hekate Jan 2013 #198

"Animal Farm" "The Lords of Discipline" " Of Mice and Men" "The Chosen" Pisces Jan 2013 #176

"Black Boy" by Richard Wright. NT Atticus Jan 2013 #180

my summary of everyone's contributions is coming soon Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #185

The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis nt patrice Jan 2013 #188

Another one of my favorite books. Blue_In_AK Jan 2013 #189

Actully helped to save my Christianity, which has expanded since to include other perspectives now patrice Jan 2013 #190

Eward R Tufte's books on visualizing information, Donald Knuth on the Art of Computer Programming FarCenter Jan 2013 #192

Native Son, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Looking Backward. nt Raine Jan 2013 #193

I think UBCchuck Jan 2013 #195

I'd include THE OTHER AMERICA, by Michael Harrington Ken Burch Jan 2013 #197

My book suggestions, in no particular order, off the top of my head ReRe Jan 2013 #199

Here's some. secondvariety Jan 2013 #200

'Catch 22' for juniors and seniors. 'The Chocolate Wars' (by Robert Cormier) for coalition_unwilling Jan 2013 #201

Gulliver's Travels (Swift), Catch-22 (Heller), Decline & Fall (Gibbon), Cat's Cradle (Vonnegut) leveymg Jan 2013 #202

This list is straight from my 16 yr old. FYI riderinthestorm Jan 2013 #203

this is a valuable list. Thank you for taking the time to share Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #205

She's the original autodidact and will read ANYTHING that crosses her path. Good luck. nt riderinthestorm Jan 2013 #207

The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler! mia Jan 2013 #211

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho BillyJack Jan 2013 #204

USA, The Big Money The Wizard Jan 2013 #206

I'm adding Mildred Pierce n/t malaise Jan 2013 #213

Enders Game, Hunger Games, Dragon Song/Singer, Hobbit IdaBriggs Jan 2013 #215

Melville's Billy Budd, Foretopman; G. Elliot's Silas Marner; VOX Jan 2013 #216