The 12 Books Everyone Should Read in Their 20s (According to Older and Wiser PureWow Readers)

• Genre: literary fiction
• Mood: dark, moving
• Rating: 4.3 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Normal People, The Secret History
• Page count: 720

Though this book was published a literal decade ago, it pops up all the time in all my literary conversations. Thus, I wasn’t surprised when PureWow reader HC nominated it, writing that it was “heartbreaking but so good.” Hanya Yanagihara’s touching literary work has the distinction of being a New York Times bestseller, National Book Award finalist and Man Booker Prize finalist. And the premise is something that will resonate deeply with the 20-something set: How do four close college friends stay true to each other and themselves as they move into adulthood, wrestling ambition, pride, success and trauma?

• Genre: classic, dystopian
• Mood: tragic, adventurous
• Rating: 3.7 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Brave New World, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Page count: 182

William Golding’s classic tells the tragic story of a group of young schoolboys who are stranded on an island after a plane crash during World War II. At first, freedom is spellbinding, but soon, chaos and terror begin their brutal reign. PureWow reader Karen S. tells PureWow, “It's about vulnerabilities, ‘low man on the totem pole’ and power” and says she appreciates the extent to which it teachers “psychology, sociology, philosophy, emotional architecture and awareness, [the stuff] that comes with maturity starting [in your] 20s." She says she’s read Lord of the Flies every decade since she was in her 30's, and has “taken away many life lessons.”

• Genre: fiction, coming-of-age
• Mood: yearning, tender, hopeful
• Rating: 4.3 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Pachinko, Girl, Woman, Other
• Page count: 477

PureWow's Fashion and Beauty Director-at-Large, Deena Campbell, recommends Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's seminal 2013 novel. The story follows young couple Ifemelu and Obinze, whose path out of military-ruled Nigeria diverge when Ifemelu ends up in the United States to study at a university, while the post-9/11 landscape means Obinze must forge an undocumented path in London.

"It's a coming-of-age story that captures the messy, identity-shaping years of your 20s through the lens of race and ambition across continents," Campbell says. "It’s honest, introspective and reminds you that becoming yourself is rarely a straight line."

• Genre: young adult bildungsroman
• Mood: sad, hopeful
• Rating: 3.92 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Forever, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, The Sky Is Everywhere
• Page count: 256

Judy Blume’s most iconic works might be for the middle grade and young adult reader, but I, a 28-year-old, can attest that reading her in your 20s (and beyond) is valuable, too. Aliaa A. recommended Blume’s novel Tiger Eyes, a sad—but hopeful—coming of age story about grief, loss and healing. The story follows Davey Wexler, who is reeling from the death of her father after he is killed during a robbery. Her mother moves the family across state lines, driving Davey to become withdrawn, angry and lonely. That is, until a boy named Wolf comes barreling into her life and shows her the only way to make it through is to move forward. “Something about [this] novel always stuck with me,” Aliaa tells PureWow. “It's powerfully and beautifully written.”

• Genre: bildungsroman, classic
• Mood: adventurous, free, thrilling
• Rating: 3.61 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Junky, The Sun Also Rises
• Page count: 416

Admittedly, it took me a literal 365 days to finish On the Road, and I can’t say I loved it. But PureWow reader Elaine C. brought it up as a must-read for the under-thirty set, calling it “such a great coming of age book.” Kerouac’s semi-autobiographical masterpiece, which follows best friends Sal and Dean as they chaotically drive across the country, has its merits. It so perfectly encapsulates the freedom and possibility of youth and the open road. And even if you don’t fully connect with it, it’s an important cultural touchstone.

• Genre: literary fiction
• Mood: contemplative, honest, melancholic
• Rating: 3.86 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, My Name Is Lucy Barton
• Page count: 336

PureWow Editor-in-Chief Jillan Quint recommends Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, introspective novel as way for young folks to better understand their rapidly changing worlds. “So much of reading in your 20s is about finding characters your own age that you can relate to, but I actually think it's equally important to find characters that teach you about the world outside yourself and give the perspective of age,” Quint says. “Elizabeth's Strout's classic tells the story of an older, rough-around-the-edges woman, peering into her past to explain why she is the way she is. I read it in my 20s and it made me reconsider some of the elderly folks in my orbit and helped me think about the person I hoped to become.”

• Genre: nonfiction science
• Mood: profound, funny
• Rating: 4.2 on Goodreads  
• Great if you enjoyed: Everything Is Tuberculosis, What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
• Page count: 544

Should a person in their third decade understand the solar system or know how to build a universe? What about the evolution of humans or the troposphere? PureWow reader Kevin Stetter sure thinks so, saying he’s read A Short History of Nearly Everything at least three times. In this ambitious non-fiction tome, author Bill Bryson attempts to explain (nearly) everything in our cosmos from the Big Bang through today. As for why it's relevant? Well, in my (limited) experience, your 20s are fraught with hubris. Considering the humbling nature of existence can put things in perspective. Expect everything you think you know about time, space and yourself to be turned upside down.

• Genre: nonfiction self-help relationships
• Mood: informative, helpful  
• Rating: 4.3 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: The Seven Principles for Making a Marriage Work, Attached.:The New Science of Adult Attachment
• Page count: 264

I think we can agree that the majority of interpersonal conflict happens because of a breakdown in communication. There are plenty of ways to get your point across, but in today’s climate, Marshall B. Rosenberg’s guide seems especially poignant. “It’s a book on psychology and how to communicate effectively with anyone in your life—professionally, socially, romantically—by understanding that there is always an underlying emotion behind every interaction and reaction,” says PureWow reader Giuseppe S. “The method the [author] founded is used both in interpersonal relationships and in international politics.” Sounds like the young ones can take a literal page here.

• Genre: historical fiction
• Mood: inspiring, mystical
• Rating: 3.9 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: The Archer, Tuesdays with Morrie
• Page count: 208

Sometimes you read a book that sticks with you. And then other times you read a book that changes you profoundly. Such was the experience of PureWow reader Sarah L. when she recommended The Alchemist. “I read Paulo Coelho's [book] in my early 20s, not expecting much,” she says. “But the message I found within those pages has become a lifelong journey of perpetual self-discovery. You're encouraged to follow your passion and destiny by learning to listen to that gentle voice from deep within your heart. The world will always be chaotic and may even be riddled with fear; but the universe still conspires to help those who DREAM. Read this book. When you're ready for it, you will glean much.”

• Genre: nonfiction self-help, personal finance
• Mood: practical, humorous
• Rating: 3.8 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Investing for Dummies, Budgeting for Dummies
• Page count: 496 pages

Part of navigating your 20s is figuring out money. I’ll admit the learning curve was steep. For the first time in my life, I had to manage my own budget and pay my own taxes. Perhaps I would have panicked less if I had read this straightforward, practical guide, as recommended by PureWow reader Patrick K., who says the book’s advice on small financial changes you can make now will give you a huge leg up later.

• Genre: classic, Russian literature
• Mood: Russian soap opera
• Rating: 4.21 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Anna Karenina, White Nights
• Page count: 784

PureWow Senior Commerce Editor Stephanie Maida would never call her younger colleagues idiots (I think!), but she does recommend Dostoevsky’s masterpiece as a way to realize the foibles of one’s youth. This novel follows the ill Prince Myshkin as he navigates a love triangle and, as Maida says, “It's an exercise in exploring flawed people, actions and ideas—and accepting them for who and what they are.”

• Genre: coming-of-age, classic
• Mood: searching, dark, bold
• Rating: 3.99 on Goodreads
• Great if you enjoyed: Beloved, Passing, Invisible Man
• Page count: 238

Zora Neale Hurston classic novel is one of the most recognizable of the 20th century. The story takes place in Florida and follows Janie Crawford, an African-American woman in her 40s. Janie has just returned to her hometown, where she recounts her life—and three marriages—to an old friend.

"Through Janie’s journey across love, loss and self-discovery, it captures what it means to grow into yourself…even when the world tries to define you first," Campbell says.