There are certain books you should read while you’re in your 20s to gain a new perspective, ponder life, and help you who you want to decide to be in the future. These great works of literature have been around longer than you and for good reason, they are the ultimate books to read for wisdom, a laugh, and to shed a tear.
Possibly one of the best pieces of imaginative literature out there, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a must-read for powerful passages, philosophical musings, and drama. You also need to see this play live at a theatre to understand its true effects, such as the fact that many famous lines of the play have become famous clichés that people say.
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Another striking book to read, this novel by James Joyce is a poignant story of the struggle of youth amidst a world in turmoil over religion, love, oddities, hope, joy, and despair.
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Probably one of the most well-known works by Fitzgerald, this novel tops the list of books to read for its unbelievable storytelling and depth of its characters. Set in the roaring 1920s, Jay Gatsby is the main figure who is closely followed by narrator Nick Carraway throughout the novel for his striking sense of self and total despair over Daisy, the one true love of his life.
This novel is a true portrait of decadent times post WWI and features an astonishing narrator, Carraway, who struggles to understand himself and the times among all of the extravagance and lavish parties.
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One of the most prolific books to read of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird depicts the trial of Tom Robinson for the rape of a white woman in Maycomb, Alabama through the eyes of Scout Finch (who ages from 6-9 in the novel). Scout is the tough and witty daughter of small-time lawyer Atticus Finch who chooses to defend Robinson and what transpires is an astonishing work about prejudice, relationships, and the values of a human race.
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Published in 1959, this work was originally published as ‘nonfiction’ but more accurately depicts a type of narrative nonfiction. This novel centers around Capote’s journey to Kansas to investigate the murder of the Clutter family and displays his findings in this raw, emotional, and troubling book.
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One of the most beloved novels of all time, Pride and Prejudice is a book you have to read in your 20s for its humorous tale about love, life, and the complexities that come with it. The main character Elizabeth Bennett is the focal point of the novel set among the English gentry in the Georgian era, and her remarks and forward-thinking actions will have you smirking and giggling as you read.
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In another book to read, Jack and Algernon are wealthy gentlemen who have secret lives and activities that they utilize in order to live it up during the Victorian Era in England. This double life allows the men to flow seamlessly from country to city life up until now when sudden trouble arises.
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This is quite possibly the best post-war book to read ever written. In his novel, Hemingway depicts the main character Jake Barnes who completely encapsulates the qualities of a Hemingway hero: self-contained, manly, and modest. It is an interesting study of war and that of self-discovery.
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Another classic war novel to be written, this bestseller should be at the top of your books to read for its historical significance. Comprised of outrageous stories and larger than life characters, this novel is written with superbly surreal descriptions that will have you wondering.
This is also the novel that coined the term “a catch-22” which came about to describe an outrageous situation.
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This a powerful classic that needs to be on every person’s reading least for the understanding of a black man maturing in the early 20th century and the social and intellectual issues that overlap the novel.
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