Top Ten Coming of Age Novels of All-Time

Coming of age novels have been around since the dawn of time but there are some that truly stick out to us and are the pinnacle of the coming of age genre. I've decided to make a top ten list of what I feel are the greatest top ten coming of age novels of all time. Now let's be clear this isn't my own top ten list of my favorites but rather the closest world "Coming of Age Novels Top Ten List" I could make.

10. Vision Quest

Now this novel is unknown by many but was revered as "the truest coming of age novel since Catcher in the Rye when it was first officially penned and was quite popular then and is still lauded today and is probably the closest voice to the original Holden Caulifield without being completely him you'll be able to find. The story by Terry Davis is about an 18-year-old wrestler who decides to cut weight to go wrestle one of the most unstoppable wrestlers in the state in Gary Shute. Although some might pick this up at first glance and look at it as nothing more than your average sports book. The story is much deeper than that and the main character Louden Swain speaks with a stream of consciousness mostly only seen in coming of age novels and we see a boy growing up. Trying to make sense of the world in a world we can't make sense in. He uses wrestling to try and build his legacy as well as escape his issues as this is something all of us want. A legacy and happiness. As well as his girlfriend Carla being a woman many years his senior living with him that gives way to many realistic teenage sex scenes, this is truly one of the great forgotten ones of the coming of age genre. There is also a movie I highly recommend because it's one of the only movies out there I think might be better than the book.

9. We All Looked Up

Another unknown story to probably a couple, but for the opposite reason. It's just so new. Yet it was a quick New York Times bestseller and I'm sure will definitely have a movie within the next couple of years. The story is basically if The Breakfast Club and Looking for a Friend for the End of the World had a baby. It follows four high school students of extremely different social constructs: a jock, a scholar, a skater stoner, and, for lack of a better word, a slut. All going through high school and trying to learn who they are. All of them dealing with their own existential crisis at the beginning of the story, then all of a sudden a meteor is about to pass by Earth in a month and there's a 60% chance that it hits and they all die. With this knowledge they embrace their petty high school worries and throw them out, engaging in the idea of the end of the world and how they want to make something that will last after they're gone even if when that meteor hits that's it they're gone and don't exist. They want to make sure there's something of them that does exist. Another great thing about this story is it also touches on religion a lot throughout which you don't really see in many coming of age novels except for with John Green. This story by Tommy Wallace is sure to be a classic in the next years.

8. 13 Reasons Why

I actually haven't read this one yet, I did pick it up though after the television show came out and plan to read it soon. The reason I put it on this list, though, is I feel like it set a fire and made us talk about an issue that definitely wasn't talked about before: teenage suicide, a large issue especially more in modern times as social media bullying has become huge. Also it has just become such a heralded book by the young adult community it feels like it's earned it rightful place. The story follows Clay Matthews as he listens to tapes left by Hannah Baker, a girl who has killed herself. On the tapes, though, is the explanation of why Hannah killed herself and Clay is apparently one of the reasons. The story by Jay Asher is sure to keep you interested.

7. The Fault in Our Stars

Now I love John Green and I could put any and all of his books on this list but nevertheless the one on the list has to go to his big novel that everybody knows him by. The Fault in Our Stars is the ultimate and most realistic teenage love story we have seen in many coming of age novels. It's truth in tragedy and how life ends but love doesn't. An issue that teenagers don't really think of. Yet this issue also deals with typical teenage issues that somebody without cancer can relate too. Loss, love, being scared to love, broken hearts. The movie is also amazing and I love both of them. As well, like I said, John Green is willing to talk of religion and philosophy which is certainly interesting and always good to read and he does this potentially the most here throughout all of his novels.

6. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

This novel's movie recently got big because of its Netflix run and after Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar for The Revenant. His Arnie Grape character was a performance that was relooked at. This novel is definitely another large retelling of Holden Caulfield's voice. Different though is this Holden lives in Iowa and is an older man with even more of a crossroads in his life, thanks to his age. Gilbert needs to get out of Iowa now, but his responsibilities keep him back a large issue for many young men throughout America. This novel by Peter Hedges is about 24-year-old Iowan bagged Gilbert Grape dealing with his obese mother and mentally challenged brother while having an affair with a married woman but being in love with the new girl from Michigan will leave you laughing and crying at the end of its conclusion.

5. The Outsiders

This novel might have saved the coming of age genre at a time where it wasn't very prevalent. The best part of this novel is S.E. Hinton wrote it when she was just 16 and started it when she was 15. A novel for teenagers by a teenager. The story follows Ponyboy, a greaser kid with amazing imagination and intellect definitely makes him an interesting protagonist as he deals with the issues of the crosstown rivalry between "the socs" and "the greasers" but throughout this journey he learns that they're both really the same on the inside despite what's on the surface. This is a coming of age classic that will forever be of service to young adults trying to understand the world.

4. Into the Wild

These Top 4 are big ones almost everybody knows that are definitely in the Top 4 for a reason. This story follows Chris McCandless as he travels the United States, backpacking across while he tries to find himself, changing his name to "Alexander Supertramp" to escape his past life and find a new one. On his journey to find himself in the wild, he goes off into Alaska and passes away of starvation. This story is relatable to many as we all forget who we are sometimes and want to figure it out and his story of being off into the wild is interesting for us to watch. This story by Jon Krakauer is read in multiple high schools all across the country and a great story for all of us to think on.

3. The Scarlett Letter

This classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the first true coming of age novel about a young Puritan girl being punished for adultery. We all deal with certain issues in life but the Puritan life of a girl dealing with adultery is certainly a large embarrassment. This novel still holds classic today, though, for the fact of we all might have to deal with the consequences of our actions one day and that we can't take what we do for granted. Another interesting part of this story though is seeing it with a woman protagonist; not many of our biggest coming of age novels have this and Scarlett Letter is one of the few.

2. Perks of Being a Wallflower

This coming of age story has been said by many as a modern day Catcher in the Rye. The story follows Charlie as he goes into his Freshman year of high school and the whole year is told through letters that Charlie sends to an anonymous person signed "Dear Friend." This story is a modern day classic for many reasons, most notably the voice of Charlie being so endearing and Stephen Chbosky being willing to push the envelop hard on this coming of age story possibly more than any predassasor. If you haven't read this one, read it soon. There is also a movie with the screenplay apenned by Stephen Chbosky that is very interesting to watch.

1. The Catcher in the Rye

Although not my favorite of the coming of age novels, I realize how important this novel is. Whenever coming of age stories and the genre is brought up, this one by J.D. Salinger will always be talked about. The story follows Holden Caulifield as he travels through New York after being kicked out of school again. He continues to try and understand the world while he goes through the city and he wonders just who he is. Anybody that is growing up needs this novel because it's the first novel where teenagers truly felt understood.