25 Books to Read Before You Graduate High School
One of our partner schools recently reached out for book suggestions for their high school library. They asked a timeless and challenging question: What books should you read before you graduate high school?
We brought this question to our academic team, who responded with gusto. Their book suggestions span cultures, geography, and generations. They are story-rich and include fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, and verse.
As our teachers shared their nominations for this list, many remembered what each of these titles meant for them in their formative years.
Recognizing that any such list is incomplete, we are pleased to share the 25 titles our team came up with below. We hope you find some beloved texts here—and perhaps your next favorite read.
|
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
|
Tuesdays With Morrie |
Mitch Albom |
|
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings |
Maya Angelou |
|
Nothing But the Truth |
Avi |
|
Ender's Game |
Orson Scott Card |
|
The Alchemist |
Paulo Coehlo |
|
The Great Gatsby |
F. Scott Fitzgerald |
|
The Diary of Anne Frank |
Anne Frank |
|
In the Shadow of Man |
Jane Goodall |
|
Beyond the Dead Forest |
Steve Groll |
|
Siddhartha |
Hermman Hesse |
|
Their Eyes Were Watching God |
Zora Neale Hurston |
|
The Ride of A Lifetime |
Robert Iger |
|
A Separate Peace |
John Knowles |
|
To Kill a Mockingbird |
Harper Lee |
|
100 Years of Solitude |
Gabriel García Márquez |
|
1984 |
George Orwell |
|
Persepolis |
Marjane Satrapi |
|
Orbiting Jupiter |
Gary Schmidt |
|
Hidden Figures |
Margot Lee Shetterly |
|
Of Mice and Men |
John Steinbeck |
|
Dear Martin |
Nic Stone |
|
Other Words for Home |
Jasmine Warga |
|
The Martian |
Andy Weir |
|
The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers |
David Wells |
|
We are Displaced |
Malala Yousafzai |