Albert Camus' Poker-Faced 'Stranger' Became A Much Needed Friend August 10, 2014 • At age 14, author Aaron Gwyn was lonely and angry. His dad was dead. His mom was addicted to pills. Then he discovered The Stranger, a novel of absurdity and detachment. Somehow, it helped him deal.
Michel Faber's 'Crimson' Gave Teen A New Sense Of Possibility June 29, 2014 • Author Carmen Maria Machado picked up The Crimson Petal and the White, a book about a prostitute in 19th-century London, because it looked illicit. It taught her about faith, sexuality and feminism.
Harry Potter And The Forbidden Books May 31, 2014 • In author Jessica Khoury's hometown, there were 144 churches and one bar, and the Harry Potter books were a forbidden, corrupting temptation. But Khoury longed to read them — and eventually, she did.
Under Scrutiny, Teen Learned Defiance From 'President's Daughter' April 6, 2014 • Years after she first read and adored Ellen Emerson White's series of young adult novels, author Tova Mirvis still finds herself wondering, "What would Meg Powers do?"
For A Sheltered Teen, 'Thorn Birds' Was A Much-Needed Eye-Opener March 9, 2014 • Therese Walsh knows Colleen McCullough's famous novel — which contains not just sex, but sex with a priest -- might not be "appropriate" for teens. But, she says, it's the perfect sort of dangerous.
A Suburban Teen Saw The Sparkle Of 'Edie' — But Not The Pain February 2, 2014 • In her early teens, author Megan Abbott felt trapped in her quiet community. She yearned for a life of glamour and art — like the one she found in a biography of Edie Sedgwick. When she grew up, Abbott realized just how much she'd misunderstood about the woman she'd idolized.
A Young Seminarian Found Comfort In 'Giovanni's' Melancholy December 28, 2013 • When author Chris Abani was a boy, he was miserable at Catholic seminary and he felt like an outsider in his own family. One summer break, at home in Afikpo, he discovered James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. The tragic, taboo love story made young Abani feel that at last he'd found someone who understood how out of place he felt in his own life.
When Parents Refused To Talk, Angelou Explained Sex — And Healing December 8, 2013 • In Roshi Fernando's upper-middle-class childhood home, conversations about sex were taboo. But at 13, already a survivor of sexual trauma, she needed answers. Fernando turned to Maya Angelou's autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and, in its pages, found comfort and strength.
Public Domain Amid 'Satanic' Panic, One '80s Teen Discovered Rushdie's Charms November 3, 2013 • In 1980s Arkansas, everyone was abuzz with Satan-paranoia. In the middle of the chaos, a teenage Scott Hutchins came across Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. What he found wasn't demonic at all — instead, it was an eye-opening, complex narrative about sad failures, washed-up movie stars and wrecked marriages.
'Spell'-Bound By A Goofy Book — And Later, United By It October 6, 2013 • Long before they met, fell in love, got married and became co-authors, Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston both read A Spell for Chameleon. The first novel in Piers Anthony's "Xanth" series is a silly book, full of corny jokes. But for teenage Melissa and Michael, it was a winking glimpse into the world of adult relationships.
For Shy Girl, Poe's Rapping And Tapping Inspired More Than Fear September 21, 2013 • As a child, author Koren Zailckas was an introvert with numbed emotions. When her fourth-grade teacher, "Mr. Cool," assigned the works of Edgar Allan Poe, she was horrified. Murder? Torture? How inappropriate! But the terrifying stories and poems transformed her: she says they scared her into life.
Braving Both Napoleonic France And Teenage Angst With Aplomb August 25, 2013 • Annemarie Selinko's Desiree, a novel about a silk merchant's daughter who almost married Napoleon, was the first book that author Fiona Maazel ever read with excitement. What book turned you into a reader? Tell us in the comments.
cover detail A Gut-Punch Of Sadness In James Joyce's 'Dubliners' July 21, 2013 • Author Kevin Maher laughed off the Dubliners as a 12-year old, yet one line stayed with him. It was that line that convinced him to go back to the stories, discovering a love of James Joyce in the process.
'Portnoy's Complaint': A Surprisingly Therapeutic Birthday Present May 26, 2013 • When author Lucas Mann turned 13, his father gave him a copy of Portnoy's Complaint, a novel The New Yorker dubbed "one of the dirtiest books ever published." Mann says the book taught him that life is painful, sometimes gross, and often funny.
Beyond Teen Spirit: Learning From Kurt Cobain's Mistakes March 24, 2013 • Michael Azerrad's Come as You Are: The Story Of Nirvana taught author Nicole J. Georges how to overcome her teenage angst and grow up.
Duncan P Walker/iStockphoto.com These 'Great Tales Of Terror' Live Up To Their Promise February 24, 2013 • Washington Post book critic Michael Dirda remembers finding a worn copy of the anthology Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural in the library as a young boy. He found the stories revelatory. Is there a scary story that made an impression on you when you were his age? Tell us in the comments.
Rich Kids, Greasers And The Life-Changing Power Of 'The Outsiders' January 28, 2013 • When author Ally Carter found out that S.E. Hinton had been a teenager when she wrote The Outsiders, something inside her clicked. It was the first moment she realized she could be a writer. Is there a book that has inspired you to write? Tell us in the comments.
'Emmanuelle' And The Seductive Power Of Words January 27, 2013 • Author Teddy Wayne writes that the 1967 French novel Emmanuelle taught him not only about good sex, but also about good writing.
Daughter Of The Storm: An Iranian Literary Revolution January 13, 2013 • As a young girl reeling from the revolution in Iran in 1979, author Roya Hakakian discovered the great Persian poet Ahmad Shamlou. His poems made her realize the importance of breaking from tradition. Has a poem ever changed your thinking this way? Tell us in the comments.
A Literary Sex Education In Mumbai January 7, 2013 • Harold Robbins' 1966 novel The Adventurers featured the lethal and stunning man of mystery, Dax. Author Manil Suri writes that Robbins' novel was his first glimpse into an adult world. What was your first "adult" novel? Tell us in the comments.
A Dangerous World Of Hackers And Ninjas December 31, 2012 • William Gibson's Neuromancer is a hacker classic. Author Nick Harkaway says it's also a door to a greater world. Is there a book that took you outside of your comfort zone? Tell us in the comments.
Teenage Disconnect And 'The Virgin Suicides' December 26, 2012 • The Virgin Suicides takes teenage angst to the extreme. Writer, blogger and professional teenager Tavi Gevinson explains why it's a book she can't put down, year after adolescent year.
