CASSIDY BESSA
Many of these books have helped define a generation and have a special place in the literary hearts of today’s young adults. Here is a list of some of the novels that truly stood out from the past ten years:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This is Goodreads’ number one book of the decade and it most certainly deserves the spot. This was a widely popular book when it came out. It was turned into a film which was a box office hit. The book tells the story of Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters who are both battling cancer. They fall in love and the story builds a tragic love story from there. This book may be a young adult novel, but it is suitable for all ages as it has something to teach everyone. As an author, John Green is one of the most popular YA novelists of the decade, with other popular titles such as Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines also behind his name. The Fault in our Stars won the Goodreads Choice award in 2012 and topped the New York Times Children’s Paperback Bestseller list. Best books of the decade
Divergent by Veronica Roth
This is Goodreads’ second book of the decade. This trilogy includes Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant. These books were so popular that they were turned into a film series. The story is a dystopian tale unlike any other. The world is split into five factions; Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. At the age of 16, each teenager needs to leave their family and find a new family in a new faction. We follow Beatrice Prior (Tris) around in her crazy and action-packed story. Tris must try and save the ones she loves while grappling with feelings of fear, love and rebellion. There is also a spin-off novel of this series which follows the character Four through his journey before Divergent. These books have become a cult classic with a large following.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. One of the most popular dystopian trilogies of all time, The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen on her journey through a game of life and death. The fictional nation of Panem is centred around the cruel Capitol and the yearly Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death. When Katniss’ sister gets chosen as tribute, Katniss volunteers in her place. She then has to overcome adversity as she fights to the death. When Katniss does survive, the next two books follow Katniss as she has to deal with her fame and an eventual revolution which she becomes the face of. Suzanne Collins is a writer for children’s shows, however, her Hunger Games series has won many awards such as the GA Peach Award. These books were also produced into a successful film series.
Americana by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Africa’s most popular author wrote one of the most popular books in the African Literary genre. Americana was on the New York Times best books list in 2013. This book is based in the newly democratic Nigeria. Ifemelu heads out of military-headed Nigeria and to America where she has to deal with racism for the first time. This book deals with the idea of racism and how it affects people’s everyday lives. It also explores immigration and military-based states as thematic concerns. 9/11 is documented in this novel and that too impacts our characters’ lives and causes them to be away from those they love due to the lock-down on immigrants in America post 9/11. This book is also largely a love story between two immigrants. Americana won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See is a novel by the multiple award-winning authors, Anthony Doerr. This won the Goodreads choice award in 2014. This book tells the story of a blind French girl named Marie-Laure whose father works in the Museum of National History. When Marie is 12 years old, the Nazis occupy Paris, so Marie and her father flee to Saint-Malo. They do this while carrying the museum’s most precious jewel. Marie’s story gets intersected by Werner Pfenning, a German boy. His life mission is to track down the resistance. This is a book that shows the way in which people try to be good to one another.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Help tells the story of three domestic workers and their lives as black women in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. The story starts off when Skeeter comes home from university, but she is unmarried, so her mother is unimpressed. She would usually find solace in her maid Constantine, but she has disappeared, and no one will tell her where she has gone. Aibileen is one of the protagonists in the story and she is looking after a white woman’s baby whom she has come to care for greatly, even though she knows that both their hearts will be broken when Aibileen eventually leaves. This book deals largely with racism and the prevailing effects of slavery on the lives of African-Americans. This book was also produced into a film.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
This is a very popular trilogy consisting of Me Before You, After You and Still Me. Jojo Moyes is a number one New York Times bestselling author and her books have exploded in popularity over the past decade. 20 million copies of Me Before You were sold. The premise of this story is that Louisa Clark works for Will Traynor, who is wheelchair-bound. He is a grumpy and bossy man but Louisa, with her sunny disposition, refuses to treat him like a child and his happiness becomes important to her. This is a story of love and devotion and captured readers’ hearts everywhere and was also produced into a film.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus tells the story of Le Cirque des Reves which arrives without warning. This creates a sense of suspense and mystery in this novel. There is a duel between two magicians, Celia and Marco who don’t know that they are up against each other. Marco and Celia then fall in love which causes tension throughout the novel. This novel became a number one national bestseller and has been sold around the world and translated into 37 languages.
This list has been compiled according to the Goodreads and New York Times best book lists of the past decade. While there are many wonderful books that have come from this past decade, these are some of the most influential and popular. They make a great addition to any reading list if you have not read them already.
Illustration: Promise Zulu
