From the 1950s to today, read the timeless books that are destined to be considered modern classics, at least in my opinion.
What makes a book a modern classic?
I’ve always gravitated toward classic literature books. As a child, I had a set of illustrated classics I adored. As a young teen, I was unimpressed with the young adult literature available to me and decided to read the biggest books I could find: War & Peace and The Complete Sherlock Holmes collection.
During my senior year of high school, my English teacher gave me a list of the top 100 classic books, and I vowed to read all of the best classic books of all time.
Fast forward to today, and as a blogger, I knew I needed to make my own list of 100 Classics To Read Before You Die.
My biggest problem was deciding the difference between classics and modern classics. Where do you draw the line in the sand? In a completely arbitrary way, I chose to cut off my list at 1949. Historically, the start of WWII would have been a better dividing line, but I really liked stopping halfway through the century.
In completely arbitrary fashion, I’ve decided that modern classics are books published after 1950 that are timeless reads showcasing the best of literature.
While it’s easy to pick out 1950s classics, as the decades progress, it becomes harder and harder to determine which books still be read hundreds of years from now. Not that this will ever stop me from throwing out my list of the best modern classics.
1950s Modern Classics
Night
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel’s story is a heart-wrenching modern classic that shows no mercy. Sent to the German concentration camp of Auschwitz with his father, Wiesel gives a no-holds-bar recollection of the horror he faced. You’ll find yourself gripped to the page at the absolute devastation the Holocaust inflicted on a teenage boy. It is our responsibility to read Holocaust books like this, no matter how depressing, so that we truly understand the horror of these events to ensure they don’t happen again.
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo is an influential leader of the fictional Ibo tribe living in what is modern-day Nigeria. A feared leader and wrestling champion, Okonkwo is obsessed with his masculinity, taking out his temper on his wife and kids. After Okonkwo’s family spends years in exile for an accidental death, they return home to find the village completely changed by European missionaries.
Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes
How much does higher intelligence contribute to living a better life? The tale of a mentally disabled man who undergoes an experiment that increases his IQ to an insanely high level will make you ponder the benefits and drawbacks of both high and low intelligence. Keep tissues handy, it’s one of the modern classic books that will make you cry.
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
Who is John Galt? Ayn Rand’s modern classic tells the (extremely long) tale of Dagny Taggart, an heir to the Taggart Transcontinental Railroad who will do anything she can to keep her family’s railroad running. As Dagny and fellow industrialist Henry Reardon struggle to stay afloat amid public outcry against greed, industry, and productivity, Rand uses her story to explain her philosophy of Objectivism.
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
In a world where printed books are outlawed, fireman Guy Montag begins to wonder what’s so dangerous about books. Fahrenheit 451 is a modern classic and serves as a warning against the dangers of censorship and the consequences of an addiction to television. Good dystopian books stay with you for a long time and Ray Bradbury’s prophetic novel doesn’t disappoint.
1960s Modern Classics
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
There’s a good reason that practically every school makes you read this book. Voted the Great American Read and considered one of the best modern classics, To Kill A Mockingbird is a timeless tale that everyone should read. The story of young Scout and Jem watching their father, Atticus Finch, defend an innocent black man will make you want to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Poet Maya Angelou’s memoir of the early years of her life is touching and heartbreaking all at the same time. Growing up with her grandmother in a small Southern town, she details how affecting the segregation was as a young black girl, as well as the feeling of abandonment by her mother. Covering many hard topics – including her sexual assault at a young age – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings easily makes my list of the best modern classics.
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote
Truman Capote was the founder of narrative nonfiction with his page-turning look at an unspeakable crime. On November 15, 1959, in the small farming town of Holcomb, Kansas, two men brutally murder the Clutter family in their home for no apparent reason. Through extensive interviews from the first days on the scene and following the events all the way to the execution of the murderers, Capote unfolds the whole story of exactly what happened and more intriguing of all, why it happened. Make sure you set aside a chunk of time to read this modern classic because, I promise, once you start you’ll realize this is a book you can’t put down.
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
I hated this book when I first read it. I mean, I absolutely despised it. It’s completely ridiculous. Heller’s brand of satire involves stories that are over-the-top exaggerations, and he’s never heard of character development. Yet, a few months after I finished it, random bits from the book would pop up in my mind and make me laugh: the man whose name is Major Major Major Major, the Allies bombing their own bridge. I promise you, you’ll either love this book or hate this book, but you won’t forget it.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X with Alex Haley
Malcolm X was one of the most influential persons in the 20th century, and you can read about his life as told to acclaimed author Alex Haley. Entering prison as Malcolm Little, he embraced Islam while inside and emerged as Malcolm X, a fierce advocate for Black empowerment, Black pride, and pan-Africanism.
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical work shows protagonist Esther Greenwood’s mental breakdown. Starting a summer internship in New York City, Esther struggles to feel joy or excitement like her colleagues. When she doesn’t get an academic job after her internship, Esther feels lost, depressed, and suicidal. After entering an asylum, Esther eventually recovers and finds a new perspective on life.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude follows seven generations of the Buendía family, whose patriarch José Arcadio Buendía founds the city of Macondo, Columbia, along a riverbank. For years, the town has little connection with the outside world until it is eventually pulled into the politics of Columbia. This acclaimed modern classic is known for Márquez’s distinct use of magical realism.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Ken Kesey
In the Oregon state mental hospital, Nurse Ratched rules her ward with an iron fist, using medication and the threat of electroshock therapy to keep the patients in line. Yet her orderly routine is thrown into chaos by the newest patient, McMurphy, a fun-loving trickster who uses the mental ward to avoid prison. The epic battle of will between the antihero and the tyrannical nurse delves into the fine line between sanity and madness in one of my favorite classic page turners that is just as good, if not better, than the movie adaptation.
1970s Modern Classics
Kindred
Octavia E. Butler
In 1976, Dana, a young African-American writer, finds herself inexplicably sent back through time to a pre-Civil War plantation in Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy, she finds herself back in Los Angeles. Over and over, Dana finds herself returning to the plantation, which she realizes is where her ancestors lived. As her stays in the past become longer, Dana becomes entangled in the plantation and is forced to make harder and harder choices to survive. Octavia Butler’s genre-bending time travel novel is a must-read among modern classics.
The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison set her debut novel in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio. In 1941, Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old Black girl, desperately wants blue eyes. Tired of being considered “ugly,” Pecola wishes more than anything to fit into white America. Morrison’s novel typifies her writing – discussing race, abuse, class, and gender in a thought-provoking story.
Watership Down
Richard Adams
When Fiver gets a premonition of danger, Hazel leads a group of bunnies to establish a new warren in the English countryside while facing predators, men, and neighboring rabbit tribes. You might be expecting a fantasy book, but Watership Down is just a book about bunnies. An extremely compelling story about bunnies that will hook you from the first chapter.
The Hiding Place
Corrie Ten Boom
What would you do if you noticed your neighbors suddenly disappearing? A quiet old maid living with her older sister and elderly father, Corrie ten Boom knew that she had to act. During World War II, her family joined the Dutch Underground and built a secret room to hide Jews within, for which they were to pay the ultimate price. Corrie Ten Boom’s heartrending account of her life will inspire you to have faith, hope, and courage no matter what obstacles you may face.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams’s science fiction satire starts with the destruction of Earth through eminent domain laws for the new galactic highway. At the last moment, Arthur Dent is saved by his friend Ford Prefect and off they go on an epic journey through the galaxy. A perfect blend of dark humor and science fiction, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a modern classic that evokes the spirit of the 1970s.
Roots
Alex Haley
Growing up, Alex Haley’s grandmother would tell him stories of his ancestors, all the way back to “the African,” their ancestor who was seized one day and sold into slavery in America. Captivated by the stories, Haley wondered how much was true and set out on an amazing genealogical quest. Haley found documentation of his family’s history all the way back to Kunta Kinte, who was captured in Gambia in 1767, and met his sixth cousins in Africa. More than just his family’s story, Roots shows the rich cultural heritage of African Americans and the indomitable human spirit of all races.
Carrie
Stephen King
You can’t really talk about modern classics without mentioning Stephen King’s debut novel, Carrie, a story that reshaped the horror genre. The shock factor is high in this original story of a high school girl developing telekinetic powers. Mistreated by her family and her classmates, Carrie is pushed to the breaking point, setting her on her famous path of revenge.
1980s Modern Classics
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving
During a Little League baseball game, Owen Meany hits a foul ball that kills his best friend’s mother. Believing himself to be God’s instrument, Owen seeks to fulfill his own prophecy. Narrated by Owen’s best friend John Wheelwright, A Prayer for Owen Meany isn’t just one of the best modern classics, it is one of the best literary fiction books of all time.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
In a must-read dystopian novel, after the fall of the United States, the theocratic patriarchal society Gilead is now in power. Due to an epidemic of infertility, most of the elite women cannot have children. Instead, they use handmaids, women of the lower caste forced to submit to men to bear children. The Handmaid’s Tale is written as the diary of one such handmaiden, Offred, as she struggles to survive in this brutal society, hoping to one day escape.
The Color Purple
Alice Walker
In this modern classic, poor young Black girl Celie writes letters to God in the early 1900s, begging for help from her father who beats and rapes her. After Celie is married off to an abusive man and helps her sister run away, Celie begins writing letters to her sister. Talking frankly about domestic and sexual abuse and homosexuality, The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983.
Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card
In a future where humanity is at war with an alien enemy determined to destroy life on Earth, Ender Wiggin is a third child in a family of extraordinarily gifted children. Sent off to battle school at only six years of age, Ender – with his perfect mix of compassion and ruthlessness – is forced to become the military genius humanity so desperately needs. Ender’s Game is an amazing modern classic for young adults – not only thrilling enough to intrigue teenage boys who never read – but also so packed with complex themes and deeper meanings.
Lonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry
You can’t highlight modern classics without mentioning at least one Western book. Carefree Gus McCrae and duty-driven Captain Woodrow Call, two retired Texas Rangers, embark on one last adventure – a crazy cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Far from the easy paycheck they expected, the journey turns dangerous time and again, weaving a tale that showcases the changing American West. McMurty paints his characters better than almost any author I’ve ever read, bringing them to life with incredibly realistic complexity in a story that showcases the Wild West without glorifying it.
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
How well do you know your mother? In 1949, four Chinese women, all recent immigrants to San Francisco, gather together weekly to play Mahjong, chat about their pasts, and hope for the future for their daughters. This tale of mothers trying to pass on their wisdom to their American-born daughters who don’t truly understand them will make you want to learn more about your own mother.
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
In his bestselling allegorical novel, Paula Coelho tells the story of a young Andalusian shepherd who sets out on a journey through the Egyptian desert to find a treasure he saw in a dream. Along the way, he meets various characters who point him in the right direction, until he finally realizes the treasure he seeks is within. Full of insightful comments on life, The Alchemist is one of those literary books that are simple yet profound.
The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy
You can’t have a list of modern classics without including Tom Clancy’s thrilling Jack Ryan series and the book that launched Clancy to stardom. Hidden in the Atlantic Ocean, the commander of the Soviet submarine Red October makes the fateful decision to defect to the United States. Both sides desperately want the Red October, leading to an epic chase in one of the best military thrillers ever written.
1990s Modern Classics
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
In the modern classic that cemented dark academia as a genre, Donna Tartt’s debut novel is a modern Greek tragedy that details the moral fall of a group of students at a private Vermont college. Classics professor Morrow only admits a handful of select students to study Ancient Greek. After determinedly breaking into this close-knit group, Richard Papen is surprised to find a world of highly flawed characters losing their grasp on morality. Secrets, lies, betrayal, and eventually murder become justifiable actions as they fall further and further in their descent into evil.
Band of Brothers
Stephen E. Ambrose
The thrilling account of Easy Company, a unit of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army is one of my favorite World War 2 books. The book gets its title from the Shakespeare quote, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” Instead of following one man’s journey, the cast of characters winds in and out as men come and go from the company due to reassignment, injury, and death. Stephen Ambrose’s powerful book is a remarkable look at the everyday men who became legends.
A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin kicks off his epic mastery of political machinations with the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. With winter creeping into the land of summer and the king’s advisors mysteriously dying, Lord Eddard Stark is called to serve as the king’s new Hand, but Stark’s position places his family at risk from the ambitions of the rival houses.
A Fine Balance
Rohinton Mistry
In 1975, the Indian government declares a state of emergency that forces a widow to take in a student boarder and two tailors fleeing caste violence and seeking work. In a deep examination of human nature, Mistry presents a character-driven story that completely draws you in while explaining the larger political landscape that affects them on an individual basis. Bleak, yet beautiful, Mistry’s epic novel explores the fine balance between hope and despair.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling shaped the imagination of an entire generation when she published the Harry Potter series: the most famous children’s fantasy books of the modern age. When he is eleven years old, neglected orphan Harry Potter receives a letter accepting him into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Suddenly Harry finds himself swept into a magical world he didn’t know existed. Even more surprising, he is already famous beyond anything he could have comprehended.
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
Gabaldon’s Outlander series creates a sweeping love triangle that made waves in the 1990s for its well-researched historical fantasy romance. Recently returned from serving as a WWII nurse, Claire Randall decides to take a second honeymoon with her husband. When she steps through standing stones in the British Isles, she finds herself transported back to 1743 in war-torn Scotland. As Claire allies with the great warrior James Fraser, she must decide between the love of two completely different men in two completely different times.
Into the Wild
Jon Krakauer
In 1992, moose hunters found the body of a young man alone in the Alaska wilderness. Investigators soon found out it belonged to Christopher McCandless, who had hitchhiked to Alaska to live alone in the wild for a summer. How does a well-educated young man from a well-off family give it all up – give away all his money, abandon his car and tramp around the US for years? What drove McCandless to see out the wild? Telling as well the stories of those other souls throughout history who have sought out the wonders of nature, including himself, Krakauer is the perfect person to pen this insightful chronicle of Christopher McCandless’s life.
2000s Modern Classics
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
An unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father’s servant that beautifully describes love, friendship, betrayal, and redemption. Be warned that the novel is violent and graphic at times, so understand that while moving, the story is dark and disturbing. It’s that contrast between the worst of human nature and the best that truly brings out a remarkable tale that will stay with you for a long time.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy
Unlike the young adult versions, adult dystopian books are not afraid to show a dark ending to humanity. In The Road, a father and son set off on a journey through the devastated remains of civilization with only a pistol to protect themselves. Praised for its gorgeous prose, McCarthy paints a bleak picture of life in a world with no hope.
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
A book narrated by Death might be off-putting at first, but quickly you’ll fall in love with this WWII young adult historical fiction. In 1939, Liesel Meminger is sent to live with foster parents in Munich. There she befriends the charming neighborhood boy Rudy and settles into a life of book thievery. Coming of age during the rise of the Nazis, Liesel and Rudy must face the complications of growing up in a dictatorship they hate.
The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
In one of the most powerful memoirs of recent years, Jeannette Walls recounts the story of her tumultuous childhood. She opens the book with the account of how at 3 years old, she ends up hospitalized with severe burns after pouring scalding water on herself when cooking hot dogs for lunch. You meet her charming father Rex, equal measures brilliant and paranoid; her mother Rose, selfish and depressed; and her three siblings, trying their best just to survive.
Still Alice
Lisa Genova
Sometimes authors knock it out of the park with their debut novel and neuroscientist Lisa Genova certainly fits that description. Harvard professor Alice Howland is at the top of her career when she begins to have trouble with her memory. The story of her decline due to early-onset Alzheimer’s will leave you wracked with emotions. Just be sure to have a box of tissues handy because you will need them.
Atonement
Ian McEwan
One summer day in 1934, 13-year-old Briony Tallis misunderstands a flirtation between her older sister and a neighborhood boy, with devastating consequences. Now, as World War II rages, an older Briony starts to realize the reality of what happened and the full repercussions she has caused. Can Briony find atonement or is it too late? No matter what you do, make sure to read until the very end, because the ending is what makes this one of those books that move you to rethink everything you just read.
2010s Modern Classics
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
If I had to pick a winner for the best books of the 2010s, Anthony Doer’s masterpiece would be my first choice. I’m not at all surprised it won a Pulitzer Prize; the writing is fabulous. Anthony Doerr masterfully interweaves the stories of Marie-Laurie, a blind French girl who flees from Paris to the coastal city of Saint-Malo with her uncle, and Werner, a German radio operator charged with rooting out the French resistance. While the plot is interesting in and of itself, the character development and storytelling will keep you glued to the page.
Born a Crime
Trevor Noah
Normally I wouldn’t recommend a celebrity memoir in a modern classics list because they usually have such a limited shelf life, but Trevor Noah’s life story is the exception to the rule. Telling of his formative years in South Africa during the last days of apartheid, Noah shows you a fascinating slice of history. With his ability to change accents and mimic his mother, Trevor Noah’s audio narration of the book wins it the award for the best audiobook of its decade.
The Martian
Andy Weir
Astronaut Mark Watney wakes up to find himself marooned on the planet Mars, left for dead by the crew of the Ares 3 mission. Now, he must use all his ingenuity to overcome insurmountable odds for the chance to return home to Earth. I love how Weir uses real science and technology in this captivating book. One of the best science fiction books out there, The Martian is one of the best page turners I’ve read in recent years – which is saying a lot considering how much I read.
Educated
Tara Westover
There is no excuse to not read Tara Westover’s spectacular memoir. Westover grew up in the rural mountains of Idaho with no formal education. Despite her extremist survivalist parents and violent older brother, Westover managed to make her way into college, eventually earning a PhD. Her amazing determination is inspiring while the circumstances of her childhood are incredibly sad.
I Am Malala
Malala Yousafazai
Living in Pakistan as the Taliban took over her valley, Malala’s advocacy for women’s education led her to international recognition and an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Her autobiography will inspire you to stand up for your beliefs because one ordinary girl can change the world. Read extensively by teens and adults alike, I Am Malala was an obvious choice for the best modern classics.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
For years, Kya Clark has survived alone in the marshes of the North Carolina coast. Dubbed “The Marsh Girl” by the locals, she raises herself in nature after her family abandons her. Now, as she comes of age, she begins to yearn for something more than her loneliness – maybe even a connection with the locals. An exquisitely written tale, Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the best fiction books of the recent years that I think will stand the test of time.
What Books Do You Consider Modern Classics?
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my Modern Classics book list? What modern classics have I forgotten? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Keyword Reading Lists:
Eliza says
1950s: The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
1960s: Everything that Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor
1970s: The Bluest Eye OR Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
1980s: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
1990s: The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
2000s: Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
2010s: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
Linda O'Donnell says
Great choices. Still, I would have to add Yan Martel’s The Life of Pi to the list.
Priya K Bradfield says
This is a great list! Do you have it in a form that is printable or as a checklist?
Rachael says
Not yet!
Adrienne says
I’m struggling to find a modern classic that I want to read (that I haven’t already read) for your reading challenge. Do you think Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag is a modern classic?
Linda O'Donnell says
I have gone through your list of modern classics and couldn’t agree more. Also the list of Westerns, my all-time favorite genre, and found some I hadn’t heard of. Thank you for that. But as usual, I meandered further and found the list of books to avoid. You included Moby Dick, which has remained #1 on my top ten list since I was in high school. I have probably re-read it ten or twelve times and find it more amazing every time. My daughter says I use it like a Bible because it stays on my bedside table. She might be right because it taught me about empathy, sympathy, consideration for others no matter color of skin or national origin. Ahab has long been my most esteemed role model. And Melville has made it a book that is as humorous as it is sad. I have to question its inclusion on this particular list!
Rachael says
It’s a personal opinion, obviously. I think the abridged version of Moby Dick is amazing. I love the story itself. The hundred pages on whaling, not so much.