30 books to read before 30
I'm turning 30 this year and these are the 30 books that most impacted my outlook and experience while I was in my 20s. I hope you get as much from them as I did!
One of the most accessible Virginia Woolf novels, this saga will forever shape your perspective on gender. Way before its time!
An essential for anyone who has struggled with body image or disordered eating… AKA most of us.
Toni Morrison is THE essential American author. You could read this ten times and still find more to learn and unpack
If you're a teacher, you need to read this book. The American education system would be a whole lot better if this was the approach we took to teaching.
A thoughtful and nuanced reflection on gender, transition, and parenthood. I <3 Maggie Nelson
I was so lucky to read this right as I was coming out. Such a concise overview of intersectional queer theory.
This book changed my perception of what a book can accomplish. A devastating exploration of white violence & a challenging call to understanding racism.
Did you know - Alison Bechdel is the originator of the Bechdel test? This is my favorite graphic memoir
The poetry collection that got me into poetry.
Such an inspiring read for anyone who is young and wants to make art.
I was very lucky to get to teach this book to teenagers. An underappreciated genre is the play, and an underappreciated August Wilson play is Ma Rainey
Ross Gay has such a unique approach to writing about joy. Never trite; always beautiful
A deeply felt and loving book about the threat to life that young Black men experience
Read this book without it changing your life forever I dare you
Read this iconic speculative fiction alongside Emergent Strategy
If you haven't read this, you're about to understand so many more cultural references. An essential novel in the 21st century
Did you know that it's possible to just… give people money? And potentially change the world?
An abolitionist teaching manifesto!!
The book that brought me back to the joy of reading
Glennon Doyle is controversial, but this came to me at the exact right time.
So much more than just trees, but also trees are EVERYTHING
A theme of this list is reconnecting with nature, and this book does it better than any other
Stunningly written, covering an abusive same sex relationship
Did you know that there is a genre called “Queer Auto-Theory?" And this book does it the best?
James Baldwin is the king and this is the most beautiful depiction of a complicated relationship ever
What is order and why are we always trying so damn hard to make sense of it all?
THE best, most honest memoir I've ever read - and the writing is *chef's kiss*
Do you need to re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol? Most of us do, and this book is a great start
The title says it all (and the book backs it up)
A true manifesto for the divine right to rest