The most recommended books for 17 year olds

For anyone interested in political psychology, this book explores the leader-follower relationship and more specifically, helps you understand why citizens might support autocrats and autocratic regimes. As many may find Karen Stenner’s book, The Authoritarian Dynamic, too academic, Robert Altemeyer’s book, The Authoritarians explains in clear and plain language (and written in the first person) what drives right-wing (and to a lesser extent left-wing) authoritarian aggression. This book explores all the details of how authoritarians think—the unquestioning loyalty to authority, the proclivity towards fundamentalism, and the suspicion of outsiders and change, particularly societal change. Altemeyer, who is known for improving upon Theodor Adorno’s F-scale of authoritarianism, also highlights the difficulty that authoritarians have in thinking critically and living with nuance and complexity. This book explains why family reunions might be so difficult.  

In one of the indelible images from the 20th Olympic Games is the grainy footage of American sprinter Jesse Owens racing down a dirt-running track to victory during the notorious 1936 Berlin Olympics, which Adolf Hitler sought to exploit as a propaganda opportunity. Owens won an unprecedented four gold medals during those Games, a stark defiance to the Nazi’s racist ideology. Triumph tells the story of those Olympics, along with Owens humble origins as a talented black athlete in Jim Crow America, his unlikely friendship with a German long jumper, and his inglorious return to the U.S. that prohibited him from profiting from his success on the track because of draconian amateur rules of the time. 

We've all heard of the Arabian Nights, whether we've read the book or not. This one takes you into the exotic and magical world of a mock-Arabic land where Djinnis and other magical beings are accepted as real. Amani is a character you just have to love! She is thrown into an adventure that takes her far from her remote desert home and relies on her wits and special skills with forbidden weapons to stay one step ahead of capture by the sultan's men or worse, the magical forces that seem to surround her!

During bedtime read-alouds with my sons, they loved stories of survival. But almost all these stories we read together were about boys.

Alone was finally a survival story featuring a female main character, Maddie, a young girl left alone in a deserted town to fend for herself. To make it even better, it was written in verse, which is my preferred format for reading and writing. I also admired Freeman’s ability to make a story containing mainly one sole character—such a page turner.

Dr. Grandin’s personal struggle with autism and her love of animals have combined to revolutionize our current understanding of animal behavior and human interactions with our animal partners.

Her body of work is not only impressive but has informed both my career as an animal scientist and my fiction. This book is exemplary of her profound impact on people who love animals.

Alexis is an incredible storyteller. She takes her readers on an amazing journey filled with fantastic descriptions that use all of the senses. Her characters are real, well-developed, believable people with problems, insecurities, and the hope to make things better. Her settings are stunning. And the plot is amazing!

I love the author's beautiful, hypnotic writing. The prologue was so alluring I just had to read on.

Then I fell in love with the book when I read this line in one of the earlier chapters: In his bitter mind's eye, he saw the little hill town for what it was, a shabbily self-satisfied knot of shops and houses, peering over its surrounding wall like a gossip over a fence. I swooned, and when I recovered, I was hungry for more of her intoxicating words and devoured the book.

I am in awe of the author for creating such an enchanting story with layers and underlying themes. The consequences of our life choices and mental health like PTSD are very cleverly weaved into this plot. An amazing read!

This book felt so real. Ilsa Beck did such an amazing job at writing a book about a very saturated genre that was fresh and terrifying because her use of science really made me think this was a very real way the world could end. Also, it is wonderful when a book features a flawed, but strong female lead, something I always strive to write in my books. The main character, Alex, is real and three-dimensional and relatable, even as she’s trying to survive a sudden zombie apocalypse all on her own.

This is a heartbreaking, yet uplifting novel of love and survival inspired by real resistance workers during World War II Austria, and the mysterious love letter that connects generations of Jewish families. It takes place in both 1989 Los Angeles and 1938 Austria. I love this book because of Jillian’s beautiful writing, and her strong sense of place. I felt transported to WWII Austria, where I became deeply invested in the love story between Kristoff and Elena. I also enjoyed that the modern-day story takes place pre-internet, where a newly divorced woman, Katie, does hands-on research to learn more about an unusual WWII-era stamp. Both narratives weave together seamlessly. I was lucky to read this book while visiting my family in Switzerland, surrounded by the beauty of the Alps.

Starting a recommendation with the latest book in the series might be the wrong move, but nothing captures the scope of Bardugo’s beautiful Grishaverse like this novel. Read the rest before this one, because this is the book where all our favorite plots and characters collide. And this book has it all. Gritty criminals, powerful saints, the horrors of war, touching romance, and answers to questions many had after finishing the first trilogy. More than anything, Rule of Wolves solidifies the Grishaverse as a fantasy world worthy of being with the big boys like LotR and the Wizarding World. No matter if you identify with the thieves, the Grisha, the pirates, or the monsters of legend, there’s a place in this world for everyone. Count me as a Crow, though.