The best books to understand why characters struggle to achieve their goals in coming of age novels

One book that I really recommend reading is the novel The Midnights by Sarah Nicole Smetana. The main character, Susannah, is a seventeen-year-old girl who plays a mean guitar like her former rock star father whose attention she craves very much. She is driven with passion to pursue her dream even after her father suddenly dies unexpectedly, and must uproot to a new city where she eagerly takes on the challenge. The story is an emotionally charged coming-of-age novel involving loss, creativity, and feeling confident in your voice, while feeling confident in your choices to define who you are. 

The novel Sold Out is a favorite book of mine because Carlson’s main female character, Chloe Miller, forms her own band while struggling early on until they become a hit in their community. Success, however, brings them problems of finding out who their real friends are. Even when the band is discovered by a talent scout from Nashville, conflicts erupt amongst the band members and attitudes start clashing, and Chloe’s dream is falling apart. However, she refuses to give up, and she finds the strength through God and prayer to make the decisions necessary to be proud of her accomplishments. 

I was aware of gangs in schools close to where I lived while growing up.  When I read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, I was amazed how dangerous they were. Ponyboy, S. E. Hinton’s main character, is fourteen, and hardened by poverty after his parent’s death. He is being raised by his older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. They live in a poor neighborhood and are in a gang because the Socs, a ruthless gang of rich kids who live not too far from them, enjoy calling them greasers and beating them up. But when Ponyboy’s best friend, Johnny, kills a Soc in a fight, Ponyboy faces a whirlwind of surrounding violence and difficult times ahead.  

Once I read about Charlie, the main character in Stephen Chbosky’s novel, I was intrigued how a shy, bookish kid like me could become so wild and crazy in his first year of high school. Charlie is the main character who at fifteen writes about his freshman experience not unlike a diary. The story is written through Charlie’s detailed, and very personal letters. School begins with him being bullied. He finds it difficult to make friends, but finally there’s a boy he can relate to who is gay and who introduces Charlie to his sister, Sam. Love takes hold of Charlie, leaves him, he goes to parties, takes drugs, wants to kill himself, feels guilty over the death of his aunt, but finally seeks help from a psychiatrist. 

Robert Lipsyte wrote a powerful coming of age novel entitled, The Contender. Alfred, a Black seventeen-year-old high school dropout, lives in New York City with his aunt after his father left and his mother died. Alfred is wasting his life hanging around gang members, until they want to break into the store where he works. Alfred forgets to tell them about the new alarm system and they beat him up. He is found nearly unconscious and helped home by Henry, who works at a gym where its owner, Mr. Donatelli, trains famous boxers. Alfred decides to train to be a fighter. The grueling work teaches him not only to be a contender in the ring but in life outside of it.