You know what the world needs right now? A good book.
Not just because it’s one of the best way to relieve stress (for real), or because we’ve watched everything on Netflix, or because summer is the ideal reading season.
But because books are one of the ultimate tools for broadening our perspectives.
No, really. It’s true.
Books are the only tool that let you in on another person’s (well, another character’s) thoughts. They push us out of our own lived experience and let experience the world through the eyes of people who are different from us. And that leads to empathy, which our seventh grade social skills class should have taught us is essential for society to, you know, not dissolve into chaos.
And did you know my favorite fact of the week? This is especially true with fiction.
Why fiction is my favorite…
Novels are even better at changing our thinking than nonfiction. And this is where I do a happy dance because all of my suspicions are being proven true. The first time I read this quote from Jonathan Gottschall, my heart soared and I stopped everything to scribble down the reference.
Take a peek:
“Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally…Fiction enhances our ability to understand other people; it promotes a deep morality that cuts across religious and political creeds.”
So if you’ve been reading lots of nonfiction and soaking up new information, good on you. Keep at it.
But if you’re like me and love nothing more than a good novel? Rock on. You, too, are doing the world some good, and you don’t even need to leave your hammock. Halleluiah.
Over the years, I’ve read a lot of YA. (After all, it was basically my job for four years.) And there are SO MANY phenomenal YA books that have broadened my perspectives and taught me to see in a new way. No statistics, lectures, or philosophical treatises needed.
Today, I’m rounding up some of the books that have changed my thinking. And bonus, they’re also just really, really good books that are enjoyable to read, cross my heart. Take a look!
(Pssst. Want to see these titles all in one place? Check out my Bookshop page!)
9 YA Books to Change Your Thinking
1. Refugee – Alan Gratz
This middle-grade book follows the stories of three different refugee children. Josef is a Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany on the MS St. Louis. Isabel is escaping from Cuba on a raft with her family. And Mahmoud is leaving Syria and trying to make it to Europe. This one has a gripping plot that you will absolutely tear through. And you know I’m always up for a story told from multiple timelines.
While I was already sympathetic to the plight of refugees before reading Refugee, I had not read any accounts that gave me a first-hand perspective of what life was like for kids fleeing from war. When I read this, the Syrian refugee crisis was still plastered all over the news, so reading about Mahmoud’s life, especially, was striking. As Americans, it’s easy to believe that all refugees are already impoverished, under-resourced people. Reading about Mahmoud’s life, I was blown away by how people just like me, with stable jobs and apartments and families, could instantly lose everything.
2. All-American Boys – Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Rashad, a Black teenager, is mistaken for a shoplifter, arrested, and beaten by a police officer. Quinn, a white teen whose family is close with the officer, witnesses the beating. When a video of the incident surfaces, the boys’ high school and town begin to divide. Written by a white and a Black author working in tandem, this book tells story from each boys’ perspective.
Though this book came out 5 years, George Floyd’s death and the subsequent reactions clearly indicate that the topic is still very, very relevant. I appreciated that this book allowed nuance on both sides of the conversation and showed what both teens had to sacrifice for their convictions. (Heads up: some high school conversations and content.)
3. House Arrest – K.A. Holt
When I taught 6th grade, there was fierce competition for which students would get to read this book for literature circles (and I can’t blame them). Timothy’s little brother has serious medical problems that are giving his family serious financial problems. So he steals a wallet to help pay for his brother’s medication. Told in verse, this book is the journal Timothy is required to keep to meet his probation requirements. (Don’t let this description drag you down – the book is at turns funny and tender and all around a joy to read)
As an Enneagram 1 who often gets sucked into the black-and-white belief that actions are either right or wrong, with no gray area, this book showed me how desperation complicates that dichotomy. You couldn’t help but root for Timothy – even as he did wrong things – because he so desperately wanted to help his family.
4. Dreamland Burning – Jennifer Latham
While renovating their Tulsa backyard, Rowan’s family finds a skeleton buried under their shed. About 100 years earlier, Will faces the racial tension that eventually leads the Tulsa Riots. The pacing in this story is excellent; the two narrators switch at just the right moments to keep you racing to solve the mystery with Rowan. Even if you don’t love YA, this book is excellently written and definitely worthy of your TBR list.
In addition to being a gripping mystery, this book also taught me a lot about an episode in history I’d never before encountered. It also gave me more perspective on what it would have been like to be a Black teenage boy in the age of Jim Crow and how tenuous the safety and livelihoods of hardworking people were. I can’t imagine actually living with the tension I felt reading about Will’s life.
5. The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
You’ve doubtless heard about this best-selling book, and I can understand why it got so much hype. Starr witnesses her childhood friend, Khalil, being shot by a cop at a traffic stop. This book details how Starr’s identity, family, friends, and neighborhood are all affected.
This book covers a LOT. From media misrepresentation of Khalil to racist friends to cultural assimilation to interracial relationships, the number of things going on in Starr’s life and story are almost overwhelming. But I think that’s partly what makes this a valuable read. Starr has all of the issues of a normal teenager – friendship issues, questions about her boyfriend, drama with her parents, insecurities. She also has entirely different layer of questions about her race and identity added on, plus the trauma of witnessing a violent crime. This book gave me so much more empathy for the experience of Black teens and the challenges of trying to fit into a society that feels like it’s not meant for you. (P.S. Definitely some high-school level content in this one.)
6. Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds
This novel in verse opens when Will’s older brother is killed by a member of a rival gang. The rules of the neighborhood dictate that Will now must hunt down and shoot his brother’s killer in revenge. On his way to get revenge, he gets in an elevator. On each new floor, a ghost from his past joins him.
This story added depth to the way I perceived gang violence and re-emphasized how the issue is not linear. It’s not just about “doing the right thing” – there’s an entire system of loyalty that real human kids get caught in, and it is very difficult to break. A student essay I just read echoed how much this book changed his mind, so it’s teen-approved too!
7. Monster – Walter Dean Myers
Steve has been arrested for a crime he claims didn’t commit. This story is the screenplay he writes to record his perspective on the case.
I won’t spoil it for you, but the ending of this story has lingered with me. How kids can be blamed for things that weren’t their fault – and still bear the consequences of them – is heartbreaking. And yet it is absolutely the experience of an untold number of Black teenagers.
On My List:
I haven’t finished these books yet, but trusted sources say they are absolutely of the perspective-shifting variety.
8. Ghost Boys – Jewell Parker Rhodes
This story follows Jerome, a boy who was killed when the toy gun he held was mistaken for the real thing, as he looks down on his community after his death. I’m a few chapters in, and so far this is heartbreaking and tender.
9. The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
I cannot wait to read this book, which tells the story of a Xiomora, a teen living in Harlem and learning to find her voice through poetry. It’s won tons of awards and is supposed to be fantastic!
What titles would you recommend for books to change your thinking? Tell me everything in the comments or @annaleighsaxton on Instagram!
P.S. Want more book talk? Check out 9 Books to Escape Into Right Now and 8 Realistic Books about Love
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