When you walk into a bookstore, what section do you make a beeline for? Personally, I head straight to Teen Nonfiction. Admittedly, it’s been a little while since I was actually a teenager. But I still always feel the pull to see what brightly-colored copies I want to add to my shelf.
Teen nonfiction, like that for adults, is a broader category than it may at first sound. Memoirs, essay collections, advice, how-to guides, history, and even cookbooks can be included. However, each book is written with the under-twenty crowd in mind. That means that the memoirs are often written by well-known young people (Olympic gymnasts and YouTubers abound!), and any guidance or instruction given is done so with the realities of being a teenager kept in mind.
These books can be enjoyable and valuable for more than just their intended audience. Being a teenage girl is wild, at times super stressful, but also incredibly cool. Life as you know it—you, as you’ve known yourself—changes in both palpable and incomprehensible ways. You are a human on the verge. Because of that, the stories we tell and the things we write about that time period are supercharged with the goodness of what it is to be alive: discovery, learning, growth, adventure, and through it all, hope. Things that light us up, no matter how far removed we are from our teen years.
If you haven’t made your way to this section of the bookstore lately, here are six teen nonfiction titles I recommend adding to your reading list.
This Is Really Happening by Erin Chack
I was genuinely sad when I got to the last page in this collection of personal essays by BuzzFeed Senior Editor Erin Chack; I didn’t want it to end. The essays move back and forth on the timeline of Erin’s life so far, with particular emphasis given to her teen and young adult years, including meeting her current boyfriend at 14 and going through chemotherapy at 19. Basically, this book feels like having a really witty, thoughtful friend tell you her best stories.
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+, Barnes & Noble for $9.99+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
Popular: How a Geek in Pearls Discovered the Secret to Confidence by Maya Van Wagenen
Maya does not consider herself to be one of the popular kids at her high school. So when she comes across a 1950s popularity guide written by former teen model Betty Cornell, she decides a little social experiment can’t hurt. For an entire school year, Maya follows the book’s advice and documents the results. If you’re a fan (like I am!) of Meg Cabot’s How to Be Popular, this is like the real-life version.
Get it from Amazon for $9.37+, Barnes & Noble for $9.68+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
Earth Hates Me: True Confessions from a Teenage Girl by Ruby Karp
Like Popular, this book was written while the author was still in high school. Each chapter includes advice, personal stories, and observations regarding a different topic, from feminism to social media to “the importance of laughter.” (Ruby is also a comedian who has monthly shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.) The honesty, insightfulness, and of course humor that Ruby uses to make sense of life within her high school's halls is a delight from beginning to end.
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+, Barnes & Noble for $9.99+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers by Deborah Reber
This book changed my life for the better, and I mean that without a speck of exaggeration. Deborah profiles successful women in a variety of fields, from a forensic scientist to a nonprofit executive director to the powerhouse TV show creator Shonda Rhimes. Each profile includes interviews with and advice from the woman featured, as well as what to expect from the career (including salary, dress code, and stress factor) and what it takes to get there. For teens (or not teens!) trying to figure out what career path they want to take, this book is an incredibly helpful jumping-off point.
Get it from Amazon for $7.98+, Barnes & Noble for $9.99+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story by Josh Sundquist
This book is by a YouTuber (who is also a motivational speaker, American Paralympian, and Halloween costume champion), but what really drew me in was the premise. At 25 years old, Josh realizes he’s never had a girlfriend, though certainly not for lack of trying. At that point, most people would seek out guidance from a close friend or maybe a psychologist; instead, Josh decides to get in touch with every girl he’s tried to date since middle school to ask the question, “What went wrong?” For those with awkward dating experiences in their past or present, this book will make you laugh, wince, and root for Josh along the way.
Get it from Amazon for $8.41+, Barnes & Noble for $8.71+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
Rookie Yearbook One edited by Tavi Gevinson
This book is both an engaging read and a beautiful piece of art. The collection gathers the best pieces from each month of popular teen website Rookie’s first year of existence. Essays, advice, playlists, and interviews by the young feminist writers of the site are included. What’s more, each inch of the book is gorgeously illustrated. Bonus: if you like this Yearbook, Rookie has published three more.
Get it from Amazon for $20.96+, Barnes & Noble for $21.76+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.
