It takes a lot for a contemporary book to be considered a modern classic, including the quality, subject matter, and relevancy of the text. These elements come together to create a novel that will join the ranks of the literary canon one day. One of the most exciting parts of modern literature is the elevation of voices previously overlooked by popular literature, leading to beautiful and compelling prose by people from all walks of life entering the mainstream. When considering what books will earn the title of classic, reader engagement, and interest must be taken into account alongside merit.

When it comes to the definition of contemporary, in this case, books written and published in the 21st century are recent enough to have not yet reached the status of classic. While some books from the 2000s have aged poorly, many have been highlighted as the greatest of the 21st century. Some landmark novels made such an impact when they came out that they’re already considered the best. As it’s common for stories from centuries ago to be taught and read today, the same might be true of current books by living authors in the far future.

10

The Book Thief (2005)

Written by Markus Zusak

Teaching children about the darkest parts of history can be a challenge, as the depth and gravity of a historical event must be conveyed without destroying the hope and magic of childhood. Markus Zusak understood this in writing The Book Thief, a novel told from the perspective of a young girl growing up as the Nazis rose to power in Germany in the 20th century. Having Liesel’s life be the frame for the narrative was the perfect way to explore how young people deal with times of strife but are also more capable of dealing with complicated moralities than adults believe.

The Book Thief sees Liesel adapt to a new home with adoptive parents, help them conceal a Jewish man from the Nazis, and learn the power of the written word as she becomes literate and seeks to save books from being destroyed. The story is narrated by Death, but even in this supposed objectivity, Death cannot help but be moved to certain actions by the human spirit and the bravery of Liesel and her family. As an entrance into the larger literary exploration of World War II, The Book Thief stands out as the perfect place to start.

9

Between The World And Me (2015)

Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates

It can be difficult for memories, autobiography, and even autofiction to become a classic, as there’s an argument to be made for how universal and enduring personal stories can be. This is not an issue in Between the World and Me, which seamlessly connects the intimate experiences of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ life with the long and complex history of racial prejudice and injustice across the world. Coates is in conversation with his son throughout the work as he grapples with how to communicate the lessons and context that cannot be separated from how Black men and women are treated.

Race as a concept and a political agenda are some of the biggest themes in Between the World and Me, and Coates’s writing and style have drawn comparisons to James Baldwin, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. If Between the World and Me is any indication, Coates will go down in history as a pivotal voice in the literary canon, and Between the World and Me will be taught and celebrated for years to come. As a stunning and vulnerable non-fiction, the book should be read by audiences both inside the U.S. and out.

8

The Hunger Games (2008)

Written by Suzanne Collins

While novels written for adults are more typically discussed as hallmarks of the literary canon, that doesn’t mean that young adult or even children’s books are any less important. What young audiences read as they come of age has a direct impact on their views and social and cultural development. The Hunger Games was written when YA dystopian narratives were extremely popular, but Suzanne Collins wrote a story unlike anything else available. At once accessible and brutally honest in the violence and cruelty of the story’s world, The Hunger Games doesn’t pull punches in expressing its lessons and themes.

Expertly crafting not only an intricate but also a logical world with rules that make sense to the reader, The Hunger Games taught a generation of readers to expect more from the stories they engage with. Every Hunger Games book has its pros and cons, but the first installment of the series is well-remembered as capturing the hearts and minds of everyone who reads it. Collins has released several prequels since the series’ popularity exploded thanks to the films. However, nothing will ever come close to the magic of The Hunger Games and Katniss’ first trip into the arena.

7

James (2024)

Written by Percival Everett

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that’s long been taught as one of the great works of American literature but has always been read with the caveat of racial prejudice of the time. Percival Everett’s James challenges the perspectives of the original book and Jim’s archetype. Jim, Huck’s travel companion who escapes enslavement, is not the man that Mark Twain wrote him to be. James is far more than a retelling of an American classic. It represents Jim as a vivid and fully formed character and expands upon his adventures with Huck with greater depth and complexity.

The connection between Jim and Huck is painted with newfound nuance in James, as there isn’t a moment when Jim isn’t aware of his position as a Black man next to a young white boy. Even as they become close and Huck begins to see Jim as a man, there’s no question that Jim can bring his guard down. Language and the written word play an enormous role in James, and Everett plays with this to great effect through his writing. The novel is not only necessary and compelling but highlights Everett as a once-in-a-generation writer.

6

All The Light We Cannot See (2014)

Written by Anthony Doerr

There’s no shortage of amazing books about World War II from many perspectives, but All The Light We Cannot See looked at this well-known part of history in a new way. Doerr’s work is defined by his non-linear style of storytelling as well as his extremely lyrical prose that imbues light and beauty into the darkest moments of the narrative. As much as the novel is about the horrors of WWII on the millions it affected, it also highlights Doerr’s interest in technology and how communication has been altered so deeply due to technological innovation.

All The Light We Cannot See won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has skyrocketed Doerr and his other works to fame and popularity. The recent miniseries based on the novel was a solid effort, but it failed to capture the nuance and emotional realism of the book. It stands out not only in terms of critical reception but also in far-reaching popularity with readers. Transcending genre, the book appeals to readers of all kinds. Relying on intricate descriptions of the senses and how humans interact with their world, All The Light We Cannot See is an immersive experience.

5

My Brilliant Friend (2011)

Written by Elena Ferrante

My Brilliant Friend is the first in the Neopolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante, which chronicles a stunning portrait of true friendship between women in Italy throughout the latter half of the 20th century. It’s told from the perspective of Elena, or Lenù, about growing up with her mercurial and beautiful friend Lila. Elena considers Lila to be the smartest and most advanced person she knows, but Lila is forced to quit school and work for her father until marriage. Conversely, Elena is allowed to get a formal education but always feels equally inferior and drawn to Lila.

Much of My Brilliant Friend focuses on the limited opportunities afforded to the lower economic class in Italy, particularly for women. Ferrante frequently discusses what she refers to as the pleb, or plebian, class, which Elena comes to understand herself and the people of her community to be part of. Elena’s understanding of the world’s divisions and the invented separation between people shifts her relationship with Lila. Additionally, few books have so accurately captured the jealous, loving, and disappointing nature of a friendship between young women who mean more to each other than they can describe.

4

The Road (2006)

Written by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is one of the most instrumental works of post-apocalyptic fiction from the modern era, as it successfully capitalizes on the fears and hopes of a generation growing up facing an increasingly violent and environmentally volatile world. Cormac McCarthy is well-known for his biting works that tackle the legacy of American mythology with works like Blood Meridian and No Country For Old Men. The Road lent itself to a film adaptation because McCarthy paints a vividly visual portrait in his prose alongside characters that become more real to the reader than themselves by the end of the story.

McCarthy won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for The Road, and few other honors are so universally acknowledged as the highest recognition an author and novel can receive. Post-apocalyptic books like Fallout and other popular dystopian TV shows and movies have never been more popular, and the influence that prose like The Road has on these onscreen works is obvious. Outside of the brutal world of man versus man that the characters inhabit, there is an accessible and affecting tale of the bond between a father and son and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.

3

The Round House (2012)

Written by Louise Erdrich

Pulitzer Prize winner Louise Erdrich has spent her career bringing to life her experience growing up as an Objibwe woman and discussing the far-reaching impact of the United States’ treatment of Indigenous communities. The Round House was Erdrich’s fourteenth novel, but her work never falters or flags, as there’s always a new story and brilliant characters to engage with. Erdrich is known for writing about subjects intersectionally, looking at feminism specifically through the lens of being an Ojibwe woman. This makes it interesting that the protagonist of The Round House is a young man named Joe.

Joe’s mother is assaulted, and he takes it upon himself to investigate the perpetrator because he understands, even at a young age, that he cannot rely on the criminal justice system to work as it should for an Indigenous woman. The Round House is open about the disproportionate number of attacks upon Indigenous women and how the law consistently fails to help, as well as the cycles of masculinity that lead to male violence. Winning the 2012 National Book Award for Fiction, The Round House has not diminished in its relevance or urgency since its publication.

2

Never Let Me Go (2005)

Written by Kazuo Ishiguro

Also known for his 1989 novel, The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro penned his equally compelling, Never Let Me Go, in 2005. Adapted into a film starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Kiera Knightley in 2010, the story follows an alternate history where human cloning has become common practice, but these clones are raised to be living organ donors for other humans, with no rights of their own. It’s a tragic science fiction twist that adds an unending layer of melancholy to a narrative of human connection and struggle.

The three main characters are confined by their circumstances, but it doesn’t stop them from experiencing the full scale of human emotion that every person goes through. Never Let Me Go engages with the question of what it means to be human. When drawing comparisons between the clones and the oppressed lower social classes of the UK, the novel’s setting, the metaphor becomes obvious. There’s no question that Never Let Me Go will end in tragedy, but that doesn’t make the beauty of the prose and the true love between the characters any less impactful.

1

Girl, Woman, Other (2019)

Written by Bernardine Evaristo

Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other may have won the 2019 Booker Prize, but this accolade only further cemented what readers of the novel already knew: it was a book that changed the lives of those who read it. Told from multiple interweaving perspectives across decades in the United Kingdom, the novel swiftly provides context and characterization for each new person and subject it introduces. This is a clear example of the skill of the prose, as the reader never gets lost or bogged down by the changing settings and characters.

Everyone in the book feels like a separate and fully realized individual while being part of the larger whole. Girl, Woman, Other primarily grapples with and celebrates the joy and pain of being a Black woman, or non-man, in the modern era. While there are plenty of moments of struggle, the novel still lifts up its characters, providing an amazing representation of what human connection and strong relationships do for a person and a community. Regardless of the reader’s identity or where they live, there is something universal and poignant to be found in the novel’s pages.