Coming-of-Age Journeys

Coming-of-age journeys, academically known as Bildungsromane, focus on the stories of young people embarking on the path to adulthood. These are stories of self-actualization, questions of identity, discoveries of shortcomings and strengths, and lessons learned. This collection of study guides covers classics to contemporary novels, from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger to As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds.

Weasel

by Cynthia DeFelice

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Place, Family, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, World History

... Read Weasel Summary

We Deserve Monuments

by Jas Hammonds

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

... Read We Deserve Monuments Summary

Weedflower

by Cynthia Kadohata

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Justice, Race, Shame & Pride, Loneliness, Family, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Fear, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Japanese Literature, Arts & Culture, World War II, Coming of Age

Weedflower, Cynthia Kadohata’s 2006 historical fiction young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Japanese American Sumiko amid Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the US government’s ensuing involvement in World War II. Kadohata depicts the conditions of Japanese internment camps from Sumiko’s perspective, providing unique insight and education on the racism that Japanese Americans faced and the US government’s poor decisions.This guide references the 2009 paperback reprint edition from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.Plot... Read Weedflower Summary

Welcome to Dead House

by R. L. Stine

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Welcome to Dead House Summary

West Side Story

by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim

Publication year 1961

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Nation, Coming of Age

Tags Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Drama

When West Side Story opened on Broadway in 1957, it was a new kind of musical. At the time, the phrase “Broadway musical” was synonymous with “musical comedy.” Musical theatre typically took a lighthearted approach, even when broaching serious issues. But West Side Story, perhaps one of the most famous adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, exposed audiences to gang violence on the streets of New York. If Shakespeare’s lovers are star-crossed and ill-fated... Read West Side Story Summary

We Who Wrestle with God

by Jordan B. Peterson

Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

... Read We Who Wrestle with God Summary

What Comes After

by JoAnne Tompkins

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

... Read What Comes After Summary

What Night Brings

by Carla Trujillo

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Published in 2003, Carla Trujillo’s novel What Night Brings is set in the late 1960s in a town outside San Francisco. The novel centers on Marcía Cruz, an 11-year-old Chicana girl struggling with her sexual orientation and domestic abuse amidst a larger backdrop of the Vietnam War and a crisis of faith in America.What Night Brings is Trujillo’s first novel, but not her first published work relating to its central themes. She edited an anthology... Read What Night Brings Summary

Whatshisface

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Coming of Age, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Art

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Magical Realism

... Read Whatshisface Summary

What the Best College Students Do

by Ken Bain

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Memory, Coming of Age

Tags Education, Self-Improvement, Education, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology

What the Best College Students Do, by American professor Ken Bain, describes how students can make the best of their college experience, not by trying to get good grades, but by studying deeply the topics that fascinate them. Filled with examples of students who followed their love of knowledge and went on to successful professional careers, What the Best College Students Do makes the case for deep learning, a process that provides benefits that can... Read What the Best College Students Do Summary

What the Constitution Means to Me

by Heidi Schreck

Publication year 2017

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Nostalgia, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Grandparents, Mothers, Politics & Government

Tags Drama, Comedy & Satire, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Immigration & Refugeeism, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

... Read What the Constitution Means to Me Summary

What to Say Next

by Julie Buxbaum

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Friendship, Grief, Disability, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Diversity, Bullying, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

... Read What to Say Next Summary

When Broken Glass Floats

by Chanrithy Him

Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Community, War, Order & Chaos, Coming of Age

Tags Asian History, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure, Biography

Chanrithy Him’s memoir, When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge, was first published in 2000. This study guide refers to the 2001 Kindle edition. In the text Him details her experiences as a young child in Cambodia. Him was only five when the autocratic communist Khmer Rouge took over the country, and she recounts the trauma she endured during the five years the regime remained in power. Him’s father was beaten to... Read When Broken Glass Floats Summary