One of my best friend's little boy is turning 1 next week and his parents have had a great idea to help celebrate his Birthday. All of the guests to his party are asked to bring along an item that will be placed in a time capsule for him to open on his 18th Birthday.
I have decided I would like to put a book in the time capsule - a book that an 18 year old young man might be enjoying in 2009 - so that when he opens it he can get an idea of what was being read by teenagers when he was just a bub.
So, that's where I need your help - what do you think would be a good book to place in the time capsule?
14 comments:
What a great idea! Can't help much since I have a house full of teenage girls - not sure what the guys are reading at the moment...sorry!
Hi JoAnn - I thought it was a really great idea too! I'm in the same boat as you - not really sure what the teenage boys are reading and my partner has just turned 30 so he isn't much help either!
What an awesome idea! I don't know what's hip and current right now, but here are some classics that are bound to speak to him even 17 years hence!
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Candide by Voltaire
Maybe you could do a graphic novel like The Watchmen?
"Into the Wild" by John Krakauer
Great idea, Karen!
Umm.. Harry Potter?
Or if something representative of today's teenager, then Nick Hornby's SLAM would be perfect. :D
Hi Steph - thanks for your great ideas. I was thinking one of the classics that I have read might be good - that way I could include a note with it about what the book meant for me when I read it etc...
Hi Roxane - thanks for your suggestion!
Hi Claire - Thanks for your great ideas. HP did come to mind!
i also thought of HP...such an iconic collection representative of this era.
what about the eragon series? the author, christopher paolini actually wrote the first draft of eragon when he was 15!! i enjoyed these novels and they have wide appeal to a male audience.
Definitely a wonderful idea.
I think that eighteen year old boys will be reading anything "adult" that they want and shying away from more youthful books...
I would suggest a classic or Dystopian literature like 1984 or Brave New World; perhaps something futuristic set in the year he'll turn 18 (if such a book exists)?
What a wonderful idea! Hmmm. I would recommend something fun, like, A Confederacy of Dunces - that books just cracks me up! I agree with Paperback Reader - an 18 yr old boy will not be into YA and instead wanting to read something a bit more adult. What about On The Road - that is a classic.
Hi booklineandsinker - I did think about the Eragon series - it is not something I have read but I have heard lots of great things about it.
Hi Paperback Reader - you are probably right about him wanting to be reading more adult books - I don't think I can grasp the idea of him being an adult when he is barely walking!! Thanks for your great ideas.
Hi Nadia - thanks for your great ideas - these are all books I would not have thought of at all.
Ohh, I like the Into the Wild idea.
Maybe something by John Marsden? Though they're probably for a slightly younger audience than 18...
Or maybe On the Road? Oh, just noticed Nadia mentioned that one, too :)
George Orwell is a good idea, too. Or Cormac McCarthy maybe? Or Hemingway?
Hi Megan - thanks for all the great ideas - I might have to get more than one I think!
Such a great idea! And adding a book -- fantastic :)
I'll cast my vote for The Hunger Games... fantastic book I think will still be interesting and relevant to an 18-year-old in 17 years! :)
Hi Meg - thanks so much for your suggestion. I am yet to read this one myself but I have heard lots of fantastic things about it.
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