Oops. The one book that can't be chosen, To Kill a Mockingbird (the entire junior class read it last summer). He's a few months away from 18. He can handle the most intellectual and thought provoking issues. Anything.

Yes, his age is important. The challenge does not say the book must be fiction. There are all sorts of interesting non fiction books in the history cateory that he may like

I changed it. It does have to be in fiction. He's 17, for a bit longer.

Advise and Consent. You've mentioned that he's interested in politics.

The Caine Mutiny.

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor.

Good suggestions. I love so many! And so many I meant to read.

Interested in politics? That's an understatement ;) He knows more about it than most adults. I also wonder if All the Kings Men might fit that bill. Hm. It might be even more relevant since it's about a populist and we have a new president who ran on that platform.

I second both The Caine Mutiny and Advise and Consent. All The King's Men follows a political theme as well. However, Tales from the South Pacific may be a very interesting read. Collections of related short stories from WWII in the South Pacific.....would be pretty cool to read. Michener and Wouk are both detailed yet easy to read writers.

I would think The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings would be the perfect choice for a 17 year old. A plot he could relate to plus it's not too long. When I worked at a library it was a very popular choice for assignments.

For an 18 year old boy I'd recommend "The Goldfinch". I read it last year. It deals with a teenage boy and I think he'd enjoy it. It's relevant, not something from the 60's.

Lonesome Dove was really good. I think it might appeal to a young man.

Well, he's not limited to only one, is he? Maybe suggest 3 or 4 he'd like to try?

Middlesex is one of the best books I've ever read.

If the history of WWII interests him, I also loved All the Light We Cannot See.

I'm totally thinking that oly! Even if he doesn't want to read 3 or 4, I know I do. So I'll just buy a bunch and let him choose from them.

I read 'The Confessions of Nat Turner' at about his age. Truly an over-looked book. Lonesome Dove is wonderful but rather long. 'A River Runs Through It' was a wonderful movie but I never read the book. It might be a good one for him. Also 'The Shipping News' is very good, but read the synopsis to see if it would appeal to him at all.

Yes Middlesex was excellent!

I do think that everyone should read James Michener. Too bad The Drifters hadn't won.

And yes, All the Kings Men would lead him into some great questioning of a variety of ideas and concepts. Depending on how much reading he has already done, this may be too much book for him at this stage.

I liked The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, but Advise and Consent was interesting, too.

No book is too much reading for him. He's a reader ;)

What does he like regarding genre, SF, fantasy, mystery, history? I find it very hard to read a book that is in a genre I don't like or find interesting. I think he needs to look at the list and look up some titles that sound interesting to him.

Yes! caflower. He loves it all.

Moby Dick.

I haven't read So Big, but last year I read Edna Ferber's two autobiographies and she is one terrific writer.

How about matching up a book and then watching the movie? It might give him a good perspective on things. "Old Man and the Sea" not only won the Pulitzer, the next year Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize with a lot of praise going to him for Old Man and the Sea. The film got Spencer Tracy a nomination for best actor and the film itself is absolutely unforgettable.

An alternate: "Ironweed." Good book and the film got Nicholson and Streep Oscars for their acting. Just because it is in The Depression, doesn't mean it is depressing. High point for me was Streep singing. Never knew she could do that.

"Grapes of Wrath" was another Depression Era story line that should be on everyone's to be read list. Again, a great film was made with lots of nominations. Biggest problem some folks have with the film is that it varies a bit from the book in the second half. There are some moving scenes in the book that can be read alone - chapter 9 for instance.

Unofficially, you live in the south; then "All the King's Men" should be the book to read. Fantastic story line, one he won't ever forget. Again, a good film was adapted (1949) that won several Oscars.