8 Books That Casually Defined A Generation Of Unsupervised Gen-X Kids
melissamn | ShutterstockAt age two, my mom and sister started reading to me from Better Homes & Gardens and Good Housekeeping magazines. I picked it up immediately and began reading well beyond my age level quickly. I was considered a child genius and began reading non-stop like a weirdo.
It was my first obsession as a Gen-X kid. While I read hundreds of books in my youth, a few stand out decades later that helped shape and mold my strange, young Gen-X mind. As a child of the 80s, I know there are more refined classics, but I’m just not refined. Here are a few of my favorite young and innocent Gen-X books that casually defined our generation.
The books that defined a generation of Gen-X kids:
1. The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
Truth be told, I had to look up the author. I never knew who wrote this Gen-X book, only that my mother read it to me every night for what felt like years. Same story, same ending. But my mom had an animated personality and knew how to read a mean story. I can hear her now yelling, “YOU TURNED ANOTHER PAGE!” making me crack up while under the covers in my footie pajamas.
2. The Great Big Mystery Book by Richard Scarry
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At 57, I still own my childhood copy, sitting on a bookshelf next to two of my first edition Dr. Seuss books. The stories, coupled with his illustrations, were so clever and funny that the perpetual 6–year-old in me couldn’t bear to part with them. The details in the artwork had so many hidden gems, I’d be so bold as to say they were a precursor to Where’s Waldo?. Last year, while dusting my bookcase, I stopped, sat on the floor, and read it. It made me laugh, hard, proving that no matter your age, humor is timeless.
3. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
I was Ramona, full stop.
4. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
I adored this Gen-X book because it made my imagination run wild. Four siblings decide to put their allowance together and create their own “Saturday” club. Each week, one child gets to take the money and go on their own Saturday adventure. Published in 1941 and set in New York City, the imagery of this book had my mind running wild. I wanted to go to a play or to Central Park by myself. And I was only 7 or 8 when I first read this Gen-X book. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been afraid of adventure or afraid of change. Isn’t life too short not to experience your own lifetime of Saturday adventures?
5. Wifey by Judy Blume
When Judy Blume’s first adult novel was released, I had a sense of pride. My author was now releasing something my mom could read. I was overjoyed! I had my dad take me to buy it for her as a Christmas gift, secretly wanting it for myself. When she finally read it, I convinced her to let me read it. I was 10, after all, and a very mature 10 at that. She shockingly agreed: Marital infidelity, fantasy, self-pleasure, whew. There were terms I’d never heard of in there, but it definitely opened my young imagination to things far more interesting than playing Sorry and riding my bike. Thanks, Mom.
6. Endless Love by Scott Spencer
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Whoa, this one was heavy. I read this in early high school, maybe around 14. The movie has nothing on this book, nothing. Heavy intimacy, arson, stalking, manslaughter, and mental illness all wrapped up in what most think is an alluring movie with a great song by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. This book made modern dating look tame; this stuff got real.
7. Misery by Stephen King
This was my first King read and, to date, still my favorite. The 70s and 80s were decades of the original slasher films, which I liked, so I thought I would enjoy a good horror read. Maybe enjoy isn’t the right word, but hey-ho. Little did I know, this was what I would classify as a psychological thriller. A guy has a wreck, the homeowner rescues him, then keeps him trapped in her isolated home. It’s graphic and disturbing and creepy. Of course, it didn’t stop me from reading another dozen of his other books.
8. All things Judy Blume
I read hundreds of books as a kid; it was my first true Gen-X obsession, but Judy Blume's writing put everyone else to shame. She spoke on behalf of young people globally. Covering topics like racism, bullying, obesity, divorce, and intimacy, she talked about all the things no one else did. While some were reading Little Women (which I did as well), we were more concerned about whether Margaret was going to get her period.
Every time a new book was released, my mom took me to the mall to buy it; we had a ritual. I’d line them up on my desk like little soldiers in chronological order of when I’d bought them. Iggie’s House,Blubber, The Adventures of Sheila the Great, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, etc, which were heavy enough in elementary school, then I graduated to Deenie, Forever, Then Again, Maybe I Won’t, and more in junior high. When I lost my Judy Blume books to an ex-boyfriend's sister, I was mortified, but in the past few years, I took the time to start rebuilding my old childhood library. Because you’re never too old for a good Gen-X read, and honestly, most of them have stood the test of time.
Kristen Crisp is the founder of Not Even Wine With Dinner. A community/mission for those looking for peer support with sobriety, self-esteem, mental health, aging, and all the things that come with being human. She is also a frequent writer on Medium under the handle @notevenwinewithdinner.
