Each and every generation has defining books that ultimately become classics, and the books that are defining the current generation could be taught in schools in the future. While many of today’s students still read literary giants like The Great Gatsby and To Kill A Mockingbird, those novels were once contemporary works that were bound to become classics in due time. With the literary world even wider and more diverse today, there are contemporary novels that will eventually become part of the literary canon in the same way, and will undoubtedly become a key part of the common core curriculum.

As new novels emerge and find popularity, those that resonate strongly with a large audience and raise unanswerable questions feel like they’re destined to a similar future to the current slate of classics. Influencing contemporary work, modern books that are destined to become classics spark cultural conversations, win major awards, and attract passionate fanbases all over the world. Tackling timeless subjects, there are some books that feel like they could resonate for generations to come, which makes the idea of students of the future analyzing them long after today’s headlines have fully fizzled out feel like an exciting, unique possibility.

10

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is already poised to be a classic despite it only being published in 2022. Following Sam Masur and Sadie Green, two childhood friends whose passion for video games leads them to create some of the best of their generation, the novel spans decades and explores their friendship. Unpacking the challenges of artistic collaboration and examining the age of digital culture, the book could serve as a way to look at the way technology shaped human relationships early on as it rose in popularity. In 50 years, the book will be a fascinating relic.

9

Circe

Madeline Miller

A reimagination of the life of Circe, the famed witch of Greek mythology, Circe by Madeline Miller is a powerful story that takes a minor character from The Odyssey and turns her into something far more nuanced. Following Circe’s journey from an isolated outcast among the rest of the Greek gods to a powerful, independent woman who takes the chance to shape her own destiny, Circe is a beautifully written, compelling character study. In the classroom, Circe provides a new angle to a classic story, and in the future, could be used to explore how contemporary works and classics blend.

8

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt

Hachette

A novel that follows Theo Decker after he survives a terrorist attack that kills his mother, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt has become a contemporary classic in its own right. The novel sees Theo in the aftermath of the attack as he becomes attached to a painting in the museum where the terrorist attack took place, and in the years after, watches him grapple with grief and self-discovery in a slew of different ways. A coming-of-age story with an intense lens on loss and survival, the novel may still feel contemporary in the future, and shares intense, traumatic human experiences.

7

The Overstory

Richard Powers

Intertwining the lives of multiple characters that eventually become interconnected, The Overstory by Richard Powers is a novel that blends personal relationships and relationships with the natural world into a seamless story. With a specific look at environmental activism and the interconnection between human life and everything ecological, The Overstory is a specific style of classic. As climate change continues to take shape and enter global conversations, novels like Powers’ would allow students to look at real-world issues in a fictional lens that could help to form their viewpoint, challenging readers to reconsider what they think about the natural world.

6

A Little Life

Hanya Yanagihara

Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life is already a popular contemporary work, but the novel could easily become a classic regardless of whether it winds up in the classroom or not. Focusing on Jude St. Francis and his group friends living in New York City, the traumatic past of the main character has a massive impact on the relationships he has and the way he feels about himself, too. With a ton of discussion having already stemmed from the novel, A Little Life could allow for critique to come into play in classrooms of the future, with debates abound.

5

The Fifth Season

N.K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin takes place in a geologically unstable world which sees catastrophic environmental disasters that threaten civilization on a regular. Following several characters as their lives are shaped and reshaped by the upheaval caused by the climate crisis, the novel is a work of literary fiction that has a clear message. While the novel is a work of fiction, the fact that climate change is shifting the way that we as a society move when it comes to disasters and weather events could be a reason this incredibly well writtenn novel winds up in the classroom.

4

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

A classic of the modern era that is already being taught in some classrooms, The Road by Cormac McCarthy follows a father and son traveling through a post-apocalyptic world as they struggle to survive. With a specific style of sparse prose and bleak settings, The Road is a novel that makes its readers work as it moves through the narrative, but teaching that sort of story is always more rewarding. While the story depicts a world that’s collapsed, the emotional core of The Road’s unique strong father/son bond is one that transcends the darkness of the rest of the novel.

3

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee

Hachette

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee follows multiple generations of a Korean family living in Japan as the world takes shape around them and their lineage is explored in different eras. Through decades of historical change, Pachinko explores immigration, discrimination, and resilience through a lens of family and identity both within and outside of a familial structure. With a sweeping scope and an insight into experiences that are far and away from what the Western world is used to, Pachinko is a novel that can be used to teach a specific sense of historical depth and multi-generational storytelling all at once.

2

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

A novel that is also being taught in some schools already, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro follows the story of Kathy H., who reflects on her younger years at an English boarding school with her friends Ruth and Tommy. The story withholds many of its secrets only to clue readers in as the story goes on, gradually allowing the reader into the unsettling truth about the students’ purpose in life and the state of their society. Blending dystopian fiction, deep memories, and mortality, Never Let Me Go is a masterclass in doling out information in a controlled manner.

1

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

A modern masterpiece, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad reimagines the historical network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom as a literal railroad beneath the US. Following its central character, Cora, as she flees enslavement, the novel sees her encounter different manifestations of racism and oppression as she crosses the country. Blending historical and imaginative fiction, The Underground Railroad is an innovative way to look at the dark past, and at the same time, make sense of how to use a literary device in the most interesting way possible. The Underground Railroad is the perfect example of a modern classic.