Books for young men

[Amethyst]

I'm looking for book recommendations again. I need books that are marketed for adults. I'm not interested in "young adult" books for this thread. I'm looking for books that would appeal to a young man (my ds20). He was a voracious reader, but that has dropped off dramatically in the past couple of years. When I go to book lists for men, they often recommend books that, it seems to me, you need a few more years under your belt to really understand (eg. Rabbit, Run) because they deal with infidelity or lost opportunity or parenting.

 

One book I can think of that would fit into this category that I'm looking for is The Things They Carried. The characters are young men and, while people of different ages will get different messages, it is still a book that I think a 20 year old can relate to. 

 

Can you think of any others that would meet these requirements?

[J-rap]

Would he enjoy Charles Dickens? He wrote several books that center around young men, and that's the age my son really started to enjoy them. Two I'd recommend to start with are David Copperfield and Great Expectations.

 

I'd also search your library for biographies, perhaps about explorers: Endurance, Kon Tiki, etc.

[Caitilin]

John Irving? He is an adult writer whom I enjoyed even when young and inexperienced. I especially recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany.

[Mergath]

You really ought to reconsider your stand against YA books.  A lot of the books marketed to adults now are extremely dull, and depressing to boot.  The YA books tend to be more plot-driven, and might be more the kind of thing to get someone back into reading.

 

I don't think my dh has picked up a book in probably five years now, but when he did do more reading, he read a lot of Lee Child and Jeffrey Deaver.

[TheApprentice]

- Robert Ludlum's Bourne Identity Series. My 15 year old is currently in the second book, and is loving the action.

- Nelson DeMille books: there are many to choose, but I've read "The General's Daughter", "The Lion's Game", and "Plum Island". All would be interesting to a young man, and all very well written.

- Tom Clancy if he likes military books. It's been a while since I've read one of his books, but "The Hunt For Red October" was great.

 

These are popular books. I didn't know if you were wanting classics or not, but these choices I think could re-ignite a love a reading.

[Mothersweets]

Brave Companions by David McCullough.

 

 

[soufflegirl]

P.G. Wodehouse is usually my default recommendation. His stuff is a quick read and pretty much impossible to read without laughing.

[NicAnn]

What about comedy? I read a lot of Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs at that age.

I also discovered Vonnegut in my teens and really appreciated it around 20.

[Amethyst]

Thanks so much for the replies, everyone. I'll be checking into a lot of these suggestions.

 

And, Mergath, I love young adult books. I read a lot of them myself. It's just that, right now, for whatever reason, every time I suggest a young adult book to him, he seems to turn his nose up at them. So, I'm trying something different and speculating that he is after something different, something a little less plot-driven. I really enjoyed a couple of John Green's books, but they are all filled with so much dialogue that, while fun to read, is not terribly realistic - everybody always knowing just the right witty thing to say while referencing great works of literature. Lots of fun, I agree. But I don't have a hard time finding those titles. I'm looking for something different for the sake of this thread. But I thank you for your thoughts, because I too am a big fan of YA books.