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Curated List of Authors, with Young Men in Mind

FICTION WRITERS FOR YOUNG MEN (AGES 10–18)

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Stephen King
Suspenseful, character-driven stories that take fear seriously and reward curiosity and endurance.

  • "The Body" (from Different Seasons)

  • Carrie

  • The Gunslinger (series)

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Ernest Hemingway (Short Stories)
Clear, disciplined prose about courage, restraint, loss, and what it means to endure.

  • The Old Man and the Sea

  • “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”

  • “Big Two-Hearted River”

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John Steinbeck (Short Fiction)
Stories of work, dignity, injustice, and moral responsibility told with clarity and empathy.

  • Of Mice and Men

  • The Red Pony

  • “The Chrysanthemums”

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J.D. Salinger
Intimate, voice-driven fiction about alienation, honesty, and resisting phoniness.

  • The Catcher in the Rye

  • Nine Stories

  • Franny and Zooey

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S. E. Hinton
Unsentimental novels about loyalty, class, violence, and moral choice among young people.

  • The Outsiders

  • Rumble Fish

  • That Was Then, This Is Now

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Tomi Adeyemi
Mythic, fast-paced fantasy rooted in power, resistance, and identity.

  • Children of Blood and Bone

  • Children of Virtue and Vengeance

  • Children of Anguish and Anarchy

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Jack London
Hard, direct adventure stories about survival, willpower, and nature’s indifference.

  • The Call of the Wild

  • White Fang

  • “To Build a Fire”

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J. R. R. Tolkien
Epic storytelling about courage, loyalty, and moral temptation.

  • The Hobbit

  • The Fellowship of the Ring

  • The Two Towers

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Ray Bradbury
Imaginative, unsettling stories that awaken wonder and ethical reflection.

  • Fahrenheit 451

  • The Illustrated Man

  • Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Andy Weir
Problem-solving science fiction that celebrates intelligence, persistence, and humor.

  • The Martian

  • Project Hail Mary

  • Artemis​

FICTION WRITERS FOR YOUNG MEN (AGES 10–18)

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​​Jason Reynolds
Direct, rhythmic storytelling that speaks honestly about masculinity, fear, and self-definition.

  • Long Way Down

  • Ghost

  • All American Boys

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Patrick McCabe (older teens)
Dark, psychologically intense fiction that challenges comfort and moral certainty.

  • The Butcher Boy

  • Breakfast on Pluto

  • Call Me the Breeze

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Frank Herbert (older teens)
Philosophical science fiction about power, ecology, leadership, and responsibility.

  • Dune

  • Dune Messiah

  • Children of Dune

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Lois Lowry
Quiet, devastating stories about memory, freedom, and ethical choice.

  • The Giver

  • Gathering Blue

  • Messenger

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Robert Louis Stevenson
Classic adventure tales about courage, loyalty, and moral ambiguity.

  • Treasure Island

  • Kidnapped

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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Robert E. Howard
Raw, muscular fantasy built on action, honor, and survival.

  • The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

  • The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane

  • Bran Mak Morn: The Last King

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Arthur Conan Doyle
Logic-driven mysteries that reward attention, patience, and reasoning.

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles

  • The Sign of the Four

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Brittney Morris
Contemporary speculative fiction that blends technology, identity, and moral choice.

  • Slay

  • The Cost of Knowing

  • The Jump

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Mark Twain
Funny, sharp novels about freedom, conscience, and growing up.

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

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