To come of age in this world is to realize that you don’t actually know much of anything, especially in the Age of Information. It’s already difficult enough to not know who you are or what you’re capable of: the things lost in the churning tides of youth. To find answers to questions like What does my future hold? and Who do I want to be? with the backdrop of social media, an instantaneous news cycle, and volatile politics across the globe can feel absolutely overwhelming. Finding a “North Star” to guide you through the years when nothing about the world or your self makes sense can feel like an impossible feat in the face of ever-changing societal norms, technological advances, and political strife – until you read a book.
The Bildungsroman, or “coming of age novel,” can both reflect the precariousness of young adulthood and offer lessons to be learnt in our attempts to assuage such precariousness. In essence, it is “the process of the main character forming his or her own self through whatever degree of freedom and individuality they can wrest from forces that are larger than them” (Schwartz, "What is a Bildungsroman?"). Bildungsroman stories take readers through childhood displacement, first heartbreaks, grief, identity shifts, leaving home, and other losses that come as we age through four main elements: loss, journey, conflict/growth, and maturity.
One of the most classic examples of this genre is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which most American school kids were assigned in middle or high school. Aside from winning the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird has been canonized in American literature – and for good reason. Lee’s novel tackles the social hierarchies and racial injustice of the American south in the 20th century through the coming-of-age of Scout Finch, the daughter of a White lawyer (Atticus Finch) who becomes the subject of Alabama controversy when he agrees to defend a Black man falsely accused of raping a White woman. Told from the perspective of Scout as she sheds her childhood innocence and transforms into a woman aware of the injustices around her, To Kill a Mockingbird is a Bildungsroman that confronts a world falling apart from systems built on racism and prejudice. If you haven’t read this classic, or haven’t read it in a while, I highly recommend revisiting it.
In the spirit of a new year, another twelve months of new ages and possibilities coming into fruition, here are a few more Bildungsromane, from classics to recent publications, to read in 2026 and beyond.
Fans of Charles Dickens will enjoy this modern retelling of his novel David Copperfield. Following the life of Damon “Demon” Fields from his birth to a single teen mom to surviving the perils of poverty, foster care, and addiction, Demon Copperhead provides a harrowing insight into growing up impoverished in southern Appalachia. This Bildungsroman will resonate with readers who felt lost growing up, or who had to overcome challenges unprecedented to adolescents. As the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Kingsolver’s daring reimagining of a Victorian epic is 560 pages worth reading this year.
Douglas Stuart’s heartbreaking debut novel Shuggie Brain tells the story of Hugh “Shuggie” Bain struggling to cope with feelings of loneliness and anxiety while living with his alcoholic mother in 1980s Glasgow. Written in a lyrical realism style, this Bildungsroman is included in contemporary discussions of the genre because of its portrayal of a working class family affected by addiction and loss. For any readers who embark on this journey with young Shuggie, be sure to have tissues nearby.
A Bildungsroman list wouldn’t be complete without Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, which made it onto this list from the Greatest Books organization. This lyrical epistolary novel weaves meaning from a young Vietnamese-American man’s life as he navigates his family history, identity, trauma, and sense of purpose in a world that was never made for him. Written as a letter to the protagonist’s illiterate mother, Vuong’s unconventional Bildungsroman speaks to the loss and beauty of an immigrant coming-of-age experience. If you've already read this stunning classic, be sure to check out his new novel The Emperor of Gladness, also considered a Bildungsroman.
Queerness and how it complicates the coming-of-age experience is explored within Jules Ohman’s debut novel Body Grammar. Lou, the novel’s “androgynous-looking” protagonist, is overwhelmed by the international modeling world she finds herself immersed in after she turns eighteen. Scouted by agents for the very body she has never felt comfortable in, Lou’s journey into the spotlight is plagued with body dysmorphia, loss of identity, and grief for leaving behind Ivy, the friend Lou is secretly in love with. Queer readers will enjoy Ohman’s work centered on finding yourself beyond gender and sexual binarisms.
In the English private school known as Hailsham within Never Let Me Go, everything is not what it seems. This 2005 novel (and its 2010 film companion) follow the lives of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy as students learning how to navigate their secluded world within the walls of Hailsham. What unites and, eventually, tears these friends apart is their inhumanness: all three are clones of real people, who are raised to be organ donors until their own bodies fail them. The central tragedy of Never Let Me Go is the irony of its Bildungsroman genre: these young adults don’t get to age. Their life’s purpose is to slowly die for the sake of someone else. In today's climate, where the definition of “human” is increasingly fraught, Ishiguro’s take on a Bildungsroman through critiquing social hierarchy and infringing upon bodily autonomy is a must-read.
Margaret Atwood’s work as a feminist writer is unparalleled. Her 1988 novel Cat’s Eye exemplifies the Bildungsroman genre with its themes of art making as transforming past pain, childhood trauma, and the strange cruelty of female friendships. Elaine, a successful painter, returns to her hometown of Toronto for an art show of her life’s work. Upon touchdown in the capital of Ontario, repressed memories of her chaotic homelife and the girl who was both her safe haven and bully as a child come to the surface. Alternating between the past and present, Atwood’s novel speaks to the invisible scars trauma can leave behind, even if the victim attempts to paint over them.
As one of my favorite books of all time, I would be remiss not to include Emily St. John Mandel’s critically acclaimed 2014 novel Station Eleven. Written in alternating chapters of the “Before” and “After” of a deadly flu pandemic that erased 99% of the world’s population, Mandel’s work follows child actress Kirsten Raymonde from playing one of King Lear’s daughters on a stage in pre-pandemic Toronto to member of a traveling troupe of actors and musicians performing for survivors across their broken country. Despite losing all her loved ones, Kirsten reaps meaning from the aftermath of such a personal and globalized trauma. Her survival pays tribute to coming of age in a world that no longer exists. To pursue what you love despite all else telling you not to: what could be more coming of age than this?
The Bildungsroman genre is meant to reflect the hardships, loss, beauty, pain, and discovery of growing up in a capricious world. Whether it’s a canonized tale taught in American classrooms or a feminist hidden gem from the 80s, the impact of this genre is profound. More than just how many copies are sold or if a film deal is up for grabs, the importance of a Bildungsroman can be measured in how many adolescents’ lives it changes.
No two journeys through adolescence will ever be exactly alike, but that’s the beauty of the Bildungsroman. No matter how you came of age – the challenges you faced, the loves you lost, the person you had to let go to become the person you are – there’s a story for you.
Alexandra Rae is a feminist writer, editor, and revisionist from Ohio. She is a submissions reader for Narratively and editorial assistant for Brink Books. Find her on Instagram @theresonationofalexandra.
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