Six Great Books That Defined My Teenage Years

My mom taught me all my letters by the time I was two years old. I started to read, if I remember correctly, way before I turned four. It's been life-altering that I have been able to have the blessing of literacy ever since.

Having an Internet-free childhood meant that I grew up reading, a lot. We had television and cable eventually, but my parents were very strict about how much screen time we were allowed to have, particularly on school days. Those restrictions just meant that we had more time - to read and read some more.

And just because I'm turning thirty and feeling that my teenage years happened a lifetime ago, here is a list I want to share of six books (or series, in some cases, sorry I cheated) that shaped and defined who I am as a woman. I read them long ago, but their influences are still strong in my life today.

Some of these books may feel outdated now. Some of them have more archaic phrasing or seemingly antiquated values.

But I still stand by them.

And I hope young girls today can read them too - and be blessings of their wisdom as well.

1. Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale. There are very few books written specifically for Christian teenage girls, and this is one of the best among those that have been done. I am blessed to have read it way before I read the world's warped versions of what a girl or woman ought to be. The book tackles very relevant topics for young teenage girls, even if they're not the most fun to talk about (sincerity and character, anyone?). My mom got me the book early on but had me wait until I was twelve to read it. That wait definitely made me feel proud that I had finally earned the right to read the book!

2. Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. I am a supporter of almost everything the wonderful Leslie Ludy writes, but this is the one work from her that has shaped me the most. While I also love When God Writes Your Love Story by Leslie and her husband, this book on beauty standards and a longing for true love is what truly shaped my life and perspective. It helps too that the book tackles the very unique part of life that is young womanhood, in a distinctly modern way.

3. Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. I know a lot of pastors and leaders swear by the culture-altering message in the sort-of-prequel I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and I agree that it was a game-changing book in so many great ways. What really helped me more, however, was Harris' second book: the one aptly subtitled "say hello to courtship." The practical, godly principles in the book shaped how I learned to handle my own dating season with my now-husband, and it helped me heal from the mistakes I've made in my own life. I would not be where I am and who I am without it.

And then we get to the fiction portion. Yehey!

4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I've never been subtle about my love for Austen works, and my tendency to be an "impertinent, headstrong girl" at times lends me so much resonance with the spirited Elizabeth Bennet in particular. How cool is it that she had to earn her right to a happy ending by changing her own perspectives? Who knew contemporary Regency England gentry had so many funny and witty similarities with modern Asian cultures?

5. Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery. There have been many adaptations of this over the years, some more faithful than others (okay, fine, most of them very unfaithful), but the Anne Shirley we get to know in the book is so much more than the sighing dreamy creature in some earlier adaptations or the defiant feminist in more recent ones. The original Anne is such a unique blend of charm and intelligence and silliness and warmth that there really has never been quite another character like her in all of literature. Her community's very wholesome, Christian setting is also such a refreshing difference from today's angsty teenage books!

6. The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. I have long lost track of how many times I've read the Chronicles of Narnia Series. The original copies my family owned were in literal tatters by the time my brothers and I were through with them. I started reading my first Narnia book at age 9, and I read and reread it and all the others all the way to adulthood. The theological and story-telling magic in each book are timeless and compelling. Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen!

May the Lord keep using these books to raise more young people for His glory.