30 Under 30 – A Millennial Reading List (Part One)

As the leaves change and the temperatures drop you probably find yourself wanting to curl up with your favorite blanket and a good book instead of braving the elements for happy hour. Not sure what to read this fall? We’ve put together your perfect reading list that includes influential fiction, necessary career advice and inspirational memoirs. So what are you waiting for? Grab some cocoa and dive into one of these great reads:

Fiction

1. The Jungle, Upton Sinclair: Okay maybe you haven’t experienced living in the slums of Chicago at the turn of the century, but you probably have experienced a hardship that felt just as challenging to you. Check this novel out if you need a story of perseverance to get you through the work week.

2. This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald: Set in the 1920’s, Fitzgerald’s first novel is filled with characters who are reminiscent of many of today’s millennials. It is a breezy read to remind you that while millennials are often harped on, our generation is not the first to have it happen to them.

3. Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi: This compelling work offers insight into women’s lives in revolutionary Iran, emphasizing the power of self in the face of tyranny. While your boss may not be the Ayatollah, it never hurts to be reminded that resiliency can prevail.
4. This is How You Lose Her, Junot Diaz: Love is hard, especially on top of navigating the first few years of your career. Diaz offers a handful of perspectives on love that you can connect to no matter what kind of situation you are in.

5. After Dark, Haruki Murakami: Ever wish you could step outside your body and get the bird’s eye perspective of what is really going on in life? Murakami offers this opportunity in his upbeat novella.

Career

6. Not Your Parents’ Workplace: Critical Lessons for Interns and Young Professionals, Nathan Tanner: Parents know a lot of things but their advice on workplace norms may be a little outdated. Turn to this book to get the right advice on things like networking, preparing for interviews, and how to make the most out of an internship.

7. The Millennial Game Plan: Career and Money Secrets to Succeed in Today’s World, Laura Shin: Wouldn’t it be great if we were all financially stable despite a fluctuating economic climate? Shin offers a game plan for how millennials can manage their money no matter what the economy and no matter what their five-year plan looks like.

8. Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace, Jessica Bennett: If you are a woman you have probably felt hints of subtle sexism at work, but as an individual who is new to the workforce you probably aren’t sure how to deal with it. Bennett’s manual tells you how to navigate gender landmine’s in today’s working world.

9. Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex is Torturing You, and You’re Hungover Again, Lodro Rinzler: Sometimes when life throws us curve balls it can be difficult to react in a mindful way. Rinzler’s book offers wisdom on how to handle life’s dilemmas and live with honesty and compassion no matter what obstacles you are facing.

10. Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck, John Acuff: Sick of your job already? Not sure if you are in the right field? Acuff’s guide gives you all the tools you need to jump-start your career and get it on the right track.

Autobiography

11. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed: If you’re like me, you have probably had days where you want to drop everything and walk away from your life. Check out the lessons learned from someone who did.

12. Bossypants, Tina Fey: If you feel like your career dreams are unattainable you are not alone. Fey tells the story of how her two biggest dreams came true through hard work and fighting for what she wanted.

13. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou: A story of perseverance, Angelou’s story illuminates that doing what you love, in her case poetry, can set you free.

14. Confessions of a Government Man: How to Succeed in Any Bureaucracy, Alan L. Greenberg: Ever wonder what goes into a nearly forty-year career at GSA? Greenberg offers an inside perspective as well as sage advice from a true government insider.

15. Hardball: How Politics is Played, told by the One Who Knows the Game, Chris Matthews: Whether you are in politics or are a career civil servant, Matthews’ book offers unparalleled and entertaining insight into the world of Washington and offers valuable lessons no matter what workforce you are a part of.

Check back next week for our second installment of our millennial fall reading list.