Discussion: Modern Books Destined to Become Classics
Our family just returned from a 2,500-mile Midwestern road trip. While the kids had their screen time in the backseats, Jane and I listened to Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. It’s a long book, but we enjoyed every minute and were always eager to return to it. The moment it ended, we both had the thought that it was a modern masterpiece — one of those books that we’ll still be talking about in 10, 20, or even 100 years.
It had me thinking about other books that might fall into that category. Off the top of my head, Adam Higginbotham’s Midnight in Chernobyl (2019) and Percival Everett’s James (2024) seem to fit the bill.
Your turn: Which books from the last ~10 years are perhaps destined to become classics that we’ll remember for decades? Bonus points for any titles that aren’t as obvious or are maybe unheralded as of yet (a lot of classic books weren’t immediate hits).
A Gentleman in Moscow
Colson Whitehead's "Underground Railroad" stands tall for me over the past 10 years. I'm currently reading Higginbotham's "Challenger" and I think it is shaping up to be an absolute classic (although my recollection of the explosion may be personal bias).
Broadening the 10 year window a little bit adds "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak as ones I think will be classics.