7 Books That Taught Us the Most Important Life Lessons

This memoir about the author’s childhood in poverty is a testament to the power of resilience and finding the good in even the most difficult situations. (It also made us ease up on our own dysfunctional family.)

Not only is this graphic memoir a revealing glimpse into life in Iran in the years surrounding the Islamic Revolution, it’s also a beautiful reminder that the search for identity is never meaningless.

Yes, it’s on every must-read list ever made, but for good reason: It’s a timeless, honest look at depression. If you didn’t read this semi-autobiographical masterpiece in high school, read it now.

Where to begin? This classic is so rife with insight that we’ve asked ourselves on more than one occasion, “What would Scout do?” But if we have to boil it down: Always make an effort to understand others, and always stand up for what you believe in.

We’re going way back here, but this book about a two friends, an imaginary world and a sudden tragedy still haunts us as adults. (Maybe because the author was inspired to write it after a similar event in her own life.) Either way, it taught us to value every single day with the people we love.

Hey, not every lesson needs to be a downer. And the brilliant Ms. Ephron enlightened us in the most entertaining way possible in this laugh-out-loud collection of essays about getting older.

There are books about the transformative power of friendship, and then there are books about the transformative power of friendship rooted in espionage and intrigue. This thrilling YA historical novel about an English and a Scottish teen who become confidantes during World War II is the latter.