5 Coming of Age Books That Define What It Means to Grow Up

Welcome to Friday Night Readers. Fueled by coffee, we break down the books referenced on Gilmore Girls. Our little literary corner of the world helps you understand what the characters are talking so fast about, and live in a world of books like Rory. Life’s short; read fast!Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript and subscribe to our book club community: https://fridaynightreaders.substack.com/p/coming-of-age-booksToday, my local pal and fellow Gilmore Girls superfan Alli Hoff Kosik's debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress, releases! We recorded a conversation about the books’ coming-of-age themes, along with a few more Gilmore Girls books we both love on the topic.Links:Alli Hoff KosikSSR PodcastToo Blessed to StressFollow Alli on InstagramEncyclopedia BrownBTS: TBTS (Behind the Scenes of Too Blessed to Stress)Jo PiazzaOlivia Muenter (Little One)(Such a Fun Age)Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainJames by Percival EveretHuck Finn on Alli’s SSR PodcastThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Catcher in the Rye on Alli’s SSR PodcastDeenie by Judy BlumeDeenie on Alli’s SSR PodcastThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton“Nothing Gold Can Stay”The Outsiders on Alli’s SSR PodcastAlso find Alli here: Too Blessed to Stress eventsTimestamps:00:00 Meet Allie Hoff Kosik01:35 Defining Coming of Age03:40 Coming of Age Beyond YA06:06 Gilmore Girls as Growth Story10:31 Lane and Faith Deconstruction13:03 Inside Two Blessed to Stress14:24 Writing Without Judgment17:30 Philly and Social Commentary21:06 Four Women Coming of Age23:35 Gilmore Girls Book List Begins24:52 Huck Finn on Gilmore Girls26:28 Coming of Age on the River27:57 Debating Great American Novel29:43 Rethinking Huck Through James30:31 Catcher in the Rye and Rory's Guys32:29 Holden Then vs Now34:34 Deenie Judy Blume Deep Cut35:46 Banned Book and Body Talk38:43 Influencers as Modern Models40:54 The Outsiders Stay Gold44:59 Friendship Softness and Lessons45:32 Where to Find the Book46:12 Audiobook and FarewellAdvertise: Do you have a book, product, or service you'd like to share with our engaged audience? Learn more and contact us.Follow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.com/subscribe