What Is the Decades Reading Challenge?

Back in December we shared a blog post with ideas of bookish challenges that weren’t numerical. One of these was The Decades Reading Challenge. This is a fun way to explore the best-selling and most influential books from each decade over the last 100 years. By reading one book from every decade, you can see how history, politics, and social movements shaped literature. You may be thinking that you have no interest in old books or classics, but in fact some of the books that are 100 years old, you’ve probably already read. In this blog post I include a selection of books that were best sellers in their decade of release, as well a bit of context on the time. Books often reflect the needs of the people due to the politics and movements of that period. Are you going to try the Decades Reading Challenge?

2010-2019: Social Justice, YA Fantasy, and Thrillers

The 2010’s is a decade that will be remembered for austerity and social justice. There was a global stock market crash in 2008, so going into this decade we were still dealing with the fall out of this. Then we have the social justice movements including #MeToo in 2017 and Black Lives Matter from 2013 onwards.

Bookish themes that were popular in this decade included the rise of psychological thrillers and romance, both of which are genre’s to escape into. There was also a louder call for diversity in literature, particularly after the social justice movements. This decade also saw the rise of YA fantasy and dystopia. I think this is another method of escape, and also a way to make sense of the world we live in, as in fantastical worlds you can tackle the issues of the day. As social media became more prevalent, we saw more young people take an interest in global politics, and their literature reflects this.

Best Sellers of the Decade

• Fifty Shades of Grey, E L James (2011)
• The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins (2015)
• Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn (2012)
• The Fault in Our Stars, John Green (2012)
• Divergent, Veronica Roth (2011)

Other Notable titles include The Hunger Games; this was a best seller in the 2010’s, but came out in 2008. Americanah, this book is still very popular due to its discussions on race and class inequality. Another trend from the decade was self-development and memoir; with popular titles including The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and Becoming.

2000-2009: Magic, Trauma, and Global Change

The 2000’s was a decade that welcomed a new era, but also was steeped in tragedy. There was worldwide shock, and subsequent trauma after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, this led to global instability and war. Conspiracy theories were rampant, and all this led to a need for belonging and magic, as seen in the YA behemoths published this decade.

Bookish themes and trends included Epic series, the rise of YA literature, and the popularity of mystery and lit fic genres.

Best Sellers of the Decade

• The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
• Harry Potter, JK Rowling (2000-2007)
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom (2003)
• The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
• The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
• The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)

Other notable titles include Twilight, and the continuation of epic series that started in the 90s (including Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Outlander).

1990-1999: Globalisation and Book Club Culture

The 90’s were a decade that celebrated globalisation and the rise of book clubs. There was a lot of nostalgia and cynicism, with concerns around the turn of the millennium. A trend that was seen a lot in movies of the decade was to revisit and reimagine classic literature, for example with Clueless (an Emma reimagining); 10 Things I Hate About You (A Taming of the Shrew reimagining) and Cruel Intentions (A Les Liaisons Dangereuses [Dangerous Liaisons] reimagining)

The 90’s book lists were dominated by established authors, particularly Stephen King, John Grisham and Danielle Steele as well as books perfect for discussing in a group.

Best Sellers of the Decade

• The Pelican Brief, John Grisham (1992)
• The Green Mile, Stephen King (1996)
• Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton (1990)
• The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller (1992)
• Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (1991)
• A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin (1996)
• Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden (1997)
• Accident, Danielle Steele (1994)

The 90’s saw the start of some epic series that continued into the 2000’s, including Harry Potter (first published in 1997), A Game of Thrones (first published in 1996) and The Realm of the Elderlings (first published in 1995).

1980-1989: Anxiety, Horror, and Social Critique

The 80’s was a period of change for a lot of people. There was a lot of political anxiety and social critique. This led from the impact of the AID’s crisis as well as the rise of post modernism and materialism. We start to see a lot more stories celebrating LGBT experiences.

Best Sellers of the decade

• It, Stephen King (1986)
• The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum (1980)
• The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985)
• The Color Purple, Alice Walker (1982)
• Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson (1985)

The 80’s saw a lot of Stephen King books, which speak to the emotions of the time with utilising horror as a genre to deal with the anxiety and change happening in the world.

1970-1979: Fantasy, Feminism, and Environmentalism

The 70’s were a time where people were starting to rebel against the status quo. We see themes of environmentalism, feminism and scepticism come up in literature, and a lot of social commentary included in books. It is also the decade where we see two big genres start to gain popularity: horror and fantasy.

Best Sellers of the Decade

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach (1970)
• The Stand, Stephen King (1978)
• Roots, Alex Haley (1978)
• Shogun, James Clavell (1975)
• Watership Down, Richard Adams (1972)
• The Princess Bride, William Goldman (1973)
• The Hitchhikkers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (1979)
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume (1970)
• Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice (1976)

Other notable titles include powerhouse fantasy authors Ursula K LeGuin and Anne McCaffrey, who published the first in the Earthsea and Dragonriders of Pern series respectfully. These authors are seen as pioneers of the genre now, although perhaps did not gain such critical acclaim when they were first published.

1960-1969: Counterculture and Civil Rights

The 1960’s was a time of political unrest, and the rise of feminism, social commentary, civil rights and counter-culture, including drug culture. We now look at the 60’s as the era of the hippy and free love, but these ideas were truly radical at the time. This radical period led to a rise in books discussing black rights, feminism and discussions on mental health.

Best sellers of the decade

• To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee (1960)
• One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez (1967)
• The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (1963)
• Catch 22, Joseph Heller (1961)
• The Godfather, Mario Puzo (1969)
• The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan (1963)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey (1962)
• Dune, Frank Herbert (1965)
• Autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley (1965)
• Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut (1969)

1950-1959: Conformity vs Rebellion

The 1950’s was a very different period depending on where you look. In America this was a period of growth, whereas in Europe this was the period of recovery after WW2. There were common themes across literature however, including societal struggles, complex gender roles- particularly with women having to regress to previous roles after stepping into the typical male roles during the war. This was also the start of the Beat Generation, and the idea of conformity versus rebellion. Amongst all this, there was also fears of the cold war and angst. However, this led to the birth of a new genre: fantasy.

Best sellers of the Decade

• The Catcher in the Rye, J D Salinger (1951)
• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1953)
• The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, C S Lewis (1950)
• The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien (1954)
• I, Robot, Isaac Asimov (1950)
• Lord of the Flies, William Golding (1954)
• Go Tell It On The Mountain, James Baldwin (1953)
• The Grass Is Singing, Doris Lessing (1950)

1940-1949: War, Trauma, and Dystopia

The 1940’s were a globally difficult time with the ending of WW2, and the aftermath and fall out of this. There was understandably trauma and disruption, which led to political anxiety and resilience. In a way, this decade gave us the anticipation of the dystopia genre, which we have since revisited every time there is a global political upheaval.

Best sellers of the decade

• The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)
• Animal Farm, George Orwell (1945)
• 1984, George Orwell (1949)
• For Whom The Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemmingway (1940)
• I, The Jury, Mickey Spillane (1947)
• The Stranger, Albert Camus (1942)
• The Diary of A Young Girl, Anne Frank (1947)

1930-1939: Depression-Era Fiction and Noir

The 1930’s is now know as the period that saw The Great Depression, and the start of the Second World War in Europe. Other elements from literature in this time include identity, race and a rise in noir crime. We see a generation coming to terms with a new world post WW1, and the horror of the start of WW2.

Best sellers of the Decade

• Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell (1936)
• The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (1939)
• The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien (1937)
• Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie (1934)
• The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett (1930)
• Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston (1937)

1920-1929: Disillusionment and Escapism

The final decade we’re discussing today, the 1920’s was a time of disillusionment and escapism. It was known as The Gilded Age in America, with people celebrating life after the end of WW1. There was an element of social commentary, but for a lot of people, at this time they didn’t want to listen.

Best sellers of the decade

• All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque (1928)
• Main Street, Sinclair Lewis (1920)
• The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
• So Big, Edna Ferber (1924)
• The Private Life of Helen of Troy, John Erskine (1925)
• The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton (1920)
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie (1920)

What Will Define Books of the 2020s?

The Decades Reading Challenge is a powerful way to explore how literature mirrors history. There are many books that could only be written at a specific moment in time, and this gives us an insight into the thoughts, feelings and opinions of the contemporary society. Whether you love classics or modern fiction, reading books by decade helps you understand how society evolves through storytelling.

Are you going to try the Decades Reading Challenge? What will you read first?