Ghost World

Written by: Daniel Clowes

First line: Why do you have this?

Why you should read this book: In the year after high school graduation, best friends Enid and Rebecca drift through their typical small town criticizing everything they see, denigrating the people who seem to appreciate them and chasing after the weirdest individuals they can find. Enid, who thinks she's the less pretty one of the pair, tries to figure out who she really is by changing her personal style on a regular basis; Rebecca, who thinks everyone likes her friend more, worries that Enid will ditch her for college. As Enid's quest become more distinct, what seems like an unbreakable bond with Rebecca begins to fade, and Enid starts to realize that her fate is not to spend the rest of her life putting down small town characters, but to start clean with the understanding that she doesn't, in fact, know everything.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're 15 you might think that being super-derogatory makes you cool. But it doesn't.