Books

Predicting which modern books will become classics is a challenging task because it often takes time for a work to be recognized as a classic. However, as of my last knowledge update in January 2022, there were several books from the late 20th and early 21st centuries that were receiving critical acclaim and seemed to have the potential for long-lasting significance. Some examples include:

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (2006): A post-apocalyptic novel exploring the relationship between a father and son as they journey across a desolate landscape.

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (2003): A novel that spans decades and continents, exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, and redemption against the backdrop of the changing political landscape in Afghanistan.

"The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen (2001): A family saga that delves into the complexities of contemporary American life, addressing issues such as identity, relationships, and societal expectations.

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Díaz (2007): A multi-generational novel that weaves together themes of love, family, and the impact of dictatorship on the Dominican Republic.

"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt (2013): A coming-of-age novel centered around a young boy who survives a terrorist attack at an art museum and becomes entangled in the world of art forgery.

"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead (2016): A historical novel that reimagines the Underground Railroad as a literal railroad, exploring the horrors of slavery in a unique way.

Remember that literary tastes vary, and what might be considered a classic is often subjective. Additionally, new books may have gained acclaim or become influential since my last update, so it's worth checking more recent sources for the latest perspectives on potential modern classics.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

The Expanse saga, at least in the scifi circles. It's just a really good scifi/space opera and the TV series will boost its popularity even further.

If I had to choose one, I'd hesitantly say The Hunger Games, as it's easy to read but also has a lot to say about challenging a Communist regime.

Um, what? You looked at that regime and thought communist? Lol. That is not a communist regime, it's clearly capitalist.

The govt in the Hunger Games is not communist; it's very obviously a critique of capitalism and the overconsumption and huge class differences that come along with it.

Harry Potter

Be careful that you don't confuse "current popularity" with potential classic status. What matters is how other artists view and learn and feed upon in a book.

Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" is a possibility. Emily St John Mandel's "Station Eleven" could be.

Your English teacher didn't do a very good job if you came away from The Hunger Games thinking it was a critique of communism!

If you think the hunger games are a critique of communism.. Your English teacher did not do a good job.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It's one of the best books I've ever read in my life and left me thinking about it and its characters for months afterwards.

There is too much noise today. Sadly it will be "Harry Potter".

Demon Copperhead is the quintessential Appalachian Novel. However, the one thing that’ll make it harder to become a classic is that it won’t be taught in schools, due to the R rated content.

It's impossible to say - what we love now may fall out of favor and then come back strong or simply disappear ... and who knows who will be "rediscovered" 100 years from now.

Underground Railroad no doubt. I suspect My Year of Rest and Relaxation may also achieve “classic status” but that one’s a bit more up in the air

The Hunger Games, as it's easy to read but also has a lot to say about challenging a Communist regime. It was assigned in high school back in 2010. So at least one English teacher saw some literary value in it.

Incredible.

Read Chuck Klosterman’s “but what if we’re wrong?”

There is some extended discussion of how present day art becomes “classic”, and how certain art becomes representative of an era even if it was not widely seen that way at the time.

Not many modern books can achieve this status.

Nowadays, the publishing landscape is more about popularity, vibes, and aesthetic than it is about literary value (which is sad).

I could see game of thrones becoming a classic in the same way LLTR is at least for fantasy lovers, Its already somewhat in that realm and fairly new with the earliest book being from the early 90s

The Martian is Andy Weir's most famous book, but I believe in 50 years Project Hail Mary will be regarded as the better work. Unless he writes something that surpasses both.

I'm sure it never will, but Tiger Moody's Induction of The Sycophant is a great look at morality and bias, and how we are all blind to our own biases and bigotries and how it makes the good we want to do fall flat.

The Midnight Library

My personal choices (as classics but not necessarily studied in schools, that's a loaded topic):

Parable of the Sower

Winter's Bone

World War Z

But maybe you're better at this than I am

If I had to choose one, I'd hesitantly say The Hunger Games, as it's easy to read but also has a lot to say about challenging a Communist regime

I think its fairly safe to say that a lot of people would be better at this than you are, if your takeaway from the Hunger Games was "challenging a communist regime".

Maybe A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness for YA/MG. It has over 259k ratings on goodreads and a 4.35 rating. It deals with some serious subjects but adds in some fantastical elements. It's not overly long and so could see widespread adoption into school plans.

For an adult one, I'm going to go with a lesser known one in Apeirogon by Colum McCann. It's literary fiction about Palestinian and Jewish families dealing with a violence, trauma, and grief. It isn't for everyone, but it doesn't try to be. It currently has a 4.23 average with about 22.5k ratings at goodreads. It won some awards when it came out, and was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker when it came out in 2020.