Have you ever read a book that challenged (in a good way) the way you thought about God, Jesus, or your faith? Here at Transformed4More, one of our main goals is to help teenagers grow in their faith, so from time to time we do “resource” posts to help you on that journey.

In today’s post , I want to share five books that are still relevant that helped grow my faith as a teenager that will hopefully help you as well. As a disclaimer, all the links to the book are Amazon affiliate links. This simply means that if you purchase the book from our link, that we get a small commission and it doesn’t cost you anything. Running a blog has some expense, and this is one way we help pay for it.

So here we go!

Book 1: Warrior’s Don’t Cry

I read the book Warrior’s Don’t Cry when I was 13 years old. It the true story of Melba Pattillo Beals and her experience being one of the “Little Rock Nine”, the first nine black students to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School.

Melba is a Christian and has to endure an onslaught of threats and dire situations simply for wanting a better education. This book challenged the way I thought about true suffering at the hands of others and how God really is always with us, even in our hardest times.

I still recommend this book to teenagers and they always come back thankful for the recommendation. Click here to find out more.

As a side note, I actually got to go see Little Rock High School last year and it was a great experience.

Seriously, y’all, this place is HUGE. Here’s a zoomed in picture of me in the front.

Anyways, moving on…;)

Book 2: 1984

Quite honestly, 1984 by George Orwell is unfolding before our eyes, and I couldn’t have imagined that at all as a teenager.

This book showed me as a teenager just what a government devoid of morality and God can do. It helped me realize the horror of a government in complete control and what human beings are capable of without a thought of God. It made me understand why we need people under God’s authority to lead.

I would highly recommend any teenager read it today, because it’s a stark reality of what the future is becoming.

Book 3: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

OK, I know this one will shock a few of you. How can a secular book from the 1800’s help grow your faith?

I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a sophomore in high school and it made me really think about things society considers right that is blatant sin. In this novel, Huck Finn runs off with an escaped slave and decides that he’d rather go to hell than turn him in.

I just remember thinking, “BUT HELPING HIM IS RIGHT! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO HELL!” However, society dictated that helping a slave was “sinful” and worthy of jail.

It helped me see that I really needed to evaluate everything society told me against the truth of God’s word, because often times, as we see today, the two are in major conflict. 

Book 4: The Total Money Makeover

Weird for a teenager to read this book, right? Well to be honest, I think I was 21, so sightly beyond the teenage stage.

This book is still a great read for teenagers, because it lays a foundation for how to be a good steward of the money you earn with the abilities God gives you. It also makes one aware of many money pitfalls that can get you into trouble.

Having a Godly understanding of finances can help keep you from much unnecessary financial heartache in today’s world. You can find out more by clicking here.

Book 5: Do Hard Things

Yes…I know that if you do the math I was past my teen years when Do Hard Things came out. I also know that I recommend this on virtually every resource post we do because I believe it can inspire teenagers to be more purposeful with their teenage years.

Even as an adult, I read this and it made me truly question whether I was using all of the talents God had given me and not wasting my time with things that didn’t matter. 

Honestly, I wish every teenager would read this book. To find out more, click here.

In Closing

Is there a book that has helped grow and shape your faith? Tell us about it here!

I hope you find this post resourceful and worth the read ;). It is truly our desire to help anyone who comes to this site to grow in their faith!

Also, if you would like to see all the books we recommend for teenagers, check here or the graphic below!

Thank you for reading :).

-Sarah

Five surprising books that helped grow my faith as a teenager. Click to read 🙂 Click To Tweet

More about our ministry:

At Transformed4More, our goal is to help those who want to grow in their relationship with God, and we do this in two main ways:

• The first is by providing resources. We have our own and ones we recommend. Click here or the graphic below to see them.

• Another way is through social media. We are most active on Instagram, but we update and connect on Twitter,  Facebook,  Pinterest, and YouTube as well!

• We also have a newsletter we send out every few months with updates as well! You can join it by clicking here.

Photo by Maciej Ostrowski on Unsplash