Vanity of Duluoz
by Jack Kerouac
Young adult · ages 16–18 · grades 11–12 · 1050L · 328 pages · 1996
Why we'd hand it over
Kerouac's late, autobiographical work on artistic identity and the cost of living nonconformist — more introspective than On the Road, but the 1996 publication date and drug use mean most readers need 16+ and familiarity with mid-century literature.