The 20s Playbook: Books and Films That Will Shape Your Decade

“When they asked me what I wanted to be I said I didn’t know. ‘Oh, sure you know,’ the photographer said. ‘She wants,’ said Jay Cee wittily, ‘to be everything’” (An excerpt from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath). Your 20s, a decade of being and doing everything all at once. A time in your life when the glass isn’t half empty but also not half full, you’re experiencing “firsts” and navigating a whirlwind of discovery and transition. Some of us call it the panic years trying to check all the correct boxes and others see it as a pivotal moment to become anything you want. In your 20s, the exploration of who you are and who you want to be is the narrative of your existence and in moments when you feel old enough to know better but still too young with much to learn there are books and films that you can escape to that will shape and guide you through the self-discovery of this decade. 

Books possess a unique and profound beauty that transcends its physical form. Literature is an art form that stands as a guide, a map or playbook you can carry with you throughout your everyday life, a physical copy offering you a window to a different world in the comfort of your home, on public transportation, in an airport or coffee shop. Through their pages, many authors have created characters and worlds that invoke life in your 20s — narratives of the university student trying to find their academic path, the frazzled woman in her late 20s who is the unmarried with no kids friend of the group and of course the story of two beautifully flawed people navigating love and life. Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library perfectly encapsulates the dangers of “What if” and regrets that don’t help us move forward in life. The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who struggles with the regretful choices of her life and the battle of feeling alienated and unfilled in the world gets stuck in a library between life and death. Nora gets to choose a path she did not take, eventually teaching her that every decision you make shapes your destiny but you have to live in the moment and always choose life no matter the hurdles. If you are seeking stories of the struggles of love and friendship then find pieces of yourself in the pages of Normal People by Sally Rooney, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihra, Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton and You Only Fall in Love Three Times by Kate Rose. In Kate Rose’s novel You Only Fall in Love Three Times readers can delve into finding love again and again and yes, again. Rose guides readers through self-discovery to find out who they are, what they want and the Twin Flame they are meant to be with. 

Here is a list of more literary gems to read in your 20s:

  • Giovanni’s Room

  • The Bell Jar

  • The Alchemist

  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower

  • Conversations With Friends

  • The Catcher in the Rye

  • Little Women

  • Women Who Run With Wolves

  • The Four Agreements

  • The Secret History

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There’s a scene in Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Little Women that has stuck with me throughout my 20s. The main character Jo says to her mother, “Women have minds and souls as well as just hearts, and they’ve got ambition and talent as well as just beauty, and I’m sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for” (Little Women, 2019). Jo speaks this on behalf of her struggles with women’s autonomy and representation of her world in the 1860s but it’s also spoken for women today. This is just one example of how films have the power to transport us into different worlds through moving pictures and the characters captivate us as well as represent small segments of ourselves that need to be seen and understood. In your 20s it’s films such as — The Worst Person In The World, Lady Bird, Dead Poets Society, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Call Me By Your Name, Legally Blonde, Little Miss Sunshine and (500) Days of Summer that are there for you during this era of discovering your dreams, aspirations and falling in love. Characters like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde can teach you that through hard work and persistence you can overcome the most daunting challenges. Julie in the Norwegian film The Worst Person In The World shows you the uncertainty and insecurity of a woman in her late 20s who is unsure of the path she wants to take in life. Call Me By Your Name is a film that follows the summer love of Elio and Oliver, highlighting that love doesn’t have to fit into certain boxes, and it’s a beautiful human thing to be able to connect no matter who you are or who you love. 

Here is a list of more cinematic masterpieces to watch in your 20s:

  • Everything Everywhere All at Once

  • Amelie

  • The Social Network

  • The Devil Wears Prada

  • The Florida Project

  • Booksmart

  • Moonlight

  • Good Will Hunting

  • Almost Famous

  • Dazed & Confused

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In these books and films there is focus on themes of identity, ambition and transformation that captures the turbulence of young adulthood and represents a playbook for anyone looking for some sense of guidance during this decade. May you find a piece of yourself in the pages of these books and characters of these films to guide you as you journey down the road of your 20s and navigate the complexities of getting older.

Article by Leah Williams, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Jung Chou, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine

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