If you have the app, TikTok, you have probably heard the question, “gay son or thot daughter.”
Not the best topic to spread across TikTok, but it did. However, some women have started to say that their parents messed up and picked a “thought daughter.”
Completely different idea here. These individuals are curious, introspective, romantic, overthinkers who could sit in their thoughts or read for hours without getting bored.
So, if you want to find your inner thought daughter, below is a guide of books to get you started.
These books are complex, emotional, need to be broken apart, and make you change the way you think about life.
Perfect for all my thought daughters out there.
A Little Life- Hanya Yanagihara (2015)
We are starting off this book guide with a banger. This book should come with a warning, many say. A Little Life tells the story of four college friends and their lives in New York City through the ups and downs. This book follows the ideas of trauma, friendship, abuse, love, and chosen family.
A Little Life is haunting because it delivers gut punches every second. It can impact you in the most incredible way as you beautifully connect to each character, but with this comes devastation. Tread carefully because I can promise you will never be the same.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThPKQMv3/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThPK9FA1/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22822858-a-little-life?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=CqNIN8VW5y&rank=1
The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky (1999)
We all watched Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller portray this story on the screen, but have you picked up the book to read it? The Perks of Being a Wallflower is told through letters written by a shy teenager, Charlie, as he struggles to handle friendships, high school, love, and trauma. This book focuses on themes of mental health, adolescence, sexuality, growing up, substance abuse, and friendship.
We all know the struggle of opening up to the wrong people, trusting those who end up doing us harm. Why do we do this, though? Hint: this book suggests an answer.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThPKAy6q/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThPKMgQe/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22628.The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower
Normal People- Sally Rooney (2018)
If you are looking for an emotional rollercoaster, Normal People is the right choice. This book follows the lives of Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan throughout the years. It begins in high school when their romance is kept secret due to their different social classes. Readers see how their relationship grows and declines throughout their lives, exploring themes of social class, love, miscommunication, and mental health.
I would argue that miscommunication is the biggest issue, given how the couple’s timing never seems right. When one wants it, the other does not. It also focuses on the very real experience of hurting the ones you love most. I promise this book will make you sob because of how raw and heartbreaking it is.
Normal People is in the thought daughter guide because you experience every emotion so vividly within the pages. You can feel attached to the characters and feel everything they do. It is a romantic story about those who are destined never to be together. Normal People is also a show on Hulu, and I would argue that it is the best book to movie adaptation with the amazing actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkeyXM/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkdeqE/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41057294-normal-people?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=KuZMKGGF81&rank=1
I Who Have Never Known Men- Jacqueline Harpman (1995)
I Who Have Never Known Men tells the story of a group of women who are prisoners in an underground bunker. The story is told by the youngest, who has no memory of men other than the silent male guards or of any life before the bunker. Eventually, the women escape to a desolate version of Earth. The book explores the ideas of friendship, loneliness, memory, and life without men.
There is a sort of underwhelming plot that feeds into an overwhelming amount of emotions and thoughts evoked. Due to this, there are many unanswered questions, but those strike up so many thoughts, perfect for thought daughters.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhooGe/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkRfUY/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60811826-i-who-have-never-known-men?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_17
The Picture of Dorian Grey- Oscar Wilde (1890)
The Picture of Dorian Grey tells the story of Dorian Grey, who has a portrait of himself painted and becomes obsessed with his beauty. He then wishes for only his soul to age rather than his body, so the portrait becomes a display of his wrongdoings as it grows more appalling while he stays young. The book explores themes of self-obsession, human nature, beauty, vanity, and corruption.
It is intense to realize that each of Dorian Grey’s actions truly destroys his portrait with his cruel actions, because we do the same. Our actions have a reflection on us that we need to be aware of.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhvX4n/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhon6r/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/489732.The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (1960)
I know that most of you probably read this book in high school, but I would argue that it is worth a reread. To Kill a Mockingbird follows Scout Finch and her father, Atticus, who is the lawyer for a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. The book discusses ideas of prejudice, racism, injustice, social class, innocence, and morality.
This book really touches on how often we misunderstand and judge others. Prejudice is way too common today. Reading this book can fuel your anger at injustice still in the world, as well as help you to realize how prevalent it really is.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhEWAg/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhKETM/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56916837-to-kill-a-mockingbird?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_7
Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen (1813)
I know you watched this movie just to witness the Darcy hand flex, but let’s look past the romance of it all. Pride and Prejudice is a classic that explores pride, social class, prejudice, reputation, and love. Set in the Regency era, this novel tells the complicated story of Elizabeth Bennett and her struggle to allow herself to fall for the distant Mr. Darcy.
As mentioned earlier, this book is way more than just a romance. This book is a wonderful display of British social class and the constant search for security, often through marriage. I must say, Pride and Prejudice can be a difficult read because of its complex, classic writing style, but it is so worth it.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfhwUKy/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfho4bE/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129915654-pride-and-prejudice
The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
The Scarlet Letter is another classic that is popular in the thought daughter area. This book portrays the ideas of guilt, sin, shame, judgment, and hypocrisy through the story of Hester Prynne and the red letter A she is forced to wear due to having a child out of wedlock.
We get to see Hester struggle with her guilt, as well as the child’s secret father’s guilt. However, Hester is publicly scrutinized while the father receives no punishment beyond his own conscience. (And Hester never tells the public that it was him.) This book really demonstrates how powerful and controlling guilt and shame can be.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkNw2s/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkFyhu/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12296.The_Scarlet_Letter?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_8
The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath (1963)
The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiography about Esther Greenwood at her summer internship in New York and her fall into mental illness. The book discusses mental health, struggles with identity, and the expectations placed on women.
This is a chilling novel to read as it details the character’s mental breakdown and institutionalization, and was published just a month before Sylvia Plath’s own death. It is an easily relatable story because of the character’s societal pressures, which we all can often feel. I cannot lie, this is a tough read as it depicts mental illness so truthfully, but it is still transformative.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfkdtjk/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfj71Wj/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56616095-the-bell-jar?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=iI8lC1kXLM&rank=1
One Day- David Nicholls (2009)
This book will break you. Sorry, it had to be said. It is a beautiful love story that shows friends fall for each other through the twists and turns of life. However, it is a tragic ending.
One Day tells the story of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, who met in college and continued to interact throughout the years as they grew up. Readers get to watch their relationship grow as well as their individual lives on the same day each year. The novel portrays the ideas of growth, love, friendship, loss, and regret.
This book will make you smile as you see the friendship bloom, but also make you cry over the issues that come along. This book will make you realize how precious the time we have is and how we need to appreciate it and our loved ones while we can.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjpgTm/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThf6JjgD/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6280118-one-day?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=SFQxNTc5Ey&rank=2
The Five People You Meet in Heaven- Mitch Albom (2003)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a short novel about Eddie, who was an old amusement park worker who died in a workplace accident. In heaven, he meets five people who explain the meaning of his life. This book follows the themes of purpose, forgiveness, human connection, and the afterlife.
We all can have moments when we feel like we are going through the motions, and have no clue what the purpose of our life is. This book explains that every moment in Eddie’s life was important and that he was exactly where he needed to be at every moment in his life. We could all use this lesson in our lives to realize that we have to trust that our individual lives all have an impact and purpose each day.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjogaC/
Slaughterhouse-Five- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1969)
Slaughterhouse-Five is about Billy Pilgrim, who witnesses the bombing of Dresden in WWII. The book also explores Pilgrim’s time as a prisoner of war in Dresden, touching on concepts of post-traumatic stress disorder, death, war, insanity, and dehumanization.
This is a difficult read because we see Pilgrim fall into insanity, where he thinks he has unlocked the power to travel through time and knows aliens. It really details the crazy ways that the mind copes with trauma.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThf6dmkf/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4981.Slaughterhouse_Five?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=BDCnffFFok&rank=1
East of Eden- John Steinbeck (1952)
East of Eden explores the stories of the Trask and Hamilton families as an expression of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. This book explores the ideas of good vs evil, sin, love, self-destruction, the human condition, and identity.
East of Eden is a life-changing, mind-altering book that dissects what it means to be human in such a philosophical way. This book will teach you that you do not need to be perfect; you just need to be good.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjq7X4/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThf6eJNC/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4406.East_of_Eden?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ZiOsjyu3Qv&rank=1
1984- George Orwell (1949)
1984 is a dystopian novel set in a society under extreme surveillance to maintain compliance with the controlling government. If you even as much as think against the government, you will suffer immensely. The book follows Winston Smith as he seeks the truth and rebels against the government known as the Party and its leader, the omnipresent “Big Brother.” 1984 explores themes of totalitarianism, the importance of the truth, lack of individuality, suppression, and the power of perception.
In the novel, the government alters people’s perception, therefore controlling their reality. The government does not even need to catch you because they will get you to turn against yourself and report yourself. The government uses psychological tools like fear, isolation, and language to control everything. I can promise that 1984 will shift your perspective on so many things, get your brain thinking to unpack its complexity and reality, and haunt you forever.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThHs2CVX/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThHs6doF/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61439040-1984
Brave New World- Aldous Huxley (1932)
Brave New World is set in a futuristic world where all citizens are genetically engineered and conditioned to maintain superficial happiness and conformity, devoid of true human emotion. It follows Bernard Marx as he meets John the “Savage,” who does not agree with the new society’s ideals. The book follows the ideas of dystopia, lack of individuality, loss of freedom, conditioning, stability over truth, and superficial pleasure.
This book is like 1984 in style, but instead of focusing on government control through pain and submission, Brave New World discusses a society where pleasure is the main focus. This book is a favorite because of how it explains the importance of suffering, discomfort, and loss to make happiness have any value. The whole book can be broken down so elaborately that the complexity becomes the most beautiful thing. Definitely a thought daughter staple.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThf61oxX/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjgHLa/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5129.Brave_New_World?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_15
The Nightingale- Kristin Hannah (2015)
The Nightingale is about two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, as they navigate through the Nazi’s invasion of France during WWII. Vianne protects her family by living with a German officer, while Isabelle joins the Resistance. The story explores ideas of war, sacrifice, and courage.
This book is a tough read when you finally understand what the women went through in the war. This story puts your life into perspective when you reflect on wartime.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjs7bm/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjtEyL/
- Goodnotes page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21853621-the-nightingale
The Handmaid’s Tale- Margaret Atwood (1985)
The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a futuristic United States where women, known as handmaids, are forced to be sexual slaves to repopulate. The story is told from the perspective of Offred as she navigates her new life as a handmaid. The book delves into themes of power, oppression, gender, and reproductive rights.
When Margaret Atwood wrote this book, she made a rule for herself: to include only events that had already happened somewhere in the world, which include forced births, executions, and systematic oppression. These notes make the book even more chilling to read, leaving you disgusted and horrified.
For more information:
- Summary: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfjWAL2/
- Quotes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfj3Lw1/
- Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34454589-the-handmaid-s-tale?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11
In an age of screens and where ChatGPT thinks for us, we need to grow the population of thought daughters. We need to be inquisitive thinkers, readers, and passionate individuals who read complex, banned, and life-changing books. So I challenge you to read one of these books. Dive into a complex story, break it apart, understand it, interpret it, and enjoy it.
