English Books Selection / By the Youth, For the Youth

Last week, we had a very special visit at Artforum in Bratislava. Two students from the École Française Internationale de Bratislava (EFIB), Nela from Bratislava and Zoé from Lyon, joined us for an internship. Along with helping out around the bookstore, they prepared a curated selection of English books for young people. Both ladies are 16, and besides a brief shortlist, they also wrote a few words about why they recommend each book. Here they are, the books and words too:

Zoé:

Perfect Victims: A sharp and compelling exploration of power, language and the politics of empathy, this book invites readers to question the stories we are told about oppression and resistance. The work is a powerful and thought-provoking examination of how narratives of suffering, refusal and humanity are shaped by power.

On happiness: This foundational philosophical work offers a clear vision of the good life, centered on the pursuit of calm, contentment, and freedom of unnecessary fear. Through concise reflections, Epicurus's work allows readers to reconsider their assumptions about desire and self-restraint, leading to a thoughtful living and the careful reduction of anxiety and disturbance.

The Handmaid's Tale: A haunting dystopian narrative set in a society where personal freedoms are stripped away under an authoritarian regime, this novel examines themes of power, control and resistance through the lived experience of a woman forced into reproductive servitude. It exposes how language, religion and law can be manipulated to enforce oppression (particularly against women), while also tracing the fragile persistence of memory, identity and inner defiance.

Great Expectations: A classic coming-of-age novel that follows the life of an orphan who grows up amid poverty and ambition, this book explores themes of social class, personal development, guilt, and redemption.

Nela:

Swimming in the dark: It is a story of a love that had to be hidden. The book is set in Poland in the 1980s, where being different was dangerous. During the reading, the reader can understand what it feels like when you cannot be yourself in front of the whole world. It is a beautifully and sensitively written work that will stay in your mind for a long time.

Heretics of Dune: If you enjoy sci-fi, this book is definitely for you. The story takes place thousands of years after the first volume of Dune, and the world is completely different. It deals with power and religion, the fact that the world is ruled by women, and that the planet is changing. A well-thought-out book that will quickly grab your attention.

Human Acts: This book won the Nobel Prize in 2024, and definitely for good reason. It is about the 1980 protests in Korea, during which hundreds of students died. The reader sees the events through the eyes of 7 different characters. The book is powerful and sad, but it shows you how much freedom and humanity matter. It is not an easy read, but it is a very important one.

Six of Crows: A crew of thieves has an impossible mission, each with their own trauma and superpowers. It's like Ocean's Eleven in a fantasy world with magic. Action, heists, witty lines, and camaraderie. You'll read it in one breath and immediately need the second book.