“Growth is uncomfortable; you have to embrace the discomfort if you want to grow,” American actor Johnathan Majors said.

As uncomfortable as it may be, everything in life is about growth. As each day occurs, you grow and change along the way based on circumstances that arise and decisions you make.

Likewise, the coming-of-age genre highlights the maturation of a story’s protagonist. This spring, Grand County Library District’s Virtual Book Club read the library’s One Grand Book, “Go as a River,” by Shelley Read, as well as other coming-of-age themed books.

The following are a sample of titles club members favored:

• “Go as a River” by Shelley Read. A teenager on a Colorado peach farm chooses forbidden love that changes the course of her life forever in this historical fiction.

• “Hippie” by Paulo Coelho. In this autobiographical fiction, the Brazilian author quests for enlightenment and experiential learning during the 1960s hippie culture.

• “The Rent Collector” by Camron Wright. A young mother seeks escape from Cambodian poverty via education in this literary fiction.

• “Son of Hamas” by Mosab Hassan Yousef. This autobiography is about the son of a terrorist who finds a love that overcomes hate and exposes his father’s organization.

• “The Girl with the Louding Voice” by Abi Dare. A Nigerian teen, who is the third wife of an older man, learns how to speak up for herself and pursue her dreams in this literary fiction.

• “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is a relationship fiction by Gabrielle Zevin. Childhood friends form a video game company and discover what truly matters.

• “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” is an autobiography by Alexandra Fuller. An English-immigrant child comes of age in Rhodesia during the racial war that birthed Zimbabwe.

• “Absolution” is a literary fiction by Alice McDermott. After a young, college graduate moves to Vietnam in the 1960s with her new husband, real life events dispel her naivete.

• “The Berry Pickers” by Amanda Peters. The future for a pair of indigenous Mi’kmaq siblings is altered after the sister is kidnapped when picking berries with her brother in this relationship fiction.

• “Warlight” is a literary fiction by Michael Ondaatje. Two teen siblings are raised by a group of mysterious adults who all served England during World War II until their parents return without explanation.

• “Out of the Dust” by Karen Hesse is a novel in verse. A young teen struggles to transcend internal and external hardships while growing up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl.

As American as apple pie, your public library is a go-to resource for your summer celebrations and adventures. There is still time for you to participate in the library’s summer reading program for adults.

Visit your local library to request a map-your-adventure activity log to get started. Follow the Grand County Library District’s Virtual Book Club Facebook group for weekly book suggestions or browse the adult summer reading 2024 category at your local library.

Submit your completed logs and celebrate with us on Aug. 12 at the Kremmling Library and Aug. 14 at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library. Contact these libraries for more information.