Society is an unfriendly place. The pressures people are put under to be the best are unrelenting, and the competition to be at the top is cutthroat. Then kids enter the scene. It isn’t enough for them to be on top themselves, but now they are thinking about their legacy. This can be detrimental for kids and those around them.

“Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty” and “The Cave Dwellers” share this similar theme and outlook on the world, yet the stories have stark differences. One ends on a positive note, the other in darkness and trauma.

“Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty” focuses on a fictional story based on the college admissions scandals. A successful, wealthy Manhattan family is overjoyed that their daughter, Max, was accepted to Princeton University, much to her chagrin. Her dream was to study at a film school in Los Angeles. Just as Max is beginning to feel passionate about Princeton, it is taken away from her. Turns out, one of her parents made a payment to help secure her position, and now it’s been revealed publically. It seems as though her future— as well as that of her parents and her extended family— is destroyed all because of one person acting without the knowledge of the others.

“The Cave Dwellers” revolves around a group of teens who are also part of the extremely privileged class of Washington D.C. They have money, status and connections, but there is one element missing—happiness. As the children of business leaders, politicians and other government officials, they are the victims of their families’ ambition. As they fight to challenge everything their parents hold dear, they are beaten back to the extreme until they are broken.

These books run deep with me. Although they focus on the upper classes, there are themes that can resonate with all teenagers. I would highly suggest anyone above the age of ten read them. If you are looking for a lighter read, “Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty” is the book for you. “The Cave Dwellers” is significantly more dark and mature.