Whether you are participating in our Decades Reading Challenge or found this list while researching books about the 60s and 70s – you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find a list of the best books about the 1970s, and you’ll find 1960s titles here.
We’ve compiled a great list of books about the Seventies. Our recommendations include historical fiction novels and modern classics. The books on our list provide insights into life in the 70s, including non-fiction accounts of defining political and scientific events of the era. A few of the books published during the 1970s have come to define this period of history.
The Seventies were a revolutionary decade. Progressive social values that began in the 1960s – such as increasing political activism and feminism – continued to grow. The hippie culture that began in the latter half of the 1960s began to fade by the mid-1970s. At that point, the environmentalist movement really took hold.
Similarly, the music of the 70s bridged the rebellious anthems of the 60s and poppy music of the 80s. The sounds of the 70s tended to be a bit more relaxing. Dance music also became popular, including the short-lived rise of disco. The 70s music scene was defined by sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
For additional historical context, check out the timeline of major world events included at the end of the post.
Highly Rated Books About the 1970s
You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.
Noah was a British operative in France during WW2, but a head injury has left him with memory gaps. Most of all, he wants to remember who saved his life during his final mission. Now in 1970, his daughter Charlotte is determined to find answers for her father.
She finds Chloe and Fleur, two formerly ordinary women who risked everything to become spies during the war. But as Charlotte learns more, she discovers that a double agent may be hiding in plain sight too close to home.
Keaton needs a fresh start, so she jumps at the chance to travel to Beaufort, North Carolina to put her mom’s childhood home on the market. Keaton’s never seen the home, as her grandparents died in 1976, in a tragic car accident. When she arrives in Beaufort, she soon has more questions than answers, even with help from her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies.
In a second timeline told through journal entries, we see the life of Keaton’s grandmother, Becks. For forty years, she’s been the best hostess in North Carolina, with locals and out-of-towners clamoring for invitations to her stunning historic home. But in 1976, she faced a major dilemma and was forced to make a decision she didn’t want to make.
Mary Jane tells the story of two very different family lifestyles and a 14-year-old girl trying to decide who she really is. Mary Jane is a quiet, book-loving girl from a traditional, conservative family in 1970s Baltimore. When she is offered a job as a nanny for a local doctor, her mom assumes their home is equally tidy and respectable.
However, the house is a huge mess and it’s about to get crazier. The doctor has welcomed a rock star and his wife to stay at the house while he tries to get sober. Mary Jane has a lot to teach them about tidiness and schedules, and all the while they are opening her eyes to the world outside her bubble. By the end of the summer, she’ll have a much better understanding of who she wants to be.
The Book Girls Say…
Melissa loved this one from the first chapter, and immediately missed Mary Jane, Izzy, and the rest of the characters as soon as the book was over. The author hit the perfect mix of innocence and having Mary Jane’s eyes opened to different ways of life. Then on her own, Mary Jane figures out how her eyes should be open in other ways.
It’s everything a coming-of-age novel should be and a real gem showing both positives and negatives of suburban life in the 1970s.
Although the main character is a teenager, this is an adult novel, not a YA title. It makes an excellent read because of the perspective that comes from looking back at the years between innocence and maturity.
Angela really enjoyed listening to the audiobook because it incorporates music.
Civil is fresh out of nursing school and dreams of making a big difference in her post-segregation African American community. During her first week on the job for the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she is sent to a rural cabin. When she arrives, Civil is shocked to find that her patients are children, only 11 and 13 years old.
The girls, Erica and India, are innocent and not even thinking of boys. However, because they are poor and Black, those handling their benefits have requested the children be on birth control. Civil struggles with this unexpected aspect of her new career. Despite the shocking reason for meeting the sisters, Civil is endeared to them and their family. However, one day when she arrives for her visit, something unthinkable has happened, and Civil soon finds herself involved in a legal case.
You’ll also see Civil years later, at the end of her career, with a daughter of her own, as she tries to find peace without forgetting those she encountered along the way.
The Book Girls Say…
This historical fiction novel is based on the 1973 legal case of Relf v. Weinberger. It’s a book all women should read, just be sure to grab a comforting blanket and box of tissues before you start.
For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a masterpiece of architectural design, but for Clara and Virginia, it represents something entirely different.
For Clara, in 1928, teaching at the Grand Central School of Art was the stepping stone to her future. In a time when there was public disdain for a “woman artist,” Clara is determined to succeed in her dream of creating cover art for Vogue. But she and her friends will soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression that may destroy the entire art scene.
By 1974, Grand Central had declined to a dangerous place full of pickpockets and drug dealers, and it was at the center of a lawsuit that would decide if the terminal should be preserved or demolished. Virginia, who had recently taken a job in the Grand Central information booth, stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor that opens her eyes to the elegance beneath the decay. She sets out to find the artist and finds herself drawn into the battle to save Grand Central.
The Book Girls Say…
We both LOVE New York City, the beauty of Grand Central Station, and art, so it’s like Fiona Davis wrote this book for us. We enjoyed the combination of history, mystery, and even a little romance. The characters are based on real people, and it was interesting to walk in the shoes of a female artist in the 1920s. We think those who enjoy reading about art history, 20s Manhattan, or women’s equality will all love this one.
Twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn’t sure of his birthday, who is parents are, or what his name used to be. He does know that he’s happy living among the Saffron Freedom Community – the commune into which he was adopted. On the commune, everyone is family, but when Clover (urged on by his funny best friend, Harmony) begins to ask questions, his search for identity will bring upheaval to the community.
This novel will introduce you to a unique group of characters who paint a portrait of the decade. They include the commune’s guru, a Grateful Dead groupie, a Vietnam deserter, a surfer, and even a midwife, just to name a few.
This novel by debut author Ash Davidson transports you back to 1977 in the Northern California logging town of Klamath, just an hour north of Davidson’s hometown of Arcata.
Rich Gunderson comes from a long line of loggers. For generations, his family has made their living off of the Redwood trees, but now his way of life is threatened as the National Park Service is expanding to protect tens of thousands of acres of trees. Additionally, environmentalists are protesting the logging operations on the remaining private lands, raising concerns about water contamination. In an effort to secure his family’s future, Rich secretly spends their savings on a grove of ancient Redwoods that he hopes to harvest.
Rich’s wife, Colleen, is an amateur midwife who hopes for a second child of her own. She has suffered a long string of miscarriages and has begun to see a disturbing number of birth defects and fetal deaths throughout her small community. She begins to suspect that the herbicides used by the logging company that employs her husband might be to blame.
The Book Girls Say…
Angela picked this book up immediately after returning from a family vacation to the Redwoods, so she was instantly drawn to the story about the towns she had just visited. But it was the dual perspectives of this story that kept her hooked. We see the story unfold from the point of view of both Rich and Colleen, as well as a few chapters from their eight-year-old son.
In a world where people often seem increasingly unwilling to listen to opposing viewpoints, the storytelling format of this environmental novel compassionately shines a light on all the shades of gray that exist for the families and communities caught in the middle.
When a Vietnam POW returns home, he carries new anger and impulsiveness. Determined to stand by her husband, his wife agrees with his plan to move his family to Alaska to live off the grid. Soon after arriving, the harsh reality of rural Alaska sets in for 13-year-old Leni and her mom.
For a while, things were better with her dad as they spent the fall season preparing for their first Alaskan winter, but she feared his more balanced self was only temporary.
The Book Girls Say…
We both loved this book despite it being a bit of a tear-jerker. It’s devasting to read one account of how a soldier’s return from Vietnam affected those around him. We know this fiction is very much based on reality for too many families.
WARNING: This book includes descriptions of domestic abuse.
This novel is about four women who began their friendship during college in Bombay in the 1970s. Initially drawn together by their revolutionary fervor, the friends drift apart over the next 30 years as their lives take very different paths. One married an American, while another was caught in a repressive marriage and forced to wear a burka.
Through their stories, the author paints a portrait of India from the 1970s through the early 2010s. Ultimately, the four friends are reunited when one of them falls gravely ill and requests to see her friends together one last time.
The Book Girls Say…
When Angela finished this book, she couldn’t stop talking about it for months. These women and their stories stick with you long after the last page!
Former child actress Ryan Flannigan is now living in Vermont as an adult when she gets a disturbing call from a friend. A controversial photo of pre-teen Ryan, taken in 1977, has become headline news when it was found in the possession of a wealthy and now-infamous pedophile. And worse, Ryan’s mother, Fiona, inscribed the photo to him.
The photographer, Henri, was like a father to Fiona. When he dies, she returns to NYC for the funeral and begins re-examining her childhood, starting when they moved to the West Village in 1976. As Ryan gets more attention as an actress, the safety she longs for is replaced by auditions, paparazzi, and unwanted attention from men of all ages, culminating with the 1977 New York City Blackout.
As Ryan remembers her past, she must reconcile her relationship with her mother both during her time as a child and in the present day.
Set against the devastating history of Afghanistan, The Kite Runner tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy, Amir, and the son of his father’s servant, Hassan.
The two become as close as brothers until a traumatic event begins to pull them apart and down two very different paths in life.
The Book Girls Say…
Angela’s in-person book club – a group that often has wildly different opinions about books – unanimously gave The Kite Runner five stars!
Heads Up: This book deals with challenging issues, including rape and public executions.
This novel chronicles the meteoric rise of a fictional, iconic 1970s rock band – The Six – and their beautiful lead singer, Daisy Jones. The story is told through a series of “behind the music” style interviews that will make you feel like you are right there with them in the hard-partying 70s music scene.
As you hear from each band member, the story of these complex characters unfolds, ultimately revealing the mystery behind the band’s infamous breakup.
The Book Girls Say…
This book was meant to be HEARD. Each member of the band is read by a different narrator, which fits perfectly with the rockumentary, interview style of the novel. And there’s even an original song at the end of the recording.
Author Jeanette Walls is well known for her memoir, The Glass Castle, and the tale of her incredible grandmother in Half Broke Horses. Unlike these two books, Silver Star is a work of fiction, although her life experiences undoubtedly influenced it.
This novel tells the story of two sisters, 12-year-old Bean (a spunky girl along the lines of Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird) and her older sister, Liz. After being abandoned by their mother in California, the sisters take a bus to a mill town in Virginia, where their widowed uncle lives alone in a decaying mansion that’s been in the family for years.
The Book Girls Say…
If you’ve read Jeanette Wall’s memoir, The Glass Castle, you won’t be surprised by her ability to write vividly about the struggles and triumphs of dysfunctional families. Her first foray into fiction doesn’t quite live up to her memoir, but it’s very well-written and worthy of a read!
While this book starts in 2019, it soon goes back to 1969 and chronologically tells the story of Annalisa’s life until the end of the 70s. She is a passionate and talented young artist trying to find her voice as the country is affected by the Vietnam War.
Annalisa leaves her grandma and small town and moves to the thriving art scene in Portland, Maine. While her primary pursuit is art, she meets Thomas, an Ivy-league student with a much different background than her own. He up-ends her quest to become a museum artist in ways she didn’t expect. But her unexpected love may be unraveled by an unforgivable lie.
The Book Girls Say…
Readers say that this coming-of-age book is both heartbreaking and uplifting. The fashion and food will transport you back to the art scene of Maine in the 1970s. The author started his career as a songwriter, which becomes apparent through lyrical writing and references to the musicians of the era.
Jasmine is tired of her California high school and ready to start her real life studying journalism at NYU. Except, she had a tiny lapse in judgment and called herself the student body president on her NYU application before the election. She was a shoo-in, with her only competition, Gerald, campaigning to reinstate a dress code.
But then the real world infiltrates school politics. The Iran Hostage Crisis becomes the top story every night, and Gerald embraces the anti-Iranian hysteria spreading across the country. As an Iranian-American, Jasmine is caught in the middle. To make matters worse, her brother is becoming more outspoken as she tries to downplay her heritage.
The Book Girls Say…
This YA novel explores themes of identity and ancestry without being too heavy. Some readers say that Jasmine is a realistically flawed young character like Devi from Never Have I Ever. Don’t expect her to make all the same choices you would.
During Watergate, only one woman was on the prosecutor’s team, Jill Wine Volner. She was a young lawyer who had just turned 30 when she found herself in the center of this unprecedented time in US history. In the press, she was referred to as “the mini-skirted lawyer.” While her male counterparts were automatically respected, she had to work much harder to earn the same respect.
In this memoir, Jill Wine-Banks shares what it was like to be at the crossroads of the Women’s Movement & Watergate. And if those major events weren’t enough, she was struggling in a failing marriage behind the scenes.
The Book Girls Say…
Another great Watergate option is ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN by Woodward & Bernstein, the journalists who uncovered the scandal. Keep in mind that it is on the long side at 480 pages and that while some readers love it and feel that it is a complete picture, other readers wish they had known more going into the book to help them follow all the key players.
Published in 1970, this young adult novel broke all the rules by talking to pre-teen girls about sex and religion without being prim or scolding. It’s been read by generation after generation, despite being a commonly banned book.
Margaret is almost twelve and just moved from New York City to New Jersey. She’s relieved to have made new friends and even be included in the secret club where they can talk about boys, bras, and periods. However, the other girls are confused by her lack of structured religion.
The Book Girls Say…
If you somehow missed reading this book in your younger years, now might be the time to pick it up. Or if like Angela, you read it several decades ago, but you now have kids approaching Margaret’s age, this book could serve as a good reminder of what it’s like to be young with so many questions and confusing emotions.
Independent Opal can’t imagine settling into a real career. She believes she was made to be a star. Opal leans into her Afro-punk style as she tries to find her niche within rock music. When she meets another aspiring artist, British singer/songwriter Neville, the unlikely duo begins making music together for the fledgling Rivington Records.
As Opal & Nev establish themselves in the early 70s New York music scene, everything changes when a fellow band from their label brandishes a Confederate flag. Opal boldly protests, which sets off a wave of violence and unfortunate repercussions.
Decades later, in 2016, a music journalist digs deeper into the events of the 70s. Her discoveries and a nasty new allegation threaten to tear apart Opal and Nev’s planned reunion.
The Book Girls Say…
In addition to being shortlisted for several historical fiction and debut novel awards, this book won an Audie award, so it should be excellent in audio form!
Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History
Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio
Publication Date:
09/13/2012
Setting:
1979, Tehran, Iran
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
90% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Argo tells the true story of the 1979 rescue of six Americans who escaped hostage capture in Iran. They were left hiding, hoping for escape.
To get them out, CIA agent Antonio Mendez came up with an ingenious, but risky, plan. He would go undercover as a Hollywood producer scouting locations for a made-up science fiction film called “Argo.” Under this guise, Mendez and his colleagues were able to successfully smuggle the six escapees out of Iran.
The Book Girls Say…
If you enjoyed the Oscar-winning film Argo, this book provides more background information, including context regarding the Iranian revolution, the embassy takeover, and the Iranian hostage crisis. The audiobook is highly recommended.
For another great non-fiction read set in the 1970s, don’t miss Apollo 13! Like Argo, you can enjoy the book AND a highly-rated film adaptation.
It’s 2017 when Angela discovers a letter containing a life-shattering confession. She’s determined to find the recipient, and her search leads her to Toronto’s underground illegal 1970s abortion network, known only as Jane.
In 1971, before she went to medical school, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was a typical teenager. However, when she became pregnant, she was sent to a home for “fallen” women and forced to give up her baby for adoption. She never recovered from the trauma and vowed to spend her career providing women choices.
In 1980, Natalie was twenty and had just discovered a shocking family secret that changed everything. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant amid the other chaos in her life, she needs someone to turn to and finds Jane. She works alongside Dr. Turner but continues to be haunted by lies.
The Book Girls Say…
This highly-rated 2022 Canadian novel was picked up for US publication in 2023. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end of the book before your meeting, as that section will add to the discussion. The book is based on the real Jane Collective and some of their stories.
The final installment in the Henna Artist trilogy takes us to 1970s Paris. Thirty-two-year-old Radha now lives in Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. Ten years ago, she discovered that she had a great talent for scents and could find the perfect fragrance for any customer who walked in the door of her friend’s grandfather’s parfumerie. Now, she’s a master perfumer designing new fragrances of her own.
Pierre doesn’t understand her need to work, but she perseveres, even traveling back to India to meet with her sister Lakshmi and the courtesans of Agra, who use scents to seduce men. However, while doing research in India, she discovers that the son she gave up is on his way to Paris to find her. Pierre doesn’t know about this difficult part of Radha’s past, and this revelation may end their vulnerable marriage.
The Book Girls Say…
If you’ve already read The Henna Artist & The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, this is the perfect excuse to move The Perfumist of Paris to the top of your list! Each book features a different lead character, so you can read this novel as a stand-alone. However, the books are in chronological order, so if you plan to read all three, going in order is ideal.
This book alternates narration between four teens in 1970s Alaska. The author manages to develop each of the characters in a deep way, while keeping the overall book on the shorter side.
From abusive families to teen pregnancy, Ruth, Dora, Alyce, and Hank have individual choices to make as they learn that sometimes family isn’t what you are born into, but what you choose.
The Book Girls Say…
We received an email from a reader endorsing this book that said, “Just finished what I consider to be one of the best books I have ever read. It’s a MUST for the list! It’s a quick read. You won’t be sorry. It’s an absolutely beautiful story with rich language and vivid imagery!”
Lydia Lee was growing up in 1970’s small-town Ohio as the favorite daughter in a Chinese American family. Her parents have high expectations that she will fulfill all the dreams they were unable to pursue.
The Lee family is torn apart when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake. This historical fiction mystery examines the distinctly different impact of Lydia’s death on each family member and deals with race and gender identity issues.
The Book Girls Say…
LikeCeleste Ng’s other novel, Little Fires Everywhere, this debut novel mixes some mystery and literary fiction into a family drama. Before picking up this book, be aware that it is sad from start to finish.
Although Carrie was released in 1974, this horror novel is primarily set in the fictional future year 1979. Carrie is a bullied high school student with a secret – she has telekinetic powers. She’s not only tortured at school, she’s from an abusive religious household. Her powers are the perfect way to get revenge on those who have caused her so much pain.
If you love horror, consider reading or re-reading this 1970s classic book.
The Book Girls Say…
Carrie was Stephen King’s debut novel, and it launched a career that is still going strong over four decades later. If you prefer a more recently written King work, try Joyland, which is set in 1973, but was written in 2013. It’s also a better choice if you want more of a mystery vs. the scarier horror genre of Carrie.
You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.
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We compiled this list of major events of the time period to provide some historical context for your reading. We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about this period in history.
NASA’s 1970 Apollo 13 experienced an explosion shortly after launch. Astronauts were able to successfully return to Earth after abandoning the moon mission.
In 1971, the ratification of the 26th Amendment reduced the US voting age from 21 to 18.
The New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The documents provided evidence that the US Government had been lying to the American people regarding Vietnam.
Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971.
The 1972 break-in attempt at Democratic National Committee headquarters marked the beginning of the Watergate Scandal.
President Richard Nixon was re-elected to a second term in November of 1972 despite questions regarding his involvement in Watergate.
The US ended its involvement in the Vietnam War after signing the Paris Peace Accords in January of 1973; the war officially ended two years later in 1975.
In the 1973 landmark case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a constitutional right.
Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in October of 1973 following charges of tax evasion and bribery.
Also in October 1973, following more revelations regarding the Watergate Scandal, the House of Representatives commenced an impeachment process against President Nixon.
In 1974, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over White House tape recordings regarding his involvement and cover-up in the Watergate Scandal. Nixon became the only US President to resign from office; Nixon was later pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford.
In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Microsoft. The following year Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak create the Apple Computer Company. The first Apple II computers went on sale two years later in 1977.
Jaws, released in June of 1975, became one of the first-ever blockbuster films.
President Gerald Ford, who became president following Nixon’s resignation, was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 Presidential race.
The Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline opened in May of 1977.
Known as the Iran Hostage Crisis, fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days. The crisis stretched from November 1979 to January 20, 1981.
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