Hi Veeky Forums, what book would you recommend for a young man who is smart but has little to no reading experience...

Hi Veeky Forums, what book would you recommend for a young man who is smart but has little to no reading experience? A family memeber just turned 18, he's an athlete, no interest in scifi, fantasy or pop-culture in general, balanced mindset, conservative upbringing. I want to provide a bit of an intellectual impulse, if I can, maybe kindle his interest in reading, but it's been hard to find something adequate.
Pic sort of related, something I've been considering.

>an athlete

Give him Frederick Exley's "A Fan's Notes"

Thanks for the recommendation but baseball isn't popular in my country, I think we don't even have a league.
Sounds interesting though, maybe I'll read it.

Sheameless self-bump

It's about American football, not baseball. What country are you from if I might ask? We can maybe steer you towards some of the best talents from your native land.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth or Flaubert's Sentimental Education (these are probably terrible suggestions - too long for someone who doesn't read much probably - but look into it)
Maybe something by Hesse? - young people especially always seem to like Siddhartha or Steppenwolf
Maybe one of McCarthy's shorter, more accessible works like The Road or Outer Dark
Maybe something short like Hamsun's Pan, or Hunger; Fathers and Sons; Notes from the Underground; Pere Goriot or even something like If On A Winters Night a Traveller

The Stranger is a good idea and probably the best option: short, accessible and leads -ideally - to broader horizons

Steppenwolf

Half-fun, half-allegory to please the readers and non-readers. And great way to introduce someone to foreign novels if they're stuck in the Angloverse of literature. Or get him Borges's Ficciones which will probably blow his conservative mind on what a novel should be like, though I've always thought Borges to be better appreciated by more mature readers. There are some light pomo elements in M&M too

heart of darkness

Plato, maybe he would like to read about love

If you want him to grow into the patrician mindset about love OP, this too for its brilliant application of Phaedrus. As for the subject matter, he won't give a damn if he really "gets" it

I'd recommend something short, not overly descriptive or verbose but a real page-turner. Obviously the latter especially is somewhat subjective.
The shortest thing I recently read that I couldn't put down was Therese Raquin by Emile Zola.

I'm German, the most popular sport here is soccer/football.

Thanks a lot, I'll consider most of these, though probably not the Road, it's too brooding.

Haven't thought of this one, great rec. Also I personally love Borges but I wouldn't throw Magical Realism towards any inexperienced reader, not even Murakami.

Nah, he's probably had enough of colonial literature, it's the main topic of high school English here.

>starting with the Greeks unironically

Leave the poor lad alone.

>I'm German

Hit him with Kafka

Give him a copy of Faust and a pack of condoms and tell him poetry gets the bitches wet

I've recommended to 5 people who didn't read anything before. Turned all of them into avid readers, Vonnegut is probably the best entry level author

Old Man and the Sea. Short and sweet, anyone can get through it with little interest in reading.

...

>starting with the greeks ironically
What the fuck dude?

Vonnegut Cats cradle

I feel like Hemingway's style of writing is very welcoming, but it still has a great capacity for expression and intellectualism. Given that, I'd recommend The Sun Also Rises.

The Boys in the Boat. As an athlete, he'll really appreciate it. He'll also learn a lot of cool history without really trying. I recommend this book to everyone who reads even a little bit.

he's a right winger he won't let him read a Jew user