This is a truly special book. Part coming-of-age novel, part history of philosophical ideas, "Sophie's World" engages readers with why philosophy matters and mysteries whose fascinating answers made this book's ending one of the best I've ever found. I can't say more without spoiling the novel, so I encourage you to begin reading yourself!

The novel's protagonist, Sophie, receives several letters over the course of the novel, the contents of which teach her about the whole of Western philosophy, from Socrates to Sartre. If I had one qualm with the book, it is the lack of engagement with non-western philosophers. Philosophers of the Roman Empire and of the Medieval period are also only breezily talked about. The focus is heavily on the Greeks and on philosophers from about 1600 CE onwards, but it works out since many of these philosophers are the most well-known and interesting. If you've always wanted a way into thinking about philosophy but weren't sure where to start, you can't do much better than "Sophie's World"!