2016 · Julia Ducournau · 99 min · Horror
Raw is a visceral coming-of-age story wrapped in body horror that uses cannibalism as a metaphor for desire, identity, and the terrifying process of becoming yourself. It's not for everyone, but those who can stomach it will find one of the most original debut films of the 2010s.
1993 · 7 Seasons · ABC · Comedy
Boy Meets World is the rare coming-of-age sitcom that actually grew up with its audience, following Cory Matthews from middle school through college with a sincerity and emotional depth that most TGIF shows never attempted. Ben Savage and Rider Strong's friendship is the show's backbone, William Daniels' Mr. Feeny is one of television's great mentor figures, and the series handles the transition from childhood comedy to young-adult drama with more grace than it gets credit for. The college seasons are weaker than the high school years, and some dramatic turns in later seasons strain the sitcom format, but the emotional core holds across all seven seasons.
1992 · Donna Tartt · 524 pages · Literary Fiction
The Secret History is a dark academia touchstone that earns its reputation through atmosphere, prose, and an unforgettable cast of morally bankrupt intellectuals. Pacing stumbles in the second half and some readers will find the characters too cold to care about, but Tartt's command of tension and her skill with an unreliable narrator make this one of those rare books that people either love deeply or argue about for years. That kind of polarization usually means the book is doing something right.
2013 · Drew Hayes · 546 pages · Superhero Fiction
Super Powereds: Year 1 is a warm, character-driven superhero college story with an ensemble cast that wins you over through sheer likability, even as rough prose and uneven pacing remind you of its web serial origins.
1978 · John Landis · 109 min · Comedy
The comedy that invented the modern college movie, powered by John Belushi's anarchic energy and a proudly juvenile spirit that launched a thousand imitators, none of which matched the original's reckless joy.