Books
9 Books To Read If You're On Team Jess
Before I even get to the books, I need to make one thing known: Team Jess Mariano is the only way to be when it comes to Gilmore Girls. This is the hill I will die on. Boyfriends don't get any more obnoxious than Logan Huntzberger — his name is enough of a hint. Dean Forester is adorable, I will give you that. But he's the cliche first boyfriend, and he was never going to be more than that. Enter Jess Mariano. Bad boy, reader, sarcastic know it all of our collective dreams, Jess was always the only one for Rory. Even though he left.
Now that my dream of a Gilmore Girls comeback is an actual, literal, reality, I'm hoping my dreams of Jess-Rory reunion will come true, too. Aside from the whole, running away to California without a word thing, Jess was perfect for Rory. No one else in Stars Hollow or anywhere else could find a better bookworm match than Jess and Rory! Throughout the series, Jess was constantly reading, even going so far as stealing Rory's books to write in them. Here are 9 books that every person who calls themselves Team Jess should read, because what better way to wait for the reunion than reading? None!
S laughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
One of the many books we see Jess furiously scribbling in throughout the series, Slaughterhouse Five is a classic that Jess would want any fan of his to have read.
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
This is the book Jess claims not to have read, then secretly steals ("That's not a trick, that's a felony"), writes in, and returns to Rory with his margin notes. The sign of true love if ever there was one? I think so.
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Not only does he read this one, he takes off on the road on his own at one point, much to the disappointment of Team Jess members (and of course Rory). Kerouac is a must-read for any Jess fan.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
After getting her stolen copy of Howl back, Rory ends the conversation with, "Goodnight, Dodger" and tells Jess to figure it out. Naturally, he knows that she's referring to the classic Oliver Twist, because of course he does. They're soulmates after all.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
When Jess, Rory, and Paris hang out, they talk about their favorite books, obviously. Jess claims to have read Jane Austen, and I can only hope that he means Pride and Prejudice. It's the perfect read for anyone who claims to be Team Jess.
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
This one is another very conspicuous Jess read, and during an important Jess and Rory moment. Rory skips school to visit Jess in NYC, only to miss Lorelai's graduation. She would never do that for anyone but Jess. And what's he reading when she gets there? Tom Wolfe.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ah, One Hundred Years of Solitude. The final book we see Jess Mariano reading before he breaks all of our hearts by leaving Rory to go to California without a word. How could he? Maybe reading this will put us in the mindset he was in at the time? Probably not. But maybe.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Jess is a Hemingway fan. He says so, and even though we never see him reading it, I imagine he's a fan of The Sun Also Rises. The short, sparse sentences, the angst of literally every character in the novel — it has Jess written all over it. Plus, it's a classic, and definitely worth the read.
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
Rory and Jess have some pretty serious on-screen reading time, and this was one of Rory's more prominent reads. Paris lectures Jess about reading Jane Austen, but it wouldn't kill him to add more women to his reading list in general. No better way to do so than with one of Rory's favorite collections.
Image: Warner Bros.
