(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.)
I don’t read many books about tough subjects—because they’re, you know, tough—but there’s some that are so well-done you can’t help but find them interesting.
- Helter Skelter (Vincent Bugliosi) – They say the ‘60s ended with the murders of eight people in the Hollywood hills. Reading about Manson, his plot, and his followers was not easy.
- Impossible (Nancy Werlin) – Okay, so the plot is a little far-fetched to be totally realistic, but the struggle Lucy goes through is heartbreaking and amazing.
- Hurt Go Happy (Ginny Rorby) – So. Much. Crying.
- The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove (Susan Gregg Gilmore) – The South. The 1960s. A taboo love. You know the rest.
- Lucy (Laurence Gonzales) – A book about the first human-ape hybrid and how the world responds to her. Again, more tears.
- Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill) – Abuse, murder, general horror and terror. Well-written, but oof.
- Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Peggy Orenstein) – Being a feminist and raising a healthy, happy, non-pinkified daughter is tricky.
- Deerskin (Robin McKinley) – Enormously difficult to read, especially the first half (trigger warning).
- Year of Wonders (Geraldine Brooks) – Reading about a town that bands together to survive the plague is difficult. Doing it in real life must have been unbelievable.
Tough stuff, but well-done all the way around. What would you add to this list?
Your last two? OMG, how did I forget them?!
Deerskin in particular is rough. Great, but rough.
I’ve found a few more for my ever-growing TBR pile from your list. I tried to read Helter Skelter years ago, but couldn’t get into it. I own Heart-Shaped Box and have been told it is one of the creepiest things ever. What more do we expect from Stephen King’s son, really? Great list! (And thanks for visiting mine)
I read Helter Skelter for the first time in high school and it scared the beejezus out of me. I generally read it once a year. Yes, Heart-Shaped Box is creepy and very disturbing. I’d forgotten that Joe Hill is King’s son — he comes by the creepiness honestly, then! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Fantastic list! I have not seen one of your books listed elsewhere. Thank you so much for sharing your outlook on this challenging topic!
I have my Top Ten up on SnifferWalk Books, my blog. Come on by!
I hope you found a book you’re interested in checking out. There’s so many great ones out there!
I’m not able to comment on your blog, but Trapped Under Ice sounds interesting, plus it’s got a great cover. Thanks for stopping by!
Can you believe I haven’t read a single book on your list? I have to check them out, and maybe add at least some of them to my TBR, though.
Thanks for stopping by my TTT post earlier.
Happy reading.
It’s not hard to believe at all — I often come across lists where I’ve never even heard of any of the books listed. There’s just so many! I hope you add a couple to your TBR; they’re all very well done. Thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t read any of these but they sound really interesting. Human/ape hybrid? Wow!
Also, first time visitor here, have to say I love your tagline – “attempting to read every book ever written. This may not end well.” That made me grin! I’m a day late but here’s my TTT:
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-top-ten-books-dealing-with-tough.html
Lucy is an incredible novel, you should check it out! Have a box of tissues nearby, though. And get ready to get angry too.
Thanks for liking my tagline — I’m quite partial to it too. 🙂 And it’s so true, which is funny, maddening, or depressing depending on your mood.
Better late than never on your list! I’ll hop over right now to check it out.
Yep, I’m just not a “tough” subjects kind of girl. I’m happy you at least had a list, I drew a complete blank!
Thanks for dropping by Read. Sleep. Repeat.
It took me a long time to come up with these! Had to poke back through all my reviews. Tough subjects are not really that fun for me. Thanks for stopping by, and here’s to finding more books to love! 🙂
I haven’t even heard of any of these books, but I agree with your sentiment: I tend to not read too many books about really tough subjects, because sometimes, I just want to read light, fun, or unrealistic.
Yep! I definitely read fewer tough books than I do light/fun/normal ones. I just can’t enjoy them.
The only one I’ve read is Impossible — I was kind of “meh” about it, but you are right that there is quite an intense struggle.
Thanks for stopping by my TTT 🙂
It’s definitely a lighter novel than it could have been, but I think it struck a good tone for a YA book. Plus I’ve always been a little obsessed with “Scarborough Fair,” and the song’s close connection and history makes the novel that much more intriguing to me.
Thanks for reading and commenting!