I have to keep things short today.  School started back for me this week and I'm going back to full time for the first time since before we moved, we're going out of town this weekend and of course, I have a 5-10 page short story due this Sunday.  Woo!  Let's do this.

I don't usually pick up heavy topic'ed books, especially if they're realistic or nonfiction.  The world is too sad sometimes, and literature is what I use to escape it, not dive farther into it.  And if it involves children, nope.  Count me out.  

There are a few heavy, slightly controversial books I have read that I'm so glad I did.  These are the books that either reaffirmed my beliefs on something or completely changed my perspective on an issue.  That's the beauty of books.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
This book is about a depressing topic told in the very least depressing way. It's about so much more than this issue, really.  This is one of those "no-brainer" topics to me, but I understand how some people might think differently, so it didn't change my mind much, but it did change my heart.  I love, love, love this book.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
This book is subtle but powerful.  If you want to know what real YA is (or should be), read this book.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult
I needed therapy after this book.  I know there are people who love this kind of stuff, but this book turned me off of serious topics for a long time.  However, it was a well-written, powerful novel.  I just can't.  

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
So apparently...these books are about Atheism?  I loved The Golden Compass.  The Subtle Knife lost me a bit and I never made it to the third one, but I thought I would bring this one up because I also loved The Chronicles of Narnia and I think it's funny that those have been played as the Christian antithesis to HDM.  What do you think about that?  Are people reading too much into it?  Because I didn't see Atheism or Christianity in either.  *shrug*

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
This Picoult lady loves shattering hearts, doesn't she?  I did love this book, but I thought that sucker punch at the end was a little harsh.  Overall, the topic was interesting though.

This author is obviously from Afghanistan so that is where his stories take place.  I make the mistake of telling people his books are about Afghanistan, and they are, but really they are about so much more.  They are about family and war and love and the ties that bind us.  They are about life and death and anything and everything that a book set in America is about.  So, while I think he receives a lot of attention as the Afghan writer, he deserves recognition for just being an amazing writer, no matter where he is from or where his books are set.  Read these books!!


So, I noticed that a lot of my heavy books overlapped with my school-assigned reading.  I think it's mostly because I don't read these heavy reads unless it's for a grade.  Did that happen to anyone else?

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Share your favorite heavy-topic or controversial books.

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