Kelly's Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

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Compared to last week's topic, things are about to get depressing up in here. Today's subject is about books dealing with tough subjects, whether it be abuse, suicide, grief, or just whatever speaks to you personally.

1. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - We get slammed with two tough subjects here: a friend's death and an eating disorder. Before reading this, I never really knew how destructive and complex anorexia could be for everyone involved. Of course, Anderson's Speak should also get a mention here.
2. Crank by Ellen Hopkins - This is the first book in a trilogy about a girl who gets caught up in a drug addiction and how her choices affect her family, friends, and life. It's very dark and VERY powerful.
3. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen - When I picked up this book I expected it to be a light, fluffy (and I mean fluffy in a good way) read like the majority of Sarah Dessen's other books, but I was completely wrong. Dreamland is almost scary with its realistic scenarios of domestic abuse. 
4. Hold Still by Nina LaCour - I only read this within the last week but it's one of the most accurate books portraying the grief after death (in this story's case, a friend's suicide). The feelings of depression and despair the main character experiences are completely real.
5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - If you ever want a book to completely break your heart, this is it. A car crash is traumatizing enough, but when it kills your entire family and leaves you alone...heartbreaking. 
6. The Fault in our Stars by John Green - While of course all of John Green's books are witty, fun, and full of adventure, they all have a more serious side. This is one of his best, bringing the wake of cancer and it's side effects to life.
7. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - Though mostly fictional, this book regales the horror of concentration camps during WWII. This particular story takes place in France, and the Nazi monstrosities that were allowed to happen on French soil still haunt the citizens of France to this day.
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Almost as much as what went on in WWII, the racial prejudice in America absolutely sickens me. Kathryn Stockett's story of 1960s Mississippi made me nervous, uncomfortable, and scared while reading it.
9. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - Even scarier because it really happened, this is a terrifying tale of an abusive mother, both physically and psychologically. 
10. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - This is another book I thought would be a nice, light read but left me SOBBING by the end. As opposed to The Fault in our Stars, this book looks more at the effect of cancer on an entire family.