Top Ten Tuesday {11}

Tuesday, July 26, 2011






Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.
Top Ten Books Tackling "Tough" Issues (social, cultural, etc.):

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - This book will always, always be on my list. Censorship is at the core of the story, but it's about someone who is willing to dare to think for himself and step outside the invisible box of censorship.

2. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - As some of you know, eating disorders hit close to home for me (very much so). Written in a powerful voice that's all too familiar and real, this book is a true and accurate portrayal of how an ED consumes both the mind and body. (beware - it can be triggering)

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - More than anything, this book is about the true nature of family and survival in the midst of a war raging around them in volatile Afghanistan.

4. Amen, Amen, Amen by Abby Sher - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder drives this story as a young girl tries to cope with her grief by praying hour after hour every day. Without the prayers, she's certain her world will fall apart.

5. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - Contemporary fiction at it's finest, this is the story of a girl trying to come to terms with an act of violence that's shaped her into a brand new person and somehow trying to come to terms with the past while dealing with the present.

6. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington - This is the story of three young girls ripped from their homes because of the colour of their skin, forced to become culturally white and taught that their aboriginal heritage was wrong. The girls escape and fight all odds to return to their home.

7. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - Beaten, bruised, broken down to the core, this story of a boy degraded by his own mother to the point where he was an "it" rather than her son rocks you to the core. It's a story of survival and courage.

8. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - Bullying has never seemed so real, or tangible or destructive as this portrayal of what girls can and might just do to one another if they feel threatened.

9. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - This story of abuse and addiction is hard-hitting and powerful, written in letter form from an older brother to a younger sister as he tries to show her how their past shaped their present.

10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Lee Dugard - If you don't know the story of Jaycee, you've probably been living under a rock. Kidnapped at 11 years old and kept confined for 18 years by a convicted sex offender, she persevered, raised two daughters and lived to make it home to her family once again. Powerful and emotional, it's for sure a tear-jerker, too.

26 comments:

  1. I need to read 1 and am fascinated by your number 10. I meant to watch that interview with her the other night and missed it.

    Great list.

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  2. I sometimes have a difficult time with "tough issue" books. It's only because I become so wrapped up in them it's all I can think about when I'm finished, it really drags me down. I know that probably sounds self-absorbed or something, but I don't like to be sad. I do want to read Raw Blue though. That one has been on my radar for a long time.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  3. Definitely agree with you on Wintergirls. Trigger extraordinaire. But a beautifully done novel. It's nice for non-ED people to have an idea of what the mindframe is like.

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  4. Great picks! Fahrenheit 451 , A Thousand Splendid Suns and Some Girls Are - these are some amazing books!

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  5. Great choices! I picked Wintergirls for my eating disorder book too. I absolutely loved it. A bunch of your books I haven't read or heard of before but after reading your blurbs I added each of them to my "to-read" list. Thanks for sharing!

    Here's my Top 10: http://bit.ly/qJiozA

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  6. Most of these books could be trigger books, depending what you've been through personally. They are some really tough issue books. Much tougher than anything I've read. Most I'd have to say no to. You're a much braver reader than I am!

    Heather

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  7. I have only read one out of your list, Raw Blue and that would be definitely on my top ten too. I need to check out the other titles you mentioned :)

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  8. I could never read that last one. I did read Room but only cos it never showed what happened. But it should be read

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  9. A Thousand Splendid suns was beautiful and a rare read. Great picks missy :)

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  10. I loved Some Girls Are! I really want to one day get my hands on a copy of Raw Blue! :) Great list!

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  11. Hi Melissa! I'm a new follower and found you through Jenny @ Supernatural Snark. I've read most of the books you listed. "Wintergirls" really took me out of my comfort zone. I had no clue what the mindset of a person with a eating disorder is like. It's stark and powerful. I really need to get my hands on others. Great top ten!

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  12. I've only read your first three picks, but I completely agree with them. The others sound incredibly powerful, too--definitely adding them to my list! :)

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  13. Farenheit 451 was one of the few books I had to read in high school that I absolutely loved and it didn't feel like a chore to read:) And of course I can't say enough good things about Raw Blue - AMAZING:)

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  14. I have not read the story on Jacyee Dugard though I must. It sounds good! I also adore Raw Blue, great story!

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  15. i loved that you included Raw Blue, I really wanted to. I agree, Some Girls Are is an amazing portrayal of bullying, I had to include it in my list too. Really great picks this wee.

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  16. Really great picks Melissa!

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  17. This is a great list! Some of them I read so long ago I don't really even remember. Time for a reread!

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  18. Wonderful picks, I need to read a few of them....Definitely agree with Wintergirls, it was such a powerful and difficult novel to read.

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  19. Great list, but I know I'd be sobbing with a few of those.

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  20. I chose one book from your list to place on my list. i read A Child call IT, oh, it was heartfelt. here is my list:
    http://sidnebkclubreviewer.blogspot.com

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  21. Wintergirls is on my list as well...definitely a good choice.

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  22. I want to read A Child called It again, great choice.

    My Top Ten

    http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2011/07/top-ten-books-that-tackle-tough-issues.html

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  23. Some more books to add to my TBR list...thanks for a great top ten! In middle school, it's hard to read and really discuss a controversial book since they're still concrete thinkers in many ways but I try!
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  24. Love No. 1! Great book and one that everyone should read. I have Some Girls Are in my TBR pile. I don't mind reading tough issue books if I'm in the mood for them, but I believe they are very important to literature!

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  25. I never could bring myself to read A Child Called It. Sometimes empathy is just too painful. It breaks my heart so much.

    Really bold list!

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  26. I've read most of the books you've listed & it's an awesome list! Some really great titles there! I'll definitely be adding the others to check out!

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