This is not a very difficult prompt, because I have read some books in the past few years that hit my tear glands hard. Three of them are non-fiction, but there’s one lone novel in the mix as well:
I feel like most of you have read at least a couple of these, so I don’t think I need to give super detailed descriptions. When Breath Becomes Air is the memoir of a doctor who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The book follows him right through diagnosis and treatment, and is wrapped up with a posthumous piece written by his wife. So many tears. Crying in H Mart – I mean it’s right in the title. I don’t think this one actually made me cry, but it was definitely sad. It’s the story of Michelle Zauner’s mother dying of cancer, and her recollections and re-framing of their relationship over the years, her grief process and subsequent quest to connect to her mother’s culture through food. A Man Called Ove is a delightful story, but it is about an older man who has lost his wife and is having trouble continuing without her. I won’t give anything away, but I will say that though it’s a lovely story that left me feeling warm and fuzzy about life, it has its sad moments as well. I read Pageboy this spring, and man, this book is a sock in the guts. I’m so glad I read it – it’s a wonderfully written memoir, and Elliot Page shares so much. It’s just so painful to read about how hard his life has been while not being able to express his true self, and not being accepted when he even hinted at it. I hate that the world isn’t a safe space for queer and trans kids, and that there’s still such a hard road they have to walk. I’m also so grateful that he shared this, and so proud that he has been able to make it to a place where he can accept himself. I highly recommend the book, but definitely invest in some tissues.
I loved all four of these books, and definitely think they should be widely read – the tears are totally worth it!
What about you guys? Which books brought you to tears? Were any of these on your list?
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I both like and dislike books that make me cry. It’s a powerful feeling, to realize a story has stirred you to tears. But it also doesn’t feel good.
Oh, absolutely. There are a few that brought me to tears because they were so beautiful or I was so invested in the story that when something good happens I welled up with emotion – those are easier! But more often tears come for the difficult stories. Powerful, but not necessarily ones I want to revisit too often!