What are some great books for teens that cope with real problems?

Question

ive read a few books
like speak and crank

are there any other books like these or better than these

like tragedies
dealing with
drug use
rape sex
parental abuse

Answer 1

I had a feeling several people were going to recommend "Go Ask Alice" and I'm starting to feel like I'm on a crusade to get people to stop recommeding the book. I read it and was fascinated by it when I was about 12, but I started wondering about it later in my teens and then when I was working as a children's librarian I found out that the book is a hoax. Since then I've read up on it - it's written by a mormon woman named Beatrice Sparks (who also wrote another book someone recommended - it happened to Nancy) - anyway what she did was she was working as a therapist and she took a few real diary entries and then pumped them up with a bunch of BS to make it into a supposed "real" diary. It's different than just saying oh, this is a book of fiction but it's still interesting- because what the book really gives you is a right-wing adult's view of all the terrible things that happen to you if you use drugs - not a realistic view of actual problems that you might go through. It's just starting to really bother me because teachers and schools still recommend this book, bookstores still shelve it as non-fiction (even though it's 'officially' fiction now from the publisher) and I think it hurts real teens who are trying to get a grip on real choices and real challenges they face to read something so sensationalized.

I DO strongly recommend "lucky" by Alice Sebold. Unlike Go Ask Alice, it is a true recounting of what happened to her at 19 and it's very powerful and hard to read. She is also the author of "The Lovely Bones" which is fiction and deals with some of these themes.

You might find the book "Sickened" by Julie Gregory and Marc Feldman interesting. It's a memoir of the author's childhood; her mother had munchausen by proxy syndrome, which is where you make your children sick to get yourself attention.

Also check out "Uncle Vampire" by Cynthia D. Grant, a well-written fiction book about a teenager who is coping with her uncle's sexual abuse.

Answer 2

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
Baby Blue by Michelle D. Kwasney
Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready
Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Mercy Unbound by Kim Antieau
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Candy by Kevin Brooks
Cut by Patricia Mccormick
Burned by Ellen Hopkins
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Road Of The Dead by Kevin Brooks
The Possibility of Fireflies by Dominique Paul
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Answer 3

Try going for classics. That's what i did, and you'll realize that modern stereotype-teenage books can't compete with em. I recommend Gone with the Wind by Mitchell. If you don't like classics, go for The Cliques. I haven't read em, but my friends love em=] Or the A-list books. I might try one of the two someday. For something very touching and sad at the same time, read For One More Day by Mitch Albom. I LOVED it! made me realize how important my mom is. I HATE sci-fi too, but even though Gone with the Wind is historical, it's just amazing. There's not much history-lessonness in it, so I think you 'll like it. Hope this helped =]

Answer 4

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen..-- my alll time favorite book. Has to a girl getting beat by her boyfriend
A Child Called It, The Lost Boy, A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer, true stories about a boy who was brutally abused by his parents.
Go Ask Alice--Anonymous, has to do with drug abuse
Breathing Underwater--Alex Flinn--abuse by a boyfriend
Cut--Patricia McCormick
It Happened to Nancy--Beatrice Sparks--a real life story of a girl with HIV/AIDS
Until They Bring The Streetcars Back--Stanley Gordon West
One Child--Torey L. Hayden about a young girl with autism, abused by her parents
Twilight-Stephenie Meyer---abusive relationship
Smack- Melvin Burgess---has to do with drug abuse
You Dont Know Me-David Klass ---a boy who was abused by his mothers boyfriend
Shattering Glass-Gail Giles
Monster-Walter Dean Myers
Breaking Point-Alex Flinn
Nothing to Lose--Alex Flinn

Answer 5

The coldest winter ever by sister souliah,
Go ask Alice by anonymous, Leslie's Journal by Allan Stratton, Totally Joe by James Howe, The mistfist, .... There are way more but can't think of more I will come back for more and also Dreamland (reissue) by Sarah Dessen

Answer 6

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I saw it in the bookstore and it looked interesting.

"Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws"
by Kate Bornstein

http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cruel-World-Alternatives-Suicide/dp/1583227202/sr=8-4/qid=1168324746/ref=sr_1_4/002-7625501-1328843?ie=UTF8&s=books

Answer 7

Shadow of a Doubt
Lucky
The Lovely Bones

Answer 8

Looking for Alaska

I am the messenger

Whale Talk

Jude

These are all absolutely awesome...read them all don't miss any of these !

Answer 9

i dont know any of the authors but:

Cut

Perfect

I am an Artichoke

It happened to Nancy

Ask Alice

Speak

and.... thats all i can think of... AWESOME BOOKS

Answer 10

"lucky" by alice sebol

its about a college girl who gets raped, true story