Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books Who Feature Characters Who…Deal With Some Tough Stuff

This week, I’m talking all about characters who deal with some tough stuff!  Well, I am, because when I was trying to come up with a list of books based on a certain type of character, I realized I don’t really read in any one genre or sub-genre to feel comfortable doing 10 (even though I probably could have).  So vague and broad it is!

1. The Truth About Air & Water by Katherine Owen.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like getting hit by a baseball and forgetting the last several years of your life…which includes finding out about your daughter and the love of your life.  And I really can’t imagine being the girl who has to see this happen and having to give him the time and space for him to remember.
2. Some Boys by Patty Blount.  I felt so bad for Grace, and so angry that people would rather turn against her than believe the town golden boy is capable of raping someone.
3. My Best Friend, Maybe.  It’s such a good look at why and how a friendship fell apart, and both girls have to deal with things- Sadie and how she’s into girls, and Collette and discovering the role her mom played in things.
4. Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca.  I liked seeing Lil deal with so many things in the midst of a flu outbreak, and how worrying about things like pandemics helped her deal with a horrible incident with one of her teachers months earlier…and how her fears came to life.
5. Pretty much anything by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Whether it’s Melinda learning to find her voice after being raped, Hayley, who has to deal with her father’s PTSD after serving in Irag, or Lia dealing with anorexia, Anderson writes these issues so, so well.
6. Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  It’s such a heartbreaking book about a girl who loses her to dad to suicide, but it’s also book that I recommend so much!
7. Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to be sent to a labor camp in Siberia.  I really can’t, but it’s such a good reminder of how horrible people can be, and how people can make it through.
8. Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.  Emma has to deal with a lot- the death of her father, her mother abandoning her, her abusive aunt who would try to kill her- and I wanted her to be okay and happy.
9. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  Lenny’s story about dealing with the sudden death of her sister was really moving.  I’m an only child so I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a sibling, but Nelson shows it really well.
10. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  This novel about a school shooting and its aftermath was so hard to read, but also worth it.

Honorable Mentions: Crank by Ellen Hopkins, This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales, and Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara