My favorite books and how they brought me through hardships

Everyone has different ways of dealing with their feelings, especially during hard times. Some deal with hardships by manifesting their emotions through the arts while others get angry, hide away or display an “I’m fine” facade to prevent others from worrying about them. Personally, I turn to reading to get through dreaded adversities. Reading when I’m upset or apathetic gives me an escape from reality and allows me to enter a world that exists only on paper. As I put myself in the shoes of the protagonist or a character encountering an issue identical to mine, the weight of my problems immediately diminishes. Through this article, I will uncover some books that got me through my hardships, and perhaps they will help you through yours as well.

For starters, a book series I will always return to when in need of some serotonin is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This series has lifted my spirits countless times when I felt utterly terrible. The story takes place in a thrilling, yet dangerous world of gods and demigods where kids who think they are normal find their true identities. These divine, half-god characters have to undergo multiple arduous quests to save the world from destruction. While perusing the books in the series I realized that life could be significantly worse. If these characters can endure two devastating wars and find joy in life despite their losses, I can overcome my hardships without a doubt. The Percy Jackson series is a renowned one loved by millions due to its touching character who constantly faces unfortunate events and has to deal with the deaths of his close friends, all while saving the world as well as trying to lead a happy, relatively normal life. I genuinely recommend giving this series a try if you are an enthusiastic fan of the fantasy, action, and adventure genres. You will not regret reading these books, and a bonus is that the fandom is very friendly and welcoming. I have made many online friends who have helped me without hesitation and are always there to listen.

A few other titles cherished by me were written by Sarah Dessen, who is an extremely gifted author. All her works pertain to relatable topics such as breakups, the struggles of being a teen, facing the loss of a parent, and more. Sarah Dessen’s books are extremely close to my heart and they can definitely help you out if you give them a read. Once, I experienced a heart-wrenching breakup and read several of her books about relationships. There were numerous great tips on how to heal and how to get over the person who hurt you, all demonstrated through the characters who were in a similar situation as I was. In most books about relationships, breakups last for merely a few days. The character then appears completely healed, contrary to what occurs in real life. When faced with a breakup, the excruciating pain does not vanish in a few days, it rather lingers for months and sometimes years. Oftentimes a bad breakup can also lead to depression. In Sarah Dessen’s books, there are realistic breakup behaviors, for instance, in one of her books the suffering of the event sticks with the girl for years after it happened. That is the reason why I love these books; they are tremendously realistic and relatable.

Another book that has accompanied me when I was not doing well mentally was 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. One of the characters in the novel, Hannah, was like a sympathetic best friend that I could somewhat relate to and understand. The book captures both perspectives of suicide and in my opinion, it is a book everyone should read as it offers insight into things we may not know but should know. Hannah, who had committed suicide, leaves behind cassette tapes in a box with Clay’s name on it that explains why she killed herself. Clay, the boy who had a crush on his deceased classmate, is one of the reasons why. We hear the story from both Clay and Hannah’s viewpoints, which offers readers an in-depth understanding of the way individuals interact with others on a daily basis. This book is powerful and it revolves around a serious subject that, sadly, increasingly plagues the teens of today. Among the takeaway messages, readers will realize that all actions have consequences, and oftentimes the smallest actions have the worst outcomes.

All in all, books have immense power to aid people through hard times by providing a character who is deeply affected by a problem that the reader can relate to emotionally, physically, or mentally. The books that helped me conquer my hardships were the Percy Jackson books, Sarah Dessen’s books, and 13 Reasons Why. Although these books may not resonate with everyone, they will hopefully be able to help each person in different ways; a vexed person will relate to different issues than one who is depressed. I hope that this article helps you somehow, whether it be through the mentioned books or other titles.