Books Tackling Tough Issues

Each of these books tackles a tough issue, whether it's dealing with a loss of a loved one or infidelity in a relationship. Be sure to check out The Broke and the Bookish to see which books other boggers selected for this list.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer -This novel tells the story of how a family deals with losing a loved one during 9/11.

2. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls -This is a haunting memoir beautifully written with fervent emotion. Jeannette has been through many things that many of us can only imagine. Her family lived so poorly, she "aspired to be white trash." Her parents wer afflicted with many faults and vices, and she and her siblings had to fend for themselves as a result. This is an account of how a young girl conquered poverty, hunger, and abuse.

3. A Time to Kill by John Grisham -Grisham's first work tackles the controversial topic of racial discrimination in the court systems, specifically with white-on-black crimes and vice versa. This novel will have you wondering whether there really is a time to kill.

4. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay -This novel told the story of a family that was victim to Vel d'Hiv -Paris' dirty little secret. This is where French, not Nazi, soldiers rounded up Jewish families in Paris and sent them to different concentration camps. Read my review here.

5. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham -This is Grisham's first non-fiction work. It chronicles the journey of a man wrongly convicted of a crime, and how he fought to prove his innocence. I don't believe the issue of wrongful convictions receives the attention and support it deserves.

6. Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato -I can't tell you too much about which "tough issue" this book is about without giving a lot away. More vaguely, it's about a girl that deals with the loss of a sibling.

7. Something Blue by Emily Giffin -I know what you're thinking -since when did chick lit deal with tough issues? Really though, this book deals with infidelity in a unique way. It really shows you that relationships and are less black and white than we may make them out to be without completely condoning betrayal and deception.

I didn't quite get to 10, but each of these books wonderfully addresses topics that are hard for most of us to think about in our mundane, everyday lives. Sometimes reading about how fictional characters deal with tough issues can help someone that is going through the same thing. Which "tough issues" book would you recommend?

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy