8 Books That Help Teens Deal with Difficult Issues

These books for teens on sensitive topics can help readers better understand some of life's most difficult situations.

Teenagers face a plethora of tough challenges their adolescent years. Whether you're a teacher, guidance counselor, or school administrator, it is important to understand the issues teenagers can face on a day-to-day basis. The following books can help you better understand the struggles teenagers may face and provide an avenue for difficult discussions. They are also great reading recommendations for young adults facing similar challenges.

8 Books on Sensitive Topics for Teens:

1. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

In this touching, heartbreaking love story, the two main characters learn how to deal with grief, death, and depression.

2. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Written in the form of a diary, this novel is an engaging story of an unnamed girl who becomes tangled in drug culture.

3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Nominated for a National Book Award when it was first published, this book illustrates the silencing that sexual assault survivors face all too often.

4. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell intertwines themes of poverty and abuse in this refreshing story about young love.

5. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

An inspiring real story about the plight of youth in the ghetto, The Other Wes Moore is a moving exploration of how our choices can shape us.

6. The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

This upcoming book follows the story of Vicky Cruz after she wakes up from her suicide attempt.

7. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski & Donald Miller

This is the story that gave birth to To Write Love on Her Arms, an internationally-recognized nonprofit dedicated to providing hope for those struggling with addiction and depression.

8. Just Keep Breathing by Reggie Dabbs & John Driver

This book is  a collection of real-life letters from individuals in tough situations and the responses written back to them by Reggie Dabbs, one of the most sought-after public school and event speakers in the United States over the past two decades.  Just Keep Breathing equips readers to better help those in crisis.

If you're interested in finding more books for teens dealing with difficult issues, we've rounded up some of our favorite reading recommendation lists from across the web to help you get started:

- Top 10 Books Dealing with Mental Illness
- Take a Second Look: Books That Send Empowering Messages to Teens about Body Image
- Rich Teen, Poor Teen: Books That Depict Teens Living in Poverty
- Take 5: Importance Books on a Difficult Topic — Sexual Violence in the Lives of Teens
- Take 5: Books About Suicide
- 10 Young Adult Books That Teach Teens About Difficult Issues
- The American School Counselor Association's School Counseling Essentials Catalog