Reddit mentions: The best teen feelings fiction books

John Lennon was raised by his aunt and uncle, because they felt his mother wasn't capable of it. One of his younger half-sisters was adopted at birth by a Norwegian couple and he never met her, the other two were brought up by his mother and their dad until she died and they were sent to another aunt. His song "Mother" is about his parents not raising him.

I read a lot of Young Adult books, so here's some:

• Finley and the Foster Brother teenage romance, main character goes into care when her mother is hospitalized. Like most YA romance, you have to like the genre :)
  
• Anne of Green Gables for any kids today who don't know it!
  
• Ballet Shoes is an old UK book about three girls who have been adopted into the same family, and go to ballet school (if old stuff counts, there's quite a lot of British stuff set around world war II, like "The war that saved my life" and "Goodnight Mr Tom")
  
• The Great Gilly Hopkins, now a 2016 movie with a great cast, a 12yo girl who wants out of foster care
  
• Dicey's Song, the 2nd book in a series. In the first book, Dicey (a teenage girl) managed to get herself and her siblings to their grandmother's home after their mother disappears ("Homecoming"). This book is about the experience of settling in. It's part of a whole series, the Tillerman Cycle, that covers people in and around the family for years. Great books. My favorite is The Runner, book 4, but that's nothing to do with foster care.
  
  I haven't read these but heard strong recommendations:
  
  
• Returnable Girl, a 13 year old girl in foster care. This won a bunch of awards, but seems pretty predictable
  
• The Last Chance Texaco, I've seen it recommended as a solid story about a kid in a group home
  
  not quite what you asked for, but a few from the perspective of kids with foster siblings:
  
  
• Kinda Like Brothers, a kids book about a 12 year old boy and his foster siblings.
  
• The trouble with Donovan Croft, a boy and his new foster brother, in England.
  
  And some movies, besides Anne of Green Gables and The Great Gilly Hopkins above
  
  
  
• December Boys is a movie about four boys in a (1950's Australia) group home that I feel like is mostly famous for having Daniel Radcliffe in it.
  
• And here's a list of movies recommended by foster alumni. I had totally forgotten that the kid in Free Willy was in foster care!
  
  edit to add: Far From the Tree, an adopted teenage girl learns about her siblings, one adopted and one not.

I watched as a similar situation (Not an accident, from a disease which I was never told) took place with my Grandfather. In my adolescent years, he was so full of life for a man his age. Some of my favorite memories are sitting in my grandparent's basement, building birdhouses with my grandfather. Not long after the passing of my grandfather on my father's side, my mother's father was put into a special care home for temporary observation and treatment. At first we had noticed he was unable to preform certain tasks on his own, but then as it got on, he had trouble even formulating the most basic of words. I looked on for 5 years as my grandfather's mind deteriorated. He was in and out of care facilities for 2 years. Whenever I was there, his once large muscles were reduced to useless appendages jutting out from his chest, which had shrunken down due to his lack of physical activity completely. The most strenuous thing he would do in a non-physical therapy day was to make one trip down and one trip up the staircase with the help of my saintly grandmother. He would sit in the chair he always "rested his eyes" (running family joke, he never slept in the day) in. And if there was any family gathering, he would sit there and gaze off into the unknown. It would take multiple calls of his name to snap him back. And don't get me started on feeding. What whole foods he could eat, he would go to town on. He was like a 4 year old who had just been introduced to ice cream. We would at times have to remove the plate from in front of him to stop him from gorging himself, and then puking it all back up. Eventually, his eating abilities deteriorated as well, and he could no longer eat whole foods. Around then, maybe a bit earlier, was when my grandmother hired a wonderful full-time nurse named Rosy. She was one of the most caring people I'd ever met. She quickly became a regular member of the family, and after my grandfather's passing, we still keep in contact with her. With Rosy, we also turned my grandparent's old bedroom into a hospital room. We had a hospital bed, multiple machines he would need to have used on him daily, one like an oxygen mask but with special chemicals which assisted with his breathing (I was kept in the dark about this, because at 16 I was "too young" to be concerned about these things, meanwhile I'm at the top of my class in Chemistry and find these things interesting. But anyway...). Eventually, my grandfather's condition really started getting to his head. My family had gotten use to his new and very simple communication. Short grunts, sometimes the word no, or long grunts and maybe the word yes. We could sometimes get two-word answers from him, but they were rare. One night, he said a full, coherent sentence without fail, for the first time in 5 years. "I don't want to die." He said it to my grandmother. And it was one of the most heartbreaking things to me. Because I was of the belief that no human should be forced to live like this. His entire life was revolving around medical exams, procedures, liquidated food, and an inability to do anything for himself. Which is why in November 2013 when he went into the hospital for the last time, I firmly believed it would be his last time. Either because he would pass naturally or because we, as a family, would decide to remove his life support. Near the end of his life, his conscious moments grew shorter and shorter. At this point, we all knew he would never leave the hospital again. But my grandmother and Rosy stayed with him to the end. And it was heartbreaking. He passed on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013. May he forever rest in peace.

Now, why am I typing all this? I want to show you that you did the right thing. No human should have to go through this. At his advanced age, complications are to be expected. But he was not himself anymore. Everyday I saw him, I became deeply depressed. Seeing him with such life. Then seeing it all slowly drain away from him. It's the worst fate one could receive. You did not see this deterioration, though your situation is arguably worse, as your husband were so young and you were much more recently married than my grandparent's 53 years together. But having read this from the beginning, I have no doubt you would have been as good to your husband have you had brought him home to try and keep him with you as my family was to my grandfather. Maybe even more. But know that you have saved yourself, your family, and most of all, your husband, a lot of grief, despair, and money. I also type this for the pure catharsis it provides. This is the first time I've shared my view on my grandfather's condition. And this isn't the full story. My mother dedicated every possible moment to helping my grandfather and keeping him company.

I want you to think, as you did, about how it would feel from the other end. Your husband, or my grandfather. Think about watching as you are being changed out of a diaper you had just soiled, as you are fed spoonfuls of blended meats and fruits. Not even being able to eat the simplest of foods - bread. And watch as your family devotes your entire life to your well being, potentially hindering their own lives. And think about how you would feel as this happens. Helpless? Sorry? Because those are the first two that come to my mind.

I'd like to recommend you a book. Stuck in Neutral was a book that was assigned to me as my summer reading assignment in my transition from 10th to 11th grade. And I had no idea that it would change my views on these things as much as it did. I'll paste the summary from Amazon here:

> Shawn McDaniel's life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can't even move his eyes. For all Shawn's father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn's life is in danger.

> To the world, Shawn's senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen—a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life.

Now at first it seems as if it is against everything I mentioned about how I felt with my grandfather's condition. But look deeper if you must. There is still such a vibrant person under there. In this case, it has been Shawn's entire life that was like this. But imagine the opinions he has if you decide to read this book from the perspective of one who had all the ability of a regular, everyday human being. And having it all taken away from him. Look at the situations Shawn is found in.

Finally, I'd like to wish you and your family luck in the future. What you are going through is hard. And though I was not in a nearly identical position, I know the pain of losing a loved one in this way is worse than anything you have ever felt before. For me it was my grandfather. And that hurt so badly. But for you, losing a husband? I do not envy your position. Again, I wish you luck in the future. Thank you for sharing your story, and I hope my story brings you some reassurance that what you've done was the correct thing to do.

I'm about halfway through On the Come Up by Angie Thomas, which is not quite as amazing as The Hate U Give, but I'm not sure anything could be. That book is a masterpiece. Still, this one is remarkably well written, and the characters come alive on the page. And if you like rap, it's pretty spectacular.

I should finish Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport today. It's every bit as good as I expected it to be, and it's full of ways to take back your time.

In progress or on tap:

Company of One by Paul Jarvis

The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Dodge

The Reputation Game by David Waller and Rupert Younger

You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian

The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

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I am a notorious DNF'er, and if I don't get something out of a book within the first 50 pages or so, I let it go. Most of the non-fiction books will be skimmed, and then I'll go back and reread and make notes if it's worth my time. I have a whole system for that too. I consider reading to be a part of my job, so I make time for at least an hour a day.

this Its a YA book that has nothing to do with vampires lol. Which is great!

Its about a relationship between a brother & sister. A romantic one. Which sounds disgusting & disturbing..which is why I was intrigued. But honestly its one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful stories I have ever read. I can read it countless times and still my heart breaks just like the first. I love it.

Ellen Hopkins is a really unique author who writes about drug addiction, mental illnesses etc in sort of “poem” form. They’re super easy to ready but highly addicting. Probably written at a young adult level but they hit me really hard when I read them in my early 20’s
impulse is a great place to start
identical is very well written and dives into some intense mental illness
crank (series) is also written in the same style and all about drug addiction

They’re all older and you can probably find them at your local library. They’ll take less than 2 days to read haha

I liked Stuck in Neutral. It's narrated by a boy who is nonverbal and has a severe physical disability. He's got a great sense of humor, likes all the things boys his age likes, and what makes the story suspenseful is his dad is a Jerry Springer-like tv host who seems to be sympathetic to a guest on the tv show who euthanized his own son and is being interviewed from prison.

Boomerang sounds like a fun toy :) This book is one I've wanted to read for awhile :)

Her most well known work is the Crank trilogy but I enjoyed Burned and Identical so much more. Some of her stories, such as Identical, are told from more than one point of view so it may be hard to pick up at first, especially if reading Tricks which is 5 people, but you get used to it. :)

Username/Name: blackmetallic

Location: NJ/NYC, but I'm visiting Chicago for a week, so hang out with me!

Age: 25

Favourite book ever: Hmm... I hate to pick a YA novel but this book is pretty important to me: The Man Without A Face

Pics: Oldie but a goody: Paul Weller and Me

Reminds me of the book Woman in the Wall, that I read growing up.

Here are a couple I read back in the day -

Be More Chill, by Ned Vizzini

King Dork, by Frank Portman

Elanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell

and most likely other stuff from the same authors, too.

Angels in the Snow

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Snow-Wenda-Young/dp/1550501313

Reminds me of this

Could it be How They Met and Other Stories, by David Levithan?

Delerium / Pandemonium (Also first two in an unfinished trilogy)

A high school student felt "uncomfortable" after reading Identical in an optional, after-school reading club, so now the district is proposing permission slips for any student reading any book classified as YA, even if it contains no "controversial" themes.

Boing Boing writeup here, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is looking into it.

The upside is that this is a proposal - it hasn't become a rule yet.

Stuck in Neutral?
http://www.amazon.com/Stuck-Neutral-Terry-Trueman/dp/0064472132

There is also a sequel called Cruise Control.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins It's written in a freestyle poetry format but the story is FAN-FREAKING-Tastic. It's a story about twins who are treated unequally with a crazy twist you'll never expect.

Reading the reviews and description of the book in question makes it look even more ridiculous: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Be-Bop-Weetzie-Francesca-Block/dp/0064471764

Read Poison Princess by Kresley Cole.

> Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

I'm willing to loan you my copy on Kindle, if that's something you'd be interested in reading.