5 Inspiring Reads for Troubled Times

This past year has been a very difficult one for everyone. Since I was young, anytime I was faced with a challenge or I went through a difficult time I turned to books. Stories could lift me up and help me find my way. For me, reading is both therapeutic and healing. Learning about how other people overcame obstacles and survived helped me find strength. While the books listed below are not your typical "self-help" suggestions, I believe that through these stories, which are both are both fictional and true, you can find a bigger message that relates to your own life. These are 5 books that have helped me get through some difficult times:

1. The Five People You meet in Heaven by. Mitch Albom

I first read this book when I was in the eighth grade. It begins with the death of a carnival worker named Eddie, who after death meets 5 people in heaven whose lives he has either impacted or that have impacted his. If you are feeling down on yourself or about your life you should read this book. Eddie's story demonstrates that we are not small and we are not insignificant. What we do on this Earth matters and we all have the potential to not only change the course of our lives but of those around us for better or for worse.

2. Readings for Meditation and Reflection by.C.S. Lewis Edited by. Walter Hooper

During the pandemic, I started reading a few pages of this book every morning before I got out of bed. It was important for me during that time to start my day with something that was going to make me think and reflect and thoughts that I could carry with me throughout the day. It was also a different way to connect with my spiritual and religious side without having to necessarily pick up a Bible and read verses from it. As C.S. Lewis was Christian, the book discusses Christian ideas. I liked reading this book because I think it was a unique way to express ideas about the world from someone else's point of view. Each section addresses a different topic and is followed by a selected passage from the works of C.S. Lewis that talk about it.

3. A Man's Search for Meaning by. Viktor E. Frankyl

One of my teachers gave me this at the end of a rough school year saying that he though it was a story I needed to read. At first I was insulted because I didn't know what his intentions were or what he was insinuating. In the end, no matter what his intentions were, I'm glad he gave me this book because it really made me reflect. Through the descriptions of his time in Auschwitz, he describes how to make a fruitful life for oneself and find the meaning of life. Frankyl taught me to continue to live even when life gets tough and even when you think you can't handle anymore. I've read many books written about the Holocaust or accounts by Holocaust survivors and this book gave me a whole new perspective on the tragedy and on life. Anyone can find something to take away from what Frankyl has to say.

4. So Far From The Bamboo Grove by. Yoko Kawashima Watkins

I first read this book when I was in elementary school and it always stuck with me. Every now and then I still pick it up and read it. Yoko wrote a story based on her experience as a young girl at the end of World War II. It is the story of a young Japanese girl who is attempting to flee North Korea to Japan after the war to escape the danger of where they were living. Throughout this story, the children are presented with unprecedented obstacles for children and show a great deal of resilience, strength, and courage.

Warning: Graphic depictions of traumatizing events such as war, abuse, and rape.

5. The Diary of Anne Frank by. Anne Frank

One of the most famous and impactful young authors in the world. I believe everyone should read this book at some point in their life. What is very striking about Anne Frank's writing is that her account while it holds her pre-teen voice is very aware, accurate, and holds such wisdom. A child who was too young to have seen and experienced so much destruction and tragedy. Her writing reminds me to never forget to make the best of the worst situations in life and always be kind.