Top Ten Tuesday: Difficult Reads

This week's theme is books that were difficult for you to read. There are a number of ways you can intercept this prompt and many reasons why books can be difficult to read.

This week my list is split between books that were difficult for me to read because of subject matter or intense emotions, and the books that I know WILL be difficult for me to read because of subject matter.
Hosted by:The Broke and the Bookish

Books that were difficult for me to read because of subject/emotions but that I still recommend

 

1. Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl

I read this book in one of my high school classes, and while it was very good and enlightening, it was extremely difficult to read. This book is a man's reflection on his survival of the Holocaust. What makes this book unique is the author and survivor is a psychologist, so he examines the psychological impact along side the physical impact that Concentration Camps had on prisoners.   

2. The Handmaid's Tale, Margret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale should be read by everyone. The world that Atwood has created is so scary and so plausible that this book had me enraged at some points. The way women are forced to live in this world is hard to swallow, and I think that is what makes this book so powerful, along with the fact that this world doesn't seem that far-fetched or fantastical.

3. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

I'm sure this book is difficult for any book lover to read. Imagining a world without books is very difficult and Bradbury does an excellent job of showcasing what a nightmare a world without books and sharing stories and knowledge would be.

 

4. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Another Holocaust novel, this book shows the Holocaust from the German civilian point of view, which is not often seen. The fact that the main characters in this novel are kids really adds extra oomf to the punch in the gut that is this book. But the writing is beautiful and the story is unforgettable. 

5. Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol, Gyles Brandeth 

I love the Oscar Wilde Murder Mystery Series but the most recent book in the series was very difficult for me to read. Oscar was imprisoned in Reading Gaol prison for this book, and it broke my heart. Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labor for his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and the imprisonment and being abandoned by Douglas broke his spirit and my heart too.   

6. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

I read this one in my Freshman English class in high school, and I was so upset with the end! I won't spoil it, but something really unfair and cruel happens to Ender and it really upset me. Now, I will say that Ender reminds me of my younger brother which is probably a big part of the reason I was so upset. 

Books that I know will be difficult for me to read

 

7. The Quiet American, Graham Green

This one takes place in Vietnam during the war, and of course war books are always difficult to read. I have seen the movie version of this book, but I really want to read the book soon. I took a class in high school that covered the Vietnam War pretty extensively and it is a particularly upsetting war to hear about, but it is also a very powerful setting for literature.   

8. Beloved, Toni Morrison

I haven't read any Toni Morrison yet, but I really want to. Most of her books deal with heavy and difficult subject matter, but this one is very critically acclaimed. This book deals with the aftermath of slavery and centers around a freed slave women who is haunted by her past as a slave.

9. Atonement, Ian McEwan

This one will be difficult for a few reasons. One, it is a war novel, and two it is a love story. And you know how love stories are when there is a war involved. I have been wanting to read this one for a while now and need to jump on it, I'm waiting to watch the movie until after I read the book, so hopefully that will motivate me. 

10. American Psycho. Bret Easton Ellis   

This one will be difficult for obvious reasons. The narrator of this book is a serial killer so the book contains many disturbing scenes. I want to read this and experience it, but at the same time I'm not so sure if I can handle it. I featured this book on my Top Ten Books I'm on the Fence About Reading List and I'm still unsure if I will ever get to this one. Let me know if you have read it.   

What books made your list?