Discussion Post: Why Do You Like Books That Make You Cry?

I have never been a huge fan of contemporary. The stories have just never appealed to me. I like magic and crazy governments and aliens, and action-packed books. But since I started my blog, I’ve branched out. So many of my favorite bloggers like Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner and Cassie @ Books with Cass love contemporary and it made me want to branch out and explore this uncharted genre.

So I started with some gritty, “issue” driven books. I’m not big on fluff. I don’t want to read about rainbows and sunshine (although I did really enjoy this book so maybe I should give fluffy contemporaries more of a chance). I want to read about realistic issues and problems that teens go through.

My journey, though not very long yet, has been amazing. I started out with Fangirl. Wow this book blew me away. While not a super “dark” contemporary, it did deal with real issues that I related to on a personal level. After I finished this one, I wanted more. What else was I missing out on?

So I read Me Since You. This book broke me. It destroyed me. It ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped all over it. I have never cried so much reading a book. Tears were literally streaming down my face the whole time I was reading. And you know what? I absolutely loved it. It’s been weeks since I read this book and it is still with me. I still think about it constantly. It just made that much of an impact on me.

I then followed this one up with Maybe One Day, Faking Normal and The Summer I Found You, all heavy, “issue” driven books. I liked all three of them (particularly loved The Summer I Found You). And each of these books made me cry. Not ugly cry like Me Since You, but I did still tear up.

I was talking to a co-worker about these books and she asked me why I liked books that made me cry. And it got me thinking. Why do I? Am I just a glutton for punishment? I don’t think so. I think it’s because I love when a book can evoke strong emotion from me. When a book can make me sob, when it sticks with me for weeks after reading, that’s when I know I have struck gold. That’s when I know that the author has done their job. And that’s when I know that it’s a book I will reread time and time again.

I relate to a lot of these books. Not because I’ve experienced the same things the characters have, but in some ways I do remember feeling similar things when in high school. Feeling alone, like you’re in a crowded room, but no one can see you or hear you scream. I think that’s what a lot of these characters feel like and what a lot of teens are feeling. So I love reading about them and seeing how they work through their various issues. I only wish that I had read books like this when I was in high school. They would have helped me so much. I want to run around to every high school in the area and get these books in young girls’ hands. (I’m pretty sure the schools would not allow that and would probably think I am a crazy person…) 

I suppose that’s why I like books that make me cry. I love experiencing that raw emotion with the characters I’m reading about. I love learning through their experiences and remembering my own. I love reading books that I can recommend to teens I know struggling through certain things. And most of all, I love feeling what the characters are feeling. When a book makes me cry, I am experiencing all of these things.

Do you like books that make you cry? Why or why not?