Bittersweet Books (and maybe some reading for teens)

On occasion I've had readers tell me that they have had to put Feeding Eden down to cry. They, more or less, described "...a feeling of all those memories rushing back so vividly." And I always feel this way in response: I never meant to make anyone cry. I wanted to help other food allergy parents feel validated, in company, happy even.

Then the other day my daughter let me know that she was unhappy about a number of different things, all of which related back to being a teenager. I suggested that she might want to trade in some time using Instagram, Skype, and connecting with her peers for some time immersed in wonderful book. But after reviewing some of the current and more popular Y/A options (note: I've been on a Y/A best-seller jag for 4 months there were many titles "on the table" or more literally on our shelves) we realized at the same time that sometimes we all need a break from stories that come too close to home.

My daughter is a gobble-y reader just like me and has already read titles and series. But she has only read far less of the classics from the cannons of prior teen generations. And we are fortunate to have the Brooklyn Public Library just steps from our house. I came home with a buffet of books, non current, and all chosen for different tastes. Parents with teens in need of a different type of distraction feel free to pass on:

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke: A Sci-Fi classic and I don't think I would be wrong to call it early Distopian either.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Seems obvious but for a teen feeling worn down by social "drama" it could be consoling to read about in the parlor setting.

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers: Yes, another teen questioning "who she was and what she would be in the world" but in beautiful, un-hip language.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis: More classic Sci-Fi stuff by a master storyteller.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles: Okay we all this is Sad as in Someone Dies Sad. But it's about a young person finding true inner strength and isn't that what we all want for our children?