10 Books that Teach Ways to be Happy in Tough Times

We all go through tough times, we will be having an ecstatic day today and feel exhausted by our thoughts two days later. So, in this article, we are going to read about 10 books that teach ways to be happy in tough times. These books will let you know how bad times pass and how different people suffer in different ways.

A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman

Ove has strong principles, strict routines, and a small fuse. His neighbors call him the bitter neighbor from hell but why is he bitter just because he does not have a smile plastered on his face 24/7? There is a story of Ove and it is of sadness which we will get to know with the arrival of his new neighbors.

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi

This book is a memoir of American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi which talks about his life and his illness when he was fighting stage IV of metastatic lung cancer. During his last year at Stanford University, he observes some negative changes in his health such as chest pain, rapid loss of weight, back pain and he starts to panic about his wife and him. He started guessing its due to cancer but a routine checkup return normal and he ignored the symptoms by concluding it of workload and aging. But after a few weeks, the symptoms came back and this time stronger than before. During this time, there was an ongoing conflict between Paul and his wife, Lucy as she felt that he is not sharing everything with her. Later the doctor confirmed that his lungs ‘look blurry’ and his wife and he both knew what was going on. The room where he used to check his patients became his own.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith

This book is an adored American classic about a young girl’s coming of age. It is a moving tale crammed up with compassion, cruelty, heartache, laughter, and people and incidents. Life in the slums of Francie Nolan has inspired, uplifted, and encouraged many. The experiences are raw and authentic which makes them unforgettable.

Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher frankly talks about her life in this book, the struggles, and perks of growing up with celebrity parents, how she had to struggle with addiction, manic depression during her free time, and also about lounging around several mental institutions. This book has to all, celebrities and step-parents to wake up beside a dead friend.

Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes

In this witty, hilarious, and intimate book the creator of Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy talks about how saying YES evolved her life and how it can alter our lives too. With the success that this introvert received she could easily say no to a lot of things without any fear – media appearances, Hollywood parties, and speaking engagements. But then in 2013 Thanksgiving, her sister told her how she never says yes to anything and then it all changed with YES.

Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

This book was selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time. It is an American classic and one of the best antiwar books in the world which focuses on the well-known firebombing of Dresden. The odyssey of Billy Pilgrim through his time reflects on the mythical journey of our own shattered lives as we explore and search for the meaning in what frightens us the most.

Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris

This book is a result of several incidents that happened in the writer’s life. Sedaris’ move from Paris to New York is what inspired this book including his effort to learn French from a sadistic tutor.

The Book of Joy – Dalai Lama

The book covers an occasion, a big birthday which motivated two friends to get together in Dharamsala and converse about something significant to them – the subject was a joy and the friends were Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Both are hugely influential personalities and are known for being the happiest to live on the planet as well. In this book, they share their own stories of adversity, struggle, and renewal by covering the three layers of the cake – teachings and tales of joy, the latest findings in science about profound happiness, and daily practices which secure their spiritual and emotional lives.

Tiny Beautiful Things – Cheryl Strayed

This book is a series of advice columns and it also includes several letters dedicated to ‘dear sugar’ and it covers life problems followed by Cheryl or Sugar’s response. Some of the letters and incidents and some are not but the writing is very powerful.

Wonder – R. J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial disparity that tills now restrained him from studying in a mainstream institution. In 5th grade at Beecher Prep, Pullman wants nothing but to be treated like others like an ordinary kid but his new classmates could not look past his face. This book starts with the point of view of the main character but soon enough switches to others.

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