Rating of the best books about overcoming yourself

It is well known that the best way for a qualitative change in personality is to familiarize oneself with the hero's story about overcoming oneself and life's difficulties. Among the many books about people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, one can single out a rating of high-quality creations that catch readers to the quick. The article presents the best authors who have written works in which difficult life situations arise, unthinkable for an ordinary person. Some books on the list, in addition to a stressful situation, describe the rejection of the main character by other people.

How to choose the right book

At the moment, most of the world's population is interested in their cultural development. Every year, new bestsellers are published, popular books about a difficult life, which win the hearts of fans. The most anticipated works are described in advertisements.

How Do I Pick a Good Reading? This question interests people who want to read books about overcoming an illness or a seemingly unsolvable problem. The following selection criteria can be distinguished:

• Cost (how much it costs);
• The year of publishing;
• The presence of pictures (with illustrations, with photographs of a book or not);
• The content of the book (is it useful to study the work);
• What is the specificity of the events described in the book (natural science, medical, or is it a book about psychology);
• Where is it published (Russian or foreign);
• Is there a problem of inclusion in creation (is there a theme about the acceptance of the disease by the main character).

The Top Stress Relief Books Everyone Should Read

Where to start your acquaintance with books telling about how to live on after tragic incidents?

For fans of the genre, a selection of works is recommended, an overview of which is presented in this top. According to readers, the popularity of the books is due to the fact that each of them is easy to read, and the literature itself is interesting and exciting. In addition, the work reveals the meaning of the events taking place that negatively or positively affect the hero. Each of the books of this TOP will help to avoid mistakes when choosing reading for the soul.

Alice Siebold "Happy"

The author herself faced violence before writing a best-selling book about a schoolgirl brutally murdered by a neighbor. The long days during which a woman learned to live again, not give up in search of a maniac and grow into a wonderful writer are described in this novel. The title of the book has a deep meaning. Happy - not because she escaped violence, but because she was able to survive in spite of everything.Siebold was able to broadcast the image of a brave heroine confronting the fears inherent in victims of violence.

The book is based on documentary details from the procedure for identifying the offender, the quintessence of the victim's emotions, the instinctive fear of the offender, and the upheaval of consciousness as a result of a change in worldview. The book is worth reading for people interested in a tolerant attitude towards people who have suffered from violent actions.

• The work helps the victims of violent acts to survive the traumatic experience;
• Beautiful syllable;
• Increases tolerance towards victims of violence, reducing victim blading;
• The work touches upon the theory of a just world.

• The book is hard to find on the open market.

Boris Polevoy "The Story of a Real Man"

During their school years, many students get acquainted with an excerpt from a book about a brave pilot who passed through the forest after an airplane crash. As a result of frostbite, a man loses both legs, getting used to life with prostheses. In fact, he becomes disabled.

In those times when others would have surrendered, the protagonist again comprehends the sky, ascended in his love to its heights. Many people know that without limbs, the control of an airplane cannot be felt fully, so it was possible to put an end to the career of a pilot. However, Alexei surprises everyone. He learns to feel the machine by using prostheses instead of legs.

We can safely say that the main character overcomes all the vicissitudes of fate, arousing admiration in readers for his courage, perseverance and love for the blue and clear sky. It is no coincidence that the author wrote in the title the phrase "A real man", because this is the word that can be used to describe the pilot from the story.

• Brings up in adolescents a love of life, a desire for victory, honesty and nobility;
• Introduces the real history of the pilot;
• Teaches you not to give up in any situation;
• A fascinating story about overcoming a problem, interesting to every person.

• The work was written in Soviet times.

Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt "Oscar and the Pink Lady"

The ingenious book is composed of five stories. Each of them touches upon a social problem that worries the author. According to readers' reviews, the work is very poignant. Each story touches the soul, impressing with its authenticity and undisguised realism.

The first of them tells about a seriously ill child. Little Oscar is faced with a disease that is detrimental to his body. Leukemia invades the cells, steadily shortening the boy's life span. When twelve days are left before death, the child writes letters to God, imagining every day as a decade from his life, which he is not destined to meet in life.

The second story tells about the friendship of a Jewish boy with a man working in a grocery store. The child's father is constantly busy, which contributes to the rapprochement of Moses with the seller. The next creation from the cycle tells about the life of Jews during the Second World War. The problem of the extermination of an entire nation forces individual representatives to disguise themselves as the majority in every possible way, avoiding renunciation of religion. The latest stories are about sumo fighters and an elderly Chinese woman who lives with ten children.

Although the plots are complex, the book is read in one breath. The stories are imbued with philosophical views on life circumstances, as well as religion. There are not many pages in the volume, but each of them has such a meaning that the book can be easily disassembled into quotations.

• Complex stories are written in simple language;
• Topical social issues were touched upon;
• The book teaches goodness, mercy, acceptance of universal human values.

• Few pages in the book.

Viktor Frankl "Say Yes to Life"

The creator of logotherapy, who survived the horrors of the concentration camp, tested his own psychological theories on himself. From the moment of admission to the place of detention and until the moment of release, the human psyche changes irreversibly. The author describes the process of desecration of the people around him, where normal human feelings are replaced by surrogates. Instead of compassion, disgust and indignation comes indifference, dullness and apathy.

However, there are also those prisoners who are not broken in spirit. They believe in their meaning in life, so every day they meet such prisoners with a love of life. “The inner choice is made by the person himself” - this is the central idea of ​​the work. It is not enough just to survive, you need to remain a Human.

The book is dominated by the triumph of life over death. Life in the story is the sprout of flowers sprouting through the cold metal of the anti-human attitude of the fascists to the captives. The book talks about the importance of living meaningfully, and teaches readers to do this.

• A documentary about the author's life in a concentration camp;
• Nice style of the author;
• Creation affirms the importance of understanding the surrounding life, love of the world;
• The work tells about the problems of people.

• There are violent scenes that sensitive people may not like;
• The book is designed for an adult audience of readers.

Marie-Aude Muray "Oh, boy!"

In the work, masterfully played by the author in a humorous path, with outward simplicity, deep themes are touched upon. This is the weariness of life, pushing the mother of three children to suicide. The fight of the eldest son with a serious illness, which puts a burden on his young being. The homosexuality of a relative who is learning how to interact with three orphans. Low tolerance of the environment towards sexual minorities. Social maladjustment.

Marie-Aude works masterfully with the word. The story coming out from under her pen makes you worry about children who remain alone in a cold and impassive world. The reader thinks about what is better: to leave the guys with a gay guardian who takes care of them, or to give them to a shrew-relative who does not care about orphans?

In the course of reading, life situations sweep before the reader, forcing him to laugh sadly, then cry, then smile with delight. This is also the resilience of the eldest child who underwent chemotherapy for the sake of his dream "To become the youngest bachelor in the history of France." And the initially unsuccessful attempts of the guardian to become a “mother” for the children. And the guardianship authorities wandering around the house, checking the situation with children.

An excellent book for non-standard people, where the complex is said in simple words. Readers' reviews indicate that the idea inherent in the work reaches hearts, making them a little kinder in the world.

• The work touches on acute social topics;
• The presentation of the material allows both an adult and a child to read the story with interest;
• The book is the quintessence of humor, tragedy, love and everyday life;
• Teaches a tolerant attitude towards sexual minorities;
• Tells about the problems of cancer patients and suicidal people.

• Not available on sale everywhere.

John Green "The Fault in the Stars"

To create a magnificent story, the writer was prompted by a girl who heroically fought with cancer. A fascinating book written in simple language, read in one breath. There are two main characters. This is a girl named Hazel, who is struggling with a terminal illness, and a guy named Augustus, who originally came to support his friend. They meet ... And the magic begins to happen.

If earlier the girl did not enjoy therapeutic activities, then after meeting Augustus she begins to appreciate every moment of her own life. The idea of ​​the value of living with the one you love runs through the book as a bright thread.The realization that a person who is nearby may disappear at any moment is tragic and painful, but it allows us to appreciate all the moments that tie the couple together.

The book boggles the mind with a mixture of humor, drama and everyday life, superimposed by tracing paper over a strong and sincere love. The novel is recommended for reading by adolescents, however, older people also speak warmly about the book. This is a bestseller that tells the story of overcoming things that are incompatible with life. Readers' reviews testify to a deep emotional shock, mixed with admiration for the fortitude of the main characters. It is included in the rating of books that must be read without fail.

• The novel introduces people to the resilience of those who fall ill with a fatal disease;
• The work evokes a wide range of feelings in readers;
• An example of pure and sincere love of two people is shown;
• The author's literary style is harmonious.

• The availability of the book in each region should be checked additionally.

Paulo Coelho "Veronica Decides to Die"

The main character of the work is Veronica. She sees no meaning in life. Everything seems to be fine, however - about nothing ... And the girl drinks a handful of pills. People walk past her window. People who don't care about the dying woman.

The story begins with depression. The main character cannot find the meaning of her own life, choosing death over existence. By chance they manage to save her. And sent to a psychiatric hospital. Finding herself among people recognized by society as inadequate, Veronica learns to live. Some patients' stories are tragic and painful. The girl has a choice: to remain closed from society (in the hospital) or to risk and trust the world outside the institution.

In the course of the narrative, a deep reorientation of values ​​takes place, new love is found, and the world around the heroine ceases to be a hostile force. Coelho lays a subtle emphasis on the independent acceptance of the inner world of a person, due to which the outer also changes. Veronica's story is the scourge of most modern people living in a system of hierarchical values. And the more valuable is the transformation that happened to the heroine.

• Clearly demonstrates the depressive state of the main character;
• Shows the evolution of the girl while reading the story;
• Affirms life values ​​that are important to everyone.

• The method of suicide is described in detail, so the book is not recommended for reading by persons under 18 years of age.

Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon"

A definite hit in American schools that redefines the problem of people with disabilities. The novel of the writer belongs to the epistolary genre. Its peculiarity is the unusual manner of presenting the material: in letters. In addition, the genre of the work gravitates towards science fiction.

Recommended for mandatory reading in American schools, the creation tells the story of a person with disabilities. Mental retardation is a scourge of modern society, since it is impossible to predict the development of an unborn fetus.

The protagonist suffers from an intellectual disability. He is thirty-two years old. Charlie's life is bland and gray. He really wants to be normal. Have friends. The hero is ready to work hard to fulfill his dream. Charlie's sense of purpose is so great that he was able to learn to read.

A group of scientists have developed a method to restore brain cells. Thanks to innovative development, it becomes possible to enhance its activity. The first test subject is a mouse, which was named Algernon. A successful experiment allows Charlie to agree to the experiment. Thanks to the quality work done, the hero becomes a genius. Unfortunately, the effect of the experimental development is not permanent ...

Kees's book is especially recommended for teenagers, as it allows you to think about the personal actions of each child.In high school, when children can be cruel to others, the work allows you to look at actions from the outside. The creation is highly appreciated by adult readers. The idea submitted by the author is a new word in a tolerant attitude towards “not such” people.

• The work tells about the problems of people with disabilities;
• The book shows the profound action that occurs as a result of the experiment of scientists;
• The presentation of the material creates the illusion of live communication with the main character through reading letters;
• The book fosters tolerance towards people;
• The work can be read by both an adult and a teenager.

• Kees's book was released several decades ago.

Marianna Vekhova "Paper poppies"

The story created by the writer tells of the years when she was little. Having lost her parents, the girl wonders what reasons prompted her mother to commit suicide. During the war years, Marianne could not find her father, who disappeared unknown on the front line.

A terrible illness nailed her to the bed. Spinal tuberculosis. It caused constant, debilitating pain that tormented the baby. Her screams were heard by a passing soldier who left the child rations. In her delirium, Marianne asked to find her father, but she never met him.

In the hospital, where the girl had to lie motionless in a cast, books were the only salvation. The neighbors, lying motionless on their backs, made artificial flowers, silently talking about their suffering. The thought of bright pain passes through the book like a bright star. Superimposed memories of bad times, where it is impossible to share tragic events, are overcome by the baby. She grows into a beautiful woman who has overcome a cruel illness.

Vekhova's story is bit by bit, thoughtful and piercingly pure thing, recognized by readers as a real gem among many similar books. The theme of the incomprehensible and terrible world of adults is replaced by social problems, relations between sick girls lying in the ward. Suffering becomes an allegory for exaltation, because in overcoming a cruel misfortune, the main character becomes a real treasure.

• Beautiful literary style of the author of the work;
• The book affirms the value of life;
• A truthful description of the unsightly life in the war and post-war years.

• Description of the cruelty of the people around the girl.

Janusz Korczak "King Matt the First"

The famous Polish teacher, who stepped without hesitation with his students into the gas chamber during the fascist dictatorship, created a wonderful story about a young king who ascended the throne after the death of his father. The book tells how a boy is faced with the hardships of the front movement, experiencing the difficulties of war between several states.

In addition to the fact that the book shows the ugliness of the court ministers, weaving intrigues in their own country and unleashing hostilities against it, there are also positive moments. One of them is that the little king undergoes an evolution of his character. Coming from the front, he begins to carry out reform activities aimed at improving the lives of the subjects entrusted to him. In fact, it represents the maximum help to the common people. Despite the fact that he is small, the child loves his country so much that the reader perceives him as an adult whom you involuntarily begin to admire.

Overcoming in this book can be seen on the example of the first pampered boy, far from sorrows and troubles, who later, having passed through a harsh front-line school, grows into a worthy king. He is deservedly honored by the courtiers, and the people rejoice and admire the ruler, because a Personality appears from a little boy.

• The book contains scenes of the introduction of an aristocrat to the life of ordinary people;
• Shows the evolution of the hero in the course of the narrative;
• The king is represented by a person with a capital letter, caring for the welfare of his own subjects;
• Presumably, there is a real prototype of the protagonist.

• Old edition of the book;
• The book is quite voluminous.

Conclusion

Depending on what the reader needs, you can give recommendations for reading the works from the list above. What to look for when choosing a book?

• Average cost of creation;
• The circulation of the released work;
• Series and year of publication in print;
• The volume of the printed source (includes one or more parts);
• Who created the book (written by an expert or is it fiction);
• Is the book recommended for a wide readership;
• What it can teach people (it will help them learn how to make decisions, talk about overcoming the disease, or will contain reflections that are valuable to the reader);
• Is it possible to purchase for use with minimal financial costs (free, as a textbook in the library or at a low cost, when the books are budgetary and inexpensive).

In a difficult life situation, minutes of confusion and even unwillingness to live, it is worth turning to literature, because there are many books that will help you overcome yourself or a problem, no matter how hopeless it may seem at first glance.