Book picks similar to
Ok Danny Boy (CHAOS, #1) by Felicia Johnson
mental-illness
bipolar-disorder
teens
mental-health
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Ned Vizzini - 2006
But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.
When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens
Bev Cobain - 1998
Bev Cobain is the cousin of Kurt, the rock star who took his own life in 1994.
Get Well Soon
Julie Halpern - 2007
Here she meets a roommate with a secret (and a plastic baby), a doctor who focuses way too much on her weight, and a cute, shy boy who just might like her.But wait! Being trapped in a loony bin isn’t supposed to be about making friends, losing weight, and having a crush, is it? In her fiction debut, Julie Halpern finds humor in the unlikeliest of places, and presents a character whose voice—and heart—will resonate with all of us who have ever felt just a little bit crazy.
Bang
Barry Lyga - 2017
Another one could end it.Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one—not even Sebastian himself—can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father’s gun.Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend—Aneesa—to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this.Now he needs a gun to get out.
Unofficial Series List - Lee Child - In Order: Jack Reacher novels, short stories, and all others
This Fangirl - 2015
It also lists the short stories featuring Jack Reacher, where they fit in the series, and where to find them, as well as other short stories written by Lee Child. This information is available on the author's website, leechild.com. If, like me, you'd like to have the list on your kindle where you can pop it open just like your other kindle books instead of logging on to your laptop or PC, you will find this list handy. Hopefully you have the Kindle Unlimited subscription and can download it for free. If not, you'll have to decide if the convenience is worth a buck. This is a title list only. In reading order. No portions of the books mentioned have been reproduced here. No copyright infringement is intended. Just to avoid any misunderstandings about copyright, according to the United States Copyright Office, “Copyright law does not protect names, titles, or short phrases or expressions.” (copyright.gov, circular 34). I hope you find this made-for-kindle list as helpful as I do in deciding which of Mr. Child's books to purchase and enjoy next.
The Virgin Suicides
Jeffrey Eugenides - 1993
Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.
Hold Still
Nina LaCour - 2009
. . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.
Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined
Danielle Younge-Ullman - 2017
Life was beautiful and bright, and every day soared with music.
Now
Ingrid is on a summertime wilderness survival trek for at-risk teens: addicts, runaways, and her. She’s fighting to survive crushing humiliations, physical challenges that push her to her limits, and mind games that threaten to break her.
Then
When the curtain fell on Margot-Sophia’s singing career, they buried the past and settled into a small, painfully normal life. But Ingrid longed to let the music soar again. She wanted it so much that, for a while, nothing else mattered.
Now
Ingrid is never going to make it through this summer if she can’t figure out why she’s here . . . and why the music really stopped.
Trigger
Susan Vaught - 2006
And he can't remember why he tried to shoot his own head off.Broken in both mind and body, Jersey must piece his life back together, step by painful step. He must re-learn to tie his own shoelaces. He must somehow pass Algebra and graduate high school. And he must try to repair old friendships as severed as the connection between his brain and his once-athletic body. With a compelling and unique literary voice Susan Vaught thrusts readers directly into the bitterly funny head of Jersey Hatch as he navigates his own damaged existence, and as he tries to answer the question not just why he wanted to end his very good life, but whether he can stop himself from trying to end it again. An eye-opening story that expertly navigates the triumph of family, the depths of despair, and the humor of the most mundane details of life.
Saving Everest
Sky Chase - 2019
. . and it changes his life forever. In this tender, poignant debut novel by newcomer Sky Chase, two teenagers on the cusp of adulthood learn to embrace life in ways neither of them ever anticipated. Everest is the most popular boy in school. He’s handsome, wealthy, and captain of the football team—he has the world at his fingertips, but he’s desperately unhappy. And when those feelings become too much to bear, he tries to take his own life. On the surface, Beverly’s different from Everest in every possible way. She’s quiet, shy, hard working, and keeps to herself on campus, focusing on her schoolwork and her part-time job, distracting herself from her less-than-perfect upbringing. When Everest returns to school after his attempt, he’s in more pain than ever. Discarded by his friends, he draws little empathy and too much attention from those who surround him. But when Beverly and Everest meet unexpectedly in a dusty corner of the old library, they discover together just how rich life can be when given the freedom to just be yourself.
Break
Hannah Moskowitz - 2009
Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders. When Jonah's self-destructive spiral accelerates and he hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender to his breaking point?
Remember to Forget
Ashley Royer - 2014
Desperate to make some positive change in Levi’s life, his mother sends him to live with his father in Maine. Though the idea of moving from Australia to America seems completely daunting, Levi passively accepts his fate, but once he lands faces personal struggles and self-doubt at the same time he and his dad battle through resentment and misunderstanding. And then, while at therapy, Levi meets Delilah, a girl who eerily reminds him of someone he lost.
True Love Way
Mary Elizabeth - 2015
It’s betrayed her.Unable to escape the imbalance she was born with, waking up in the morning is a never-ending game of Russian Roulette. After moving to a new town, she’s afraid no one will understand the cloud cover above Castle Rain, Washington isn’t the only reason everything’s gloomy.Until she’s introduced to Dillon Decker, her new neighbor. Dillion offers Penelope stability like she’s never known before. He shines a light on her dark days, and he’s determined to be the cure to her madness. But when friends turn to lovers, and one lover becomes a caretaker, how much can either of them tolerate before they're swallowed whole?A story about epic first loves and the struggle to keep it sane. The true love way.
Crash and Burn
Michael Hassan - 2013
You likely already know what came after for Crash: the nationwide notoriety, the college recruitment, and, of course, the book deal. What you might not know is what came before: a story of two teens whose lives have been inextricably linked since grade school, who were destined, some say, to meet that day in the teachers' lounge of Meadows High. And what you definitely don't know are the words that Burn whispered to Crash right as the siege was ending, a secret that Crash has never revealed.Until now.Michael Hassan's shattering novel is a tale of first love and first hate, the story of two high school seniors and the morning that changed their lives forever. It's a portrait of the modern American teenage male, in all his brash, disillusioned, oversexed, schizophrenic, drunk, nihilistic, hopeful, ADHD-diagnosed glory. And it's a powerful meditation on how normal it is to be screwed up, and how screwed up it is to be normal.
Lucy in the Sky
Anonymous - 2012
She lived in an upper middle class neighborhood in Santa Monica with her mom, dad, and Berkeley-bound older brother. She was a good girl, living a good life...but one party changed everything. One party, where she took one taste—and liked it. Really liked it.Social drinking and drugging lead to more, faster, harder... She convinced herself that she was no different from anyone else who liked to party. But the evidence indicates otherwise: Soon she was she hanging out with an edgy crowd, blowing off school and everything she used to care about, all to find her next high.But what goes up must come down, and everything—from her first swig, to her last breath—is chronicled in the diary she left behind.