September is National Suicide Prevention Month, something I recently talked about on Instagram. Surrounding the release of Bill Konigsberg’s new book, The Bridge, I Read YA is hosting a campaign called #StayAnotherDay. Since Konigsberg’s book focuses on suicide, they’re encouraging discussion of mental health in social media settings. It’s a fantastic campaign, and one that I am proud to be a part of!
In recent years, a lot of YA has started acknowledging and talking about different mental health issues as they relate to teens. I think this is great! Facilitating these discussions is so important in getting rid of the stigma that surrounds mental health still today. A lot of the books on this list do just that. This list will focus on books that specifically deal with depression and/or suicide, but there are plenty of other YA books that focus on other mental health issues. I’ve talked about them in previous posts (here and here) so be sure to check them out!
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Book Recs for National Suicide Prevention Month
The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg
Aaron and Tillie both arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, both feeling suicidal. Aaron is gay and struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn’t sure why she feels the way she does, she just wants it to stop. There are four different outcomes; which one really happens? This book just came out next week, and is the source for the campaign I mentioned above. While I haven’t read it yet, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy because I’ve only heard good things about it!
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Darius is about to go on his first trip to Iran, to meet family he’s only ever seen in video calls. It’s there he meets Sohrab, who is about to change Darius’s life. Sohrab helps Darius to gain more confidence, to be true to himself. When it’s time to go home, Darius has to figure out how to keep this confidence back in America. One of the things Darius has to deal with in this book is the cultural stigma around mental illness in the Iranian culture. These are important conversations to have in YA because cultures look at things differently. This is absolutely one of the reasons I love this book and can’t wait until my hold on the sequel comes in at the library!
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The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
Cal is a successful social media journalist who has his entire life planned out. All of that goes out the window when his father is asked to join the next NASA mission to Mars and they have to move to Texas. But it’s Texas where Cal meets Leon and falls in love. One of the strongest aspects of this book is the examination of media and the effects on those living in the spotlight. Leon deals with depression, and Cal has to figure out how to not want to just “fix him.” An important conversation to have when it comes to any kind of mental illness.
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Release by Patrick Ness
In the span of a day, everything in Adam Thorn’s life is about to change. He just doesn’t know it yet. But maybe, he’ll find peace in finally being free. Alongside his path to change, there’s also a ghost making her way across town, leaving destruction in her wake. I’m a huge Patrick Ness fan, and though this might not be his most popular book, it’s still a powerful one. There are moments in here that a lot of gay teens growing up in religious settings have to deal with, and Adam’s journey towards self acceptance is a difficult one. But an important all the same!
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Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
At seventeen, Charlie is pretty alone. She’s lost all her family, and copes with it through cutting. It’s the only way that she can forget the pain she’s feeling and get back to some semblance of normal. But at some point, it can be taken too far. A harrowing look at grief, depression, and cutting and the ways that some teens try to deal with the pain. Glasgow always hits the nail right on the head by prompting important discussions that need to be had about teens that might fall through the cracks.
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Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
Suzette is back in L.A. after attending boarding school in New England, and L.A. is where she wants to stay. That’s where all of her friends and family are, and her brother Lionel, who has bipolar disorder and needs her support. When Suzette falls for the same girl her brother is in love with, things get complicated. An enlightening look at bipolar disorder and the effects it can have on teens and their family. Something not talked about enough in YA!
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More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
After the death of his father by suicide, Aaron struggles to find happiness. Through the support of his girlfriend and his new best friend Thomas, he thinks he can get there. But as Aaron grows closer to Thomas, this happiness is threatened. A new memory-alteration procedure might be just the thing he needs. This is Silvera’s debut novel, and it really packs a punch. It’s an exploration of identity and what happens if part of that identity is erased. Adam Silvera often deals with mental health in his books, so definitely check them out!
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Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Harley has always wanted to be a trapeze artist, which isn’t surprising since her parents run a famous circus. But that life isn’t what they want for her. So, after a fight with her parents, she runs away from home to join a rival traveling circus. Harley has depressive episodes in the book that make it difficult for her to do anything. These are portrayed realistically and add to Harley and the story. I’m in love with all of Bowman’s work, and this book is no different.
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All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Told in alternating perspectives between Finch and Violet, they meet on the ledge of a bell tower at school, ultimately saving each other. Paired together for a school project, they make their way on adventures across the state. As Finch helps Violet with her sister’s death, she grows stronger as Finch slides deeper into the darkness. An important look at the effects of depression on teens and what can happen when nobody notices it. Plus, it’s now a Netflix movie (which I still have to watch).
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Hold Still by Nina LaCour
After her best friend dies by suicide, Caitlin is left to figure out how to live life without her. Armed with Ingrid’s journal and family and friends to help her, Caitlin figures out that friendship can start again. LaCour doesn’t flinch away from the difficult moments after a loved one dies by suicide. Ultimately, a novel about hope in a time of darkness. Plus, LaCour’s prose is always gorgeous, making this an engrossing, important book.
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