3 Epic Reads When You Need Hope

We cannot cure the universe of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.

You know those days when you are feeling down, and you reach into your pocket, grab your glass of happiness, and shake it all around, making you feel happy? Just kidding! But the next best thing is books. Books can bring comfort, joy, and hope, which is the most crucial magic potion.

Books offer us hope for many reasons. One of the core reasons is that they nudge us that we are not alone. By focusing on the issues and concerns we sometimes hide behind or do not discuss, books (and the writers who created them) show us there is a light in the darkness. We are not the first to experience such feelings, and there is a community we can join (in person or online) that knows precisely what we are going through.

That is because many authors have been there, too. But bad times are not eternal; these stories help remind us of that. Scroll down for some of the three collections of fiction and nonfiction novels that will ignite your spark of hope!

3 Must-Read About Hope

Straight from My Heart by Jacqui DeLorenzo. This book offers a collection of poetry and true stories written by a woman who has helped others to unravel their true selves. It conveys her journey as others touch her life.

Author DeLorenzo shares several inspiring tales of courage and hope intended to resonate with anyone who has agonized over a loss of a loved one or hardships. Jacqui also sets out on voyages to the other side of the rainbow to a location where there is no illness and no pain since she also contemplates whether there is life after death. She goes to a place where people can find peace in their souls, love in their hearts, and happiness in their lives again, even when it seems all has been lost along the way.

Each story seeks to touch souls and open hearts and inspire all to believe in what is possible. The book Straight from My Heart by Jacqui DeLorenzo provides the opportunity to understand and know that life continues even after this life on earth. We need to open our hearts to the positive energy and the spirit of loved ones who are on the other side waiting to greet us with arms wide open when it is our time to journey to the other side.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The topic of sexual assault and rape has always been essential and severe, and in the era of #MeToo, this young adult classic is a book to revisit. Melinda is someone who feels like she could walk by you in the hallways of your high school, and you will root for her the entire way. The first ten (10) lies they tell you in high school.

“Speak up for yourself, for we want to know what you have to say.”

From the first wake of her first year at Merryweather High, Melinda is aware that this is a big fat lie. She is a friendless outcast since she called the cops and busted an end-of-summer party. So now nobody will listen to her, let alone talk to her. As time passes, she practically stops talking and becomes increasingly isolated. Only her art class provides solace. And it is through her art project that she can finally face what happened at that terrible party; an upperclassman raped Melinda. The guy still goes to Merryweather and is still a significant threat to her, and her healing process abruptly stops when Melinda has another violent encounter with him. But this time, Melinda refuses to be silent and fights back, thereby achieving a measure of vindication.

Internment by Samira Ahmed. This story will make you want to rise and stand up for what is right, especially in today’s world. Rebellions are built on hope, as they say.

Set in a horrifying near-future United States, 17 years old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into a Muslim American citizens internment camp.

With the help of Layla’s newly made friends (also trapped within the internment camp), an unexpected alliance, and her boyfriend on the outside, she starts a trek to battle for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp’s guards and its Director.

These books will tug at your heart that might give you the hope you are looking for! Be hopeful!