Read this when
Ordinary People (novel)
Home from the hospital, trying to look fine for a family that won't say his brother's name. Therapy scenes that actually feel like therapy.
Who it's for
Conrad Jarrett, 17 and home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, is trying to look 'normal' in a family where no one talks about his older brother Buck's drowning or about Conrad's suicide attempt.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Judith Guest's 1976 novel, later adapted into a 1980 film. After his older brother Buck dies in a boating accident, Conrad Jarrett returns home from psychiatric hospitalization following a suicide attempt and begins working with psychiatrist Dr. Berger to address his trauma and survivor's guilt.
Where to find it
In print (Penguin); available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain. The 1980 film adaptation is widely available to rent.
Before you start
Heads up: Suicide attempt and a brother's drowning.
Age: Ages 14+
No man is an island, entire of itself;John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII
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