# Books that made you cry **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737 "2012-10-15T01:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/1 "2012-10-15T01:17:53Z")
From [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664983), but in book form. What books made you cry–just a little teary, or full blown “can’t see the pages” crying? I’ll start. The two that immediately came to mind are… The Kite Runner. Sobbing in places so much I couldn’t even see the book, let alone the words on the pages. My Sister’s Keeper. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/2 "2012-10-15T01:51:56Z")
The Night Circus The Poisonwood Bible The Help (angry, frustrated, helpless, White Guilt tears) Magic’s Price When Rabbit Howls Where the Red Fern Grows ROOM The Red Tent ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/3 "2012-10-15T01:54:14Z")
The Last Battle (Narnia). Every time I read the series aloud to one of my kids I’m sobbing leading up to the ending. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/4 "2012-10-15T01:55:28Z")
Bridge to Terebithia in 5th grade ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/5 "2012-10-15T02:00:56Z")
I must be cold-hearted, because I’ve read a _lot_ of books, but the only one that ever made me cry was Misery by Stephen King. I won’t spoil it, but it was _that_ part, the shocking and painful one. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/6 "2012-10-15T02:03:57Z")
A Storm of Swords, not spoiling anything for the next season of Game of Thrones but it wasn’t what happened inside that made me cry but outside. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/7 "2012-10-15T02:05:45Z")
_Charlotte’s Web_ (of course). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/8 "2012-10-15T02:09:01Z")
[from an old thread about books](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13365494&postcount=18) ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/9 "2012-10-15T02:13:32Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > _Charlotte’s Web_ (of course). Man, even just thinking about this book makes tear up a little. I can’t think of another book that’s affected as much as this one did when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/10 "2012-10-15T02:18:10Z")
Oh, god, if we’re going to include small children’s books, I’m sunk. I cannot get through [On the Day You Were Born](http://www.debrafrasier.com/pages/books/otb.html) without great wracking sobs that scare my kids. Even just opening up that website to link to it made me catch my breath and two tears escaped before I could click back here right quick. I’m not a cryer in real life, or at movies or television. Apparently, I am when it comes to books. ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/11 "2012-10-15T03:54:36Z")
It may have been done before but I’ll start it anyway. Inspired by 'Movies that make you cry. Only two books that I can think of have ever made me cry while reading them… A Prayer for Owen Meany And The Art of Racing in the Rain - Just find it and read it. And it seems I should have read further down the list, as I have started a duplicate topic… Hey Mods! Can you lend a merge? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/12 "2012-10-15T03:57:00Z")
Flowers for Algernon \<-- sobbed like a baby, only book I’ve read more than once. A Tale of Two Cities ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/13 "2012-10-15T03:58:16Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/14 "2012-10-15T03:59:10Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/15 "2012-10-15T04:23:25Z")
Sophie’s Choice ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/16 "2012-10-15T04:49:22Z")
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/17 "2012-10-15T05:54:15Z")
Next of Kin. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/18 "2012-10-15T10:05:42Z")
Kamchatka. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/19 "2012-10-15T12:04:27Z")
God, I’ve cried at most of these. I’m a crier when it comes to good literature. There are a couple that really stand out though - \*The Last Battle: one of the first books I remember crying at the end of. Not just because of the events of the book, but because I knew it was Over and there was no more to read. Kind of like having friends move far away when you’re a kid in the pre-internet age. You’ll always have your memories, but you’ll never know what else happens to them. \*Charlotte’s Web: How could you not? \*A Prayer for Owen Meany: I cry every time I read this book (and most of Irving’s novels, for that matter; Hotel New Hampshire is another big tear-fest for me). One of the things I love about Irving’s writing is that you can know the end of the book from the first page, and still wind up wracked with sobs when you get there. \*The Time-Traveler’s Wife: Ho-lee Moly. I was finishing it one morning when my husband left for work, sitting in the living room just bawling. “Why do you read these things?” he asked. “Because- it’s- so- good!” [sob] ---
**Author:** ![toast\_pakora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@toast\_pakora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toast_pakora)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737/20 "2012-10-15T12:26:08Z")
I was reading The Little Match Girl out loud to my 6 year old nephew during a rather desperate time in our lives and I could barely choke out the final sentences. I was not familiar with the story before that; it’s heartbreaking. This is a fairy tale for kids? Angela’s Ashes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-made-you-cry/637737.md?page=2)