# What books have made you cry? (Possible spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002 "2003-01-06T20:24:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/1 "2003-01-06T20:24:47Z")
Maybe not bawl, but at least tear up. I can only remember two, both children’s books: _The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe_, right after the White Witch killed Aslan. I was only twelve at the time I read it, but the whole concept of such a momentous sacrifice really shook me. _Bridge to Teribithia_. Not the part where the girl dies, which was bad enough. But the very last page, where the protaganist is sitting in his private space, and dreams of inviting a new queen into his realm. It was such a profound portrayal or loss, it made me think of everyone I had ever lost in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/2 "2003-01-06T20:28:31Z")
_All the Weyrs of Pern_ did it for me. One line in David Brin’s _Earth_ got me, too. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/3 "2003-01-06T21:24:35Z")
Reading the end of _Charlotte’s Web_ to my daughters pretty much did me in. ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/4 "2003-01-06T21:28:21Z")
The very first book that made me cry was _Primrose Day_ by Carolyn Heywood. I must have been 7 or 8. It’s about a girl who is sent from England to stay with relatives in the US during World War II. When her birthday, which was always celebrated with primroses comes, and she thinks they don’t have primroses in America… Oh, I was so sorry for her. ---
**Author:** ![RichietheGrenzlander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/87869e/32.png) [@RichietheGrenzlander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RichietheGrenzlander)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/5 "2003-01-06T21:31:15Z")
In \The Once and Future King\, the scene in which the unicorn is brutally killed nearly brought me to tears. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/6 "2003-01-06T21:35:34Z")
The Neverending Story, when Bastien stabs Atreyu (about halfway through). ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/7 "2003-01-06T21:38:12Z")
Where the Red Fern Grows, when the two dogs die. ☹ I hate when animals are killed. Also, the end of Cujo (not JUST the dog this time). It was just so bleak. A few others by Stephen King have done it for me, too…Christine was depressing and The Shining too. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/8 "2003-01-06T21:47:49Z")
One of the few was Thomas Hardy’s “The Mayor of Casterbridge,” in which the title character dies, alone and despised, after trying his best to do the right thing, and make amends for his past. ---
**Author:** ![Enkidu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8c91f0/32.png) [@Enkidu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkidu)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/9 "2003-01-06T21:48:58Z")
_A Prayer for Owen Meany_ ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/10 "2003-01-06T21:50:06Z")
_A Prayer for Owen Meany_ _Tuesdays with Morrie_ and probably a few others that escape me right now. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/11 "2003-01-06T22:02:41Z")
[_The Jade Peony_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0312155565/r/103-2485720-3619824), by Wayson Choy. It’s divided into three narratives, each from the p.o.v of a different sibling in one family living in Vancouver’s Chinatown in the first half of the last century. The first section, from the youngest child’s point of view, is light and very funny. The middle section is still funny in parts, but an element of seriousness begins to creep in. The last section rips your heart out, it’s so tragic. I’ve bought _four_ copies of this book, and I don’t have one on my own bookshelf-- it’s one of those “You’ve _got_ to read this!” books. I can’t resist pressing it on passers-by. Come to think of it, I think it’s about time I read it again. ---
**Author:** ![Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Age_Quod_Agis)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/12 "2003-01-06T22:27:59Z")
Funny story [SPOILER AHEAD]: The day we were assigned to read Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” in my American Literature class in college, our professor told us a story about the first time he read it. He had been on scholarship at Harvard as a tennis player. As an athlete, he’d been able to waltz through school without spending much time on class assignments, and as a result, had never actually read a novel. Largely because of “student”-athletes like him, Harvard embroiled in a debate on whether it should continue to award athletic scholarships, which were thought to water down the institution’s academic standards. Shortly after beginning classes his freshman year, my professor was assigned “A Farewell to Arms” for his freshman literature class. He thought he’d read the book to see what all the hubbub was about. So he found a dark and private corner of the library and started reading. And then a strange thing happened – he couldn’t put it down. He read the entire book, cover to cover, in a single sitting. And at the end [SPOILER ALERT!], when the heroine dies, he found himself crying. Unfortunately for my professor, a photographer for the student newspaper had seen him reading the book, and was there with his camera. When he started crying, the photographer began taking pictures. The next day, the front page of the student newspaper included a picture of my professor crying into his book, and featured the headline, “Does Harvard Want Students Like This On Scholarship?” As for me, _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ and _Where the Red Fern Grows_ both made me cry, but _Bridge to Terebethia_ practically traumatized me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/13 "2003-01-06T22:57:57Z")
Where the Red Fern Grows is the first book I remember making me just bawl. I don’t remember how old I was. To Kill a Mockingbird really did me in, too. When Scouts brother (for the life of me I can’t remember his name… shame on me!) had to read the book to the old lady, and Atticus finally explained what was really going on… for some reason just made me really sad. When the guy was finally prosecuted, I cried just out of frustration. I was about 8th grade, and it was just so unfair. I had no other emotional way to deal with it I think. I just started crying… ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/14 "2003-01-06T23:03:20Z")
“The Plague Dogs” by Richard Adams. A major character is brutally killed halfway through the story. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/15 "2003-01-06T23:12:15Z")
_Microserfs_, by Douglas Coupland, too. Yeah, I’m a sissy. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/16 "2003-01-06T23:13:03Z")
For me, _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ makes me misty every time. And, just recently, _The Remains of the Day_, where Stevens is relating the story about how he showed so much dignity at the dinner, which makes him think he was possibly a great butler. And then he just… continues on. I hope that was oblique enough for everyone who hasn’t read it, if not, please forgive. Tenebras ---
**Author:** ![DarkPrince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@DarkPrince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkPrince)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/17 "2003-01-07T00:09:54Z")
Stephen King’s _Hearts in Atlantis_ gets me every time I read it. King seems to be good at pulling emotional strings on people… ---
**Author:** ![tsarina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@tsarina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsarina)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/18 "2003-01-07T00:17:32Z")
I’ve cried at only two books: “Where the Red Fern Grows”, and a line at the end of “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink (SPOILER: when Michael has to identify Hannah’s body in the prison morgue) that goes something like: “So this must be what happens with old couples - the husband looks at the wife and sees the young girl within her, and the wife sees the young man inside the old one…” I kept thinking of what would happen if my sweetie and I were old and had to see each other die - I bawled like crazy! ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/19 "2003-01-07T04:59:05Z")
I remember being in ninth grade and finishing _The Catcher in the Rye_ while I was waiting for my first-period class to start. For some reason (I can’t even remember the ending now), I thought it was the saddest thing I’d ever read and had to leave the room, and skip class, before I started crying. More recently, I was just miserable throughout the whole last half of _The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay_. By the end of it, it felt like I wanted to cry but I was just too miserable even to do that. ---
**Author:** ![High\_Priestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee7513/32.png) [@High\_Priestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Priestess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002/20 "2003-01-07T09:21:17Z")
I suppose it’s kind of silly, but I was really upset (can’t remember if I leaked) when Sturm died in _Dragonlance_. I really didn’t read much fantasy other than that series, and I was really attached to the Heroes of the Lance. ;.; [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-made-you-cry-possible-spoilers/147002.md?page=2)