“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” —Philip Pullman
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community about the books that have helped them through hard times. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg.
Little, Brown, and Company
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
I actually took Anne of Green Gables to the mental hospital with me. I wasn't allowed to have any electronics, pens, pencils, etc. They only let me have it because it was a well worn paperback. It's such a simple, charming story, it instantly calms me. Something about being put in a cage just snaps something inside of you, and if I didn't have Anne's world to disappear into, I would've left that place a lot more damaged than I did.
—Eliza K., via Facebook
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
I once had a boyfriend who struggled with PTSD. Once I gave him my favorite book, The Catcher in the Rye, as a gift, and inscribed a loving message after Chapter 2 (to make sure he only got it if he actually read it). He finally read it when he was in the hospital after a suicide attempt, and the message found him when he most needed it. It is a comfort to have and to read now, since he lost his battle with depression.
—seranan
The Catcher in the Rye helped me cope with my dad's death.
—hayleya4c8776cd9
The Catcher in the Rye helped me while I was deployed in Afghanistan. It was comforting for someone else to understand a deep-seated want for peace.
—Jeremiah D., via Facebook
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
If I have to pick a book that helped me get a leg up on my depression recently, it's Good Omens. It's spectacular and made me feel so happy while reading it. I don't think I could ever thank the writers enough for writing it and what it meant to me.
—malkavian13
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