Tear-Jerkers

No, I’m not talking about the Vice-Presidential debate, which is sure to be worth more than a few tears. I’m talking about books. Books, specifically, which have made me tear up recently. As I thought about the books in the past few months, I found it interesting that all but one were children’s/young adult books. I gave some thought to whether I was reading enough adult-oriented stuff. Yes, I’ve read the Circle trilogy by Ted Dekker, reread The Island of Dr. Moreau, Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, I, Robot; and a number of other things … so, no, it’s not that I’m only reading kidlit. I suppose that, for some reason, they just work more on the emotions. I’ll have to think about that …

However, here we are with some books that have drawn a tear or two over the past six months or so (in no particular order). I do have to warn you, these will be spoiler-intensive. I’m not even going to pretend to keep anything back in describing the scenes. Read at your own risk …

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (Book One of the Wingfeather saga) – I’ve mentioned this book before, and highly recommend it. I also highly recommend the music of its author. And while the book is often somewhat silly (as its name sounds), it has some very heavy moments, and some of them are tear-jerking.

Possibly the first real one is when Nugget, Leeli’s little dog, is killed.

However, the story of Peet the Sock Man will pull tears from anyone with an actual, working heart. We start the book seeing Peet as a silly part of life in Glipwood. We come to find, though, that he was the elder brother of the last king of Anniera, the Throne Warden. His life was to serve and protect his younger brother … but the king ordered him to leave him and save the rest of the royal family.

The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher (Book Two of the Tripods trilogy) – There is a scene in the Pyramid of Beauty in which Will is taken by his Master to see how wonderfully the Masters preserve the beauty of the worlds they conquer. In this pyramid, Will sees Eloise … the French girl with whom he had fallen in love in The White Mountains. He sees her displayed in a museum case, carefully killed and preserved like a butterfly specimen. The Master is only talking about how great it is that they preserve beauty like this, and Will can’t react because he’s supposed to be Capped and devoid of normal emotions.

The Pool of Fire by John Christopher (Book Three of the Tripods trilogy) – In a last-ditch effort to prevent the Masters from killing all human life on Earth, the un-Capped are attacking the last of the Masters’ cities. The bombs, however, bounce off of the dome and explode too far away to damage them. Henry realizes this and lands his hot-air balloon on the dome and takes his bomb out by himself … and holds it against the dome while its time runs out.

Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run by Sam Riddleburger and Michael Hemphill – Yes, I’ve reviewed this one before, too. And since I know that you haven’t read it (it’s not being released until next year … Mr. RIddleburger was gracious enough to send me an advance review copy), I don’t want to spoil anything too much … but I have to list this one. The moral complexity made for several tear-jerking moments. Among them, the deaths of several Confederates — whom Stonewall indirectly killed while trying to save Colonel William Sherman (who would later be the General Sherman who destroys so much of the South). Stonewall looks at the crater where the Rebels had been, knows it was his signal that told the Federals where to fire, and is hit hard.

He also prevents a young slave from escaping to the Federal lines by calling for him to help bring Cyrus (his ancestor) to the field hospital. Once he realizes what he’s done, he tries to apologize but can’t convince Jacob … but then he later realizes that several slaves who tried to escape were shot and killed. He might have saved Jacob’s life by forcing him back into slavery. At the same time … what about those other slaves? It’s quite an emotional ride.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – Yes, Dickens. And, yes, this is the only one that isn’t written for people half (or less) my age. I love Charles Dickens’ writing, and I do try to infect those around me. Usually, Dickens is known for his flowery, embellished language. When he says something plainly, it’s mean to hit you in the gut. For example:

“I hope you say your prayers every night,” said another gentleman in a gruff voice; “and pray for the people who feed you, and take care of you — like a Christian.”

“Yes, sir,” stammered the boy. The gentleman who spoke last was unconsciously right. It would have been very like a Christian, and a marvelously good Christian, too, if Oliver had prayed for the people who fed and took care of him. But he hadn’t, because nobody had taught him.

That feels like it’s going to be a long flighty explanation, until the abrupt collision with the neglect Oliver’s experienced. That is hardly the only tear-jerking moment in the book, but it’s one of the most powerful, I think. You should probably read more Dickens, by the way.

So, here I am at the end of a rather-long post (sorry about that!). If you’ve made it this far, thanks. I’d also love to know … what have you read that’s pulled a tear or two? I limited myself to the past six months, so I couldn’t include Coll from The High King by Lloyd Alexander. (Oops.) But, what would you choose? I’d love to get some other thoughts on this one.