I’ve seen some of my book-blogging peers already suggest this one, but I don’t mind being non-trailblazingy. When I think “tear-jerker,” the first book that pops to mind is John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars.” Green creates two characters in Hazel Grace and Augustus who are whip-smart and funny, but who are both “cancer kids.” They are both in remission when they meet, and they bond with one another more tightly than they could ever bond with one of us cancer-negative people. They have their own vernacular–“cancer perks,” for one, meaning autographed basketballs, free trips, etc–and they share the deep scars only a young person facing death could know. They both attend a support group they think is lame, but its purpose isn’t that great emotional growth takes place. It’s that they are in a room with fellow cancer kids. As they grow closer and share more, we so root for them to thrive. By the ending…just, damn. This is easily one of my all-time ten favorite books, and it’s the greatest tear-jerker among them.

Enjoy. And keep the Kleenex handy.