Top Ten Books That Make Me Think (TTT 7)

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is...

 Top Ten Books that Make Me Think

1. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In the future abortion is illegal but parents can choose to have their children 'unwound' before they turn 18. This book is insane and kind of scary, but it really made me think about abortion, the value of human life, and human rights.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
If I found myself forced to fight to the death with other teens for entertainment, would I play the government's game and kill others? Or would I have the courage to defy them by refusing to play the game and not kill, even if it meant losing my life? If I was a spectator would I condone and watch the games or speak out against them? These books raise so many intriguing questions.

3. Sold by Patricia McCormick
13-year-old Lakshmi is sold into prostitution by her father to help pay off his gambling debts. This story was so heartbreaking, and it really opens your eyes to the issue of human trafficking.

4. Trafficked by Kim Purcell
A young Russian girl is tricked into trafficking in the U.S. by being promised a good job as a nanny. But once she arrives at the home she finds she is not allowed to leave. It was frightening to see how easily young girls are tricked into human trafficking. I knew that trafficking happens in the U.S., but it was still eye-opening.

5. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
In the future everyone undergoes a surgery to make themselves physically perfect. This brought up so many questions for me about beauty and our society's obsession with it. What is truly beautiful? If I could make myself perfect, would I? What would I lose by giving up the face I was born with?

6. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
I just finished this one a couple days ago, and after turning the last page I was left in a daze. So many interesting questions were raised about gender roles and expectations, being yourself even when people disapprove, and not conforming to social norms and changing yourself to please others.

7. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters are written by the demon Wormwood to his apprentice Screwtape. Wormwood instructs Screwtape how to tempt the man he is assigned to and keep him from beocming a Christian. This viewpoint was so interesting and it really made me think about the 'invisible world' and the forces at work that we are unaware of.

8. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
In the future women only live to be 21 and men 23. Young girls are kidnapped and sold as unwilling 'brides' to wealthy men. This was an eerie dystopian and reminded me a lot of the real-life issues of human trafficking.

9. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The two different POV's from the two main characters in this book really made me think about how we see and judge each other, and how we see people who we consider 'outsiders'.

10. Hemlock by Kathleen Peascock
In the future the government knows about werewolves, but werewolves are treated differently than humans and are sent to special camps and have few rights. This book made me think about prejudice and discrimination so much! And it really reminded me of WWII with how the Nazis treated the Jews.


What were your Top Ten?