Left Unread Books | The five most disturbing books I re...

The five most disturbing books I read this year!

I don't know about you, but I have a habit of falling in love with the most disturbing books. And even more troubling... I have made a habit of making...

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS LIST: Murder, loss of family, SA, racism, slavery, child SA, cannibalism, colonialism

Five of the most disturbing books I read in 2024!

1: KINDRED

Kindred follows Dana, a Black woman who is supernaturally being transported back and forth between modern-day America and the Antebellum south. She is forced to live--and work--on the plantation where her paternal ancestor is pining after her maternal ancestor, a slave. This book is filled with heavy conversations about what would happen if your survival depended on developing community with your oppressor.

This book ruined me. I read it early this year and I don't think I've been able to go a week without thinking about it.

2. Tender is the Flesh

Marcus lives in a world that has given up animal meat due to a mysterious disease. The alternative has become stripping parts of the human population of their humanity to farm them. Although Marcus questions this practice, he knows how little power he has to change anything.

This book was haunting and challenges readers to care about systemic oppression's impact on identity.

3. Parable of the Sower

Lauren is a teenage Black girl in a futuristic America where society is crumbling. She is challenging everything she believes about the world and seeks to fight for a future she can live with. This book has massive conversations about climate change, racism, and social justice.

4. Fledgling

Fledgling follows a young Black girl who wakes up severely injured with no memory of the past. As she uncovers her true identity, she faces themes of racism, abuse, and consent.

5. Bad Cree

Bad Cree follows Mackenzie, a young indigenous woman haunted by dreams of a tragedy where she lost her sister. This book confronts the very real monsters born out of colonization.

Concluding Thoughts

I want to be clear... these books are not light reads. They demand preparation to dive into the deep and dark themes they explore. Yet, each is worth reading to challenge your view of the world in a necessary way.