Books That Have Brought Forth Tears

On a lengthy flight not long ago, I devoured Jessica Stanley’s Consider Yourself Kissed in a single sitting. Without spoiling the plot, the story begins in 2022 with a woman leaving a man, then shifts back to 2013 and gradually progresses forward. However, the narrative is so vivid and captivating that by the time I returned to 2022, I had entirely forgotten everything from the initial pages. Cue the tears in seat 14A. If you’re also seeking an emotive read, I requested four women to share the books that brought them to tears…

Sanaë Lemoine, novelist and cookbook author

Are you an emotional person?
I recently went through a divorce, leading to me crying almost daily in both private and public settings. Generally, though, I don’t cry often, and books seldom bring me to tears. So, when it does happen, it’s quite extraordinary.

Sanaë’s bookshelf

Can you recall the first book that made you cry?
During college, I read Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion in the same week. It was my sophomore year, and my boyfriend had recently ended our relationship. The books were part of the syllabus for two different classes, and I read them on the floor of my room, weeping. They deal with grief and loss, and although my heartbreak felt minor in comparison, they offered the exact solace I needed.

Have you read any books lately that made you cry?

<pA few weeks back, I found myself in tears on the subway as I finished Dinaw Mengestu’s outstanding novel Someone Like Us. The layering and circularity build over time, intertwining memories and conversations—it feels enchanting. Additionally, Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, mostly set in a hospital during a week as the narrator faces a near-death medical crisis. What caught me off guard and moved me to tears was the love story between the narrator and his partner. Their love was both specific and universal. It was delicate, tender, and strong.

Katie Sturino, Megababe founder and writer

Do you frequently cry?

I cry quite a bit in my everyday life, so you can imagine how much books impact me. My mother and I read All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny aloud last summer, and there was a point where we needed my husband John to continue reading because neither of us could get through it.

Katie’s nightstand

Which books have made you cry recently?

I’m an audiobook enthusiast, and I struggled with Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President by E. Jean Carroll [on the subject of sexual abuse and defamation by Trump]. It was tough to listen to. I usually engage with my audiobooks while walking outside, but I wholeheartedly recommend this book, even if it results in public tears!

Also, a few weeks prior, I cried while reading my own book, Sunny Side Up. At my book launch in Boston, I read a passage about many of us rewriting our narratives, even when we thought we’d reached our conclusions by now. Is it strange to cry at your own writing? I hope not. I felt it resonated with many, and I was proud of my work.

Jamia Wilson, author and executive editor at Random House

Are you quite emotional?

I experience feelings deeply, and I’ll have an ugly cry if a narrative strikes a chord. Recently, I cried tears of joy while revisiting Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. Inside, I discovered a touching note from my late mother, Freda, written in 1995. In it, she conveyed her love and pride for the person I was becoming at age 15. This battered edition of the book that has long lost its cover through multiple moves stands as one of my most treasured items.

Jamia’s cherished copy

Can you recall another book that moved you to tears?

I recollect reading bell hooks’s Wounds of Passion on a bus ride from Siena to Rome during my semester abroad in 2000. I wept throughout the entire trip, crucial passages highlighted, pages dog-eared, and my Discman cranked up to the Stealing Beauty soundtrack. There was something in those wise pages that told me this book would be a lifelong companion, one I’d revisit through trials, celebrations, revelations, and challenging truths. I’ve reread it at least 20 times, and I cry every time.

What’s the latest book that caused you tears?

There’s No Turning Back by Alba de Céspedes. Set in fascist Italy during World War II, it draws from her own experiences to depict the quiet strength and tough decisions faced by ordinary women resisting oppression, reminding us how vital everyday acts of courage are in the battle against authoritarianism. This hopeful yet defiant book’s profound historical context and its urgent call to fight for justice and liberty feel incredibly pertinent to the challenges we confront today.

Alisha Ramos, creator of Downtime newsletter

Are you emotionally expressive?

<pGenerally, I am quite stoic.

So, has a book ever reduced you to tears?

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is one example. It’s a beautifully poignant memoir detailing the author’s experience caring for her mother post-cancer diagnosis. I distinctly recall a scene where her mother laments from another room, ‘Apeoyo, apeoyo’ (‘It hurts, it hurts’). It brought me to tears, especially considering my own mother is Korean.

What’s the last book that moved you to tears?

Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason, which discusses mental health (among other topics). It felt incredibly relatable and helped me feel understood during a challenging period. I both laughed and cried.

What books have triggered tears for you? Where were you? I’m easily moved to tears, but it seems people are more likely to cry on planes.

P.S. More favorite reads, and five observations I made at a NYC bookstore.

(Top bookshelf image by Alpha Smoot from Joanna’s initial Brooklyn apartment. Photo of Sanaë by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo. Images of Katie and Jamia by Christine Han for Cup of Jo. Sorrow & Bliss image from Instagram. Other images courtesy of the subjects.)