In troubled times, books can bring us immeasurable solace; as James Baldwin once said, “you think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” We all have our personal favourite book that has seen us through the difficult moments in life, but there are also some that are universal in the comfort, reassurance, advice and validation they offer.
In celebration of these seminal titles (which you can jump to by clicking here), we asked David Larbi, writer, creator, musician and author of Frequently Happy, to reflect on their impact.
David Larbi on the books that helped us through hard times
There are few activities like reading. Amongst its many wonders, the way it connects us with others – despite primarily taking place in solitude – is a deeply moving phenomenon. To read is to be comforted, to be validated and affirmed, to be given clarity and hope. In hard times it can be deeply meaningful, lifesaving even, simply to feel seen in another person’s words. Though our individual struggles are unique to us, there is a universality to experiencing difficult times. The same universality exists for the feeling of these difficulties being lifted from our shoulders, through reading the books which offer us comfort.
Many of my hardest days, loneliest nights and toughest times have been tempered by the solace of books, which helped me to continue until my circumstances eased. Many books have been directly responsible for said easing of circumstances. Though it is never easy to recall difficult times, I feel a deep gratitude for the words written, and the authors writing them, who have helped me and countless others through life’s challenging moments. When all is read and done, it ends in joy – thanks to the texts which understand, teach and connect us. Long live the books which help us through hard times.
My top pick: Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
A book that articulates feelings we may never have previously been able to verbalise, accompanies us through discovery with compassion and guides us towards new perspectives – there is so much to love in Dr Julie Smith’s Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?. Covering topics from values to attachment to self-acceptance is not easy but this book does so in such an accessible manner, using diagrams, journal prompts, visualisation techniques and more. Not every example or suggestion in the book was for me, but not once did I feel like they all had to be. This book has nothing but space for the reader, any reader. I could feel as I needed to whilst reading, knowing that everything I felt would be met with understanding. This is a beautiful guide to simply ‘feeling what exists’, and provides tools to help us decide what to do with those feelings.
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13 more Penguin books that helped us through hard times
War on Land by James Holland (1940)
Sometimes a book comes along just when it’s needed most. In 1940, amid the violence and terror of The Blitz, editor and Puffin books founder Noel Carrington urged Penguin founder Allen Lane to publish a series of instructive picture books to help children understand the ongoing Second World War. The results – War on Land, followed shortly by War at Sea, War in the Air and, finally, On the Farm, each rendered in colourful illustrations – resonated instantly with parents keen to explain to their children, with great care and thought, why they had to leave their homes.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thích Nhất Hạnh (1975)
Today, mindfulness is a well-known technique for managing stress, anxiety, and even depression – but it might not have been, were it not for this definitive guide, proudly published nearly half a century ago by Penguin imprint Rider. Authored by Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh (once nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by none other than Martin Luther King, Jr.), The Miracle of Mindfulness has been hailed as a modern classic for its accessible approach to meditation, and remains a spiritual balm for troubled times – making it as relevant today as it was in 1975.
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (1978)
Representation matters, and few novels have represented the gay community with such nonchalant beauty and influence as Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City. Released in 1978, just a few years before the AIDS crisis took hold, the novel’s loveable, fully realised cast of characters has helped millions of readers transcend traumatic times, and has, for decades since, provided not just a warm, immersive read but also a blueprint for living a life buoyed by community and found family. In good times or difficult ones, literature can help us feel less alone; it’s hard to find a better example of this than Tales of the City.
The Little Book of Calm by Paul Wilson (1996)
For nearly three decades, over two million people have been toting around a tiny tome to turn to during trouble times: The Little Book of Calm, by meditation teacher Paul Wilson. Designed to be carried around, it has, since its 1996 publication, only grown in influence for its small but effective tips for combatting anxiety and navigating the daily stressors that contribute to it. Fans of Channel 4 sitcom Black Books will recall it as the book Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey) ate. (When we say the book soothes internally, we don’t mean it that way.)
Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith (2007)
Reading books can bring solace in uncertain times – and so, it turns out, can playfully destroying them. In 2007, author and illustrator turned guerrilla artist Keri Smith came out with Wreck This Journal, an interactive book that quickly became a word-of-mouth hit and international bestseller. The book, with its unique creative prompts and exercises, encouraged expression, creativity, messiness, and embracing mistakes – ideal for starting a conversation about learning to love ourselves, flaws and all. Today, its influence can be felt in the widespread self-care impetus to reject perfection and put our thoughts and feelings on paper.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (2014)
Some books speak to a moment in time; others provide the key to understanding an issue so important that it feels instantly timeless. It’s hard to overstate the impact of Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, which lands squarely in the latter camp: not only did it help give us the language to bring conversations around trauma to the mainstream, it also helped bridge the divide between mind and body to understand the intimate connection between them. Just a decade old, this book is already a modern classic, having helped countless readers come to terms with trauma past and present.
Ladybirds for Grown-Ups series (2015-continuous)
In 1940, Ladybird books helped children make sense of wartime and other scary aspects of the world; in the mid-2010s, some prescient minds saw that adults, too, sometimes need simple, direct books to help them do the same. Enter the Ladybirds for Grown-Ups series: though they are admittedly tongue-in-cheek in tone, titles like The Story of Brexit and A Ladybird Book about Donald Trump have cut through the divisive politics of our times to offer a dollop of humour and just a pinch of nostalgia, helping adults reconnect with their childhoods, share a laugh, and understand our scary world a little better.
Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure & Colouring Book by Johanna Basford (2015)
In troubled times, can the activities of our childhood help us find a sense of soothing calm and playfulness? The answer is yes; just ask Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford, whose books of magical, meticulously detailed black-and-white line drawings are designed to be coloured in by (grown-up) readers. Her incredible work evidently struck a chord with fans: within a few years, colouring books for adults had become a booming industry – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, when so many were looking for a calming way to reconnect with their creative selves.
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking (2016)
Meik Wiking’s “little” 2016 book made a big impression by suggesting that sometimes, the best defence against troubled times is simply living well. Responsible for helping to introduce the uniquely Danish concept of hygge to the UK and US, The Little Book of Hygge shared Wiking’s manifesto and ten-point action plan to make your life as cosy, comforting and fulfilling as possible – no small feat, but one taken up by over one million readers worldwide. In the decade since, Wiking has released more books about how to manifest happiness in your home, memories, and other aspects of your life.
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (2018)
Memoir is a powerful medium for connection: we read to hear stories of people just like us who faced extraordinary circumstances, or people perhaps unlike us, who forged their own extraordinary path. Raynor Winn’s story is both: when she and her husband of 32 years received the devastating news of a terminal diagnosis, they set off on an incredible walking journey across the 630 miles of the South West Coast Path, through Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. This book, about resilience and the restorative power of nature, helped popularise nature memoir writing and shed light on similar reads like H is for Hawk and Braiding Sweetgrass.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy (2019)
For many readers, the phrase “books that helped us through hard times” will naturally have summoned to mind Charlie Mackesy’s lovingly told, magnificently hand-drawn picture story The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, whose pages of warm-hearted musings brought comfort to millions during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Now fixtures in the British imagination, thanks in part to a BAFTA- and Academy Award-winning animated short film released in 2022, Mackesy’s spellbinding storytelling has proven the value and popularity of illustrated books for adults seeking literary refuge during troubled times.
Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson (2020)
Few food writers can espouse the comforting qualities of a hearty meal – or generous slice of cake – quite like Nigella Lawson, whose bestselling cookbooks are imbued with delectable prose and a luxurious yet welcoming approach to the art of cooking (and eating). Complete with 150 recipes, Cook, Eat, Repeat is intertwined with narrative essays, a love letter to the joys of solo dining, and an entire chapter crafted around “A Loving Defence of Brown Food”. It is an enduring testament to the power of food as a source of comfort, nostalgia, storytelling and togetherness in even the loneliest of times.
Black Joy by Various authors, edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire (2021)
Sometimes, books help us through hardship not by offering escapism, but by seeking out and celebrating stories of joy and resistance in the face of painful realities. Published not long after the wave of #BlackLivesMatter protests in 2020, the Black Joy anthology brings together personal stories of love, humour, hope, and community from dozens of leading voices, covering everything from Carnival to Black beauty to sport to masculinity. The result is an intricate, multi-faceted reflection of an area of the Black British experience that is typically overlooked.