Top Ten Books If You Like My So-Called Life

Its time again for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

This week's theme is: Top Ten Books If You Like X TV show/movie/comic/play etc. (basically any sort of other entertainment)

I decided to do My So-Called Life. My So-Called Life was a short lived show that lived in cult classic infamy. I remember watching it as a kid when it first aired, but I was  10, so a lot of it was over my head. I watched it again as an adult and realized that Angela represented me in high school like none other. I had my own Jordan Catalano that idealized in my mind. I had my own Brian Krakow that was sweet and kind and I paid no attention. I also had my own desire to break out of who I was before and try something different, never fully feeling like I fit in. This show epitomized high school.

Anyhow, here is my list: 

1. Never Let Me Go: This book is all about a young girl and her relationship with her two best friends, who date in high school, despite the fact that she loves him. There is, however, a significant twist on the whole high school experience.

2. Perks of Being a Wallflower: Want to read a book about the difficulty of high school? This is a great one. Charlie's best friends, Sam and Patrick, are also EXTREMELY similar to Angela's best friends, Rayanne and Rickie.

3. Outsiders: Ponyboy is stuck in a life he's not thrilled with. At age 15, he wants a change. His experience is more like the opposite of Angela's (in that he is a bad boy who wants a normal life).

4. It's Kind of a Funny Story: Craig is struggling through high school. He feels like he is supposed to be one way but doesn't feel like he is good enough to meet expectations. His parents are loving and supportive, but he doesn't feel like they understand him. In many ways, he is similar to Angela.

5. Thirteen Reasons Why: Hannah has a bad high school experience, one she felt she couldn't cope with anymore. After killing herself, she sent tapes around to those she felt contributed to her decision. Her experiences, like Angela's, were definitely from the perspective of a teenage girl who idealizes how high school should be.

6. Paper Towns: Q has always been in love with the girl next door, but she has never really paid attention to him post-puberty. Then one night, she crawls through his window and everything changes. Q's high school experience of being the good boy matches Angela's, in that they both start lying to their parents, sneaking out, and "misbehaving" suddenly.

7. Sorta Like a Rock Star: Amber and Angela both enter a depressive state while in high school (although Amber's is a little more understandable). High school is a rough time for most.

8. Boy21: Finley has always tried to fit in a high school where he stands out. He works hard to be on the basketball team, despite lacking the natural talent. His basketball dreams end up dying, when a new boy with more natural talent shows up. But that's not the end of it.  Like Angela, Finely's high school role changes dramatically.

9. The Fault in Our Stars: Hazel Grace definitely has a more challenging school experience (cancer and all), but like Angela, she always tried to hide in the background.

10. Eleanor and Park: Park and Angela are a lot alike in that they don't really fit in in high school and don't feel like they are understood by their parents, despite their parents trying.