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  4 0 Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. It's a novel geared towards teenage boys -- about a teenager who travels by seaplane to northern Alberta to spend a summer with his father. During the journey, the pilot of the airplane has a heart attack and dies. The kid manages to land the plane in a small lake, and spends the summer living off the land with the aid of a hatchet his mother gave him before his trip. It is an AMAZING book, and totally about finding self-sufficience when others might think you're less capable. MyrnaMinkoff answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by Julia Wayne… 0 0 Yes. Julia Wayne commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 0 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. http://amzn.to/fiHJlt David answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 0 I recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It's the story of a boy who feels like an outsider and finds a group of friends who are older and different than all the other kids. He also discovers The Smiths, which are the best band in the world for kids who feel like they don't fit in. http://www.amazon.com/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/0671027344 Julia Wayne answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 oh, it sounds like this poor guy is having an awful time. recommending a book for someone you don't know is difficult, especially if he has a reading disability and reading might not be his most favorite thing to do. being 17 also means you don't want to be seen reading anything too childish. and on top of all that, you want the story to actually be worthwhile enough for him to actually finish it. has he ever read touching the void or eiger dreams by krakauer? neither of these are about kids overcoming hardships, but they do talk about men surviving amazing things.  krakauer has a universally appealing storytelling style, so there's a chance your guy would like it too.  his diction is not too difficult either, so it'd be easy for anyone to understand.  eiger dreams is especially good since it is a short story collection, and it seems easier for me to finish short stories when i'm busy and have a short attention span.  maybe its the same for him, too.  maybe just finishing a book is the kind of small accomplishment he needs. of course, if he doesn't want to read, nothing you do will make him want to.  but maybe a book of adventuring will help. good luck! whiskeypony answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report 3 comments by Lilly, whiskeypony, and Lilly… 0 0 Do you mean Into the Void? Not really a story of survival... Lilly commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 no, i really meant touching the void... maybe you're thinking of into the wild? that's definitely un-survival-ish. whiskeypony commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Yes, and Into the Wild is one of his favorite movies, giving you an indication of his emotional state. I'm going to try to interest him in Touching the Void...thanks for the suggestion and kind words. Lilly commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Some really great suggestions here. I'll add Aron Ralston's Between a Rock and a Hard Place, the true story that was the basis for the current movie 127 Hours. It is totally gripping, and Ralston makes a very likeable and (I hate this word) "relatable" narrator. And talk about overcoming obstacles! David Wright answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by David Wright… 0 0 (plus the fact that it is in theatres right now featuring the coolest actor on the planet may add a bit of extra appeal) David Wright commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Hi Lilly, Here are a few ideas. Walter Dean Myers writes lots of books about teenaged guys in gritty situations overcoming obstacles.  His memoir, Bad Boy, might be a good bet.  It's funny, not preachy, and all true--which never hurts. In a similar vein, Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos tells his story of transition from drug smuggler and user to author.  And We Beat the Street is the true story of three "at risk" young men who could have ended up with wasted lives, but became doctors instead.  If your teen is interested in sports at all, Eagle Blue is a great book.  It's the story of a small, remote Native Alaskan with a lot of problems (high dropout rate, alcoholism, etc.) but a great basketball team. For fiction, I really liked Matt de la Pena's We Were Here.  It's the story of three boys who escape from juvie, each with a very troubled past and preconceptions about the others.  The ending is believable, but hopeful.  It's Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is a sometimes funny book about a teenaged guy who pulls back from the brink of suicide.  The Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon, is an excellent memoir that covers similar territory.  Here, the teen actually does make a suicide attempt, but afterwards doesn't understand why.  The book follows his recovery. If none of these sounds like what you're after, we'd love for you to use the library's Ask a Librarian service to ask us for more suggestions. Cheers, Hayden hayden answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I think the most important thing for a 17 year old boy is not an inspiring message, but a book that can actually speak to him. For that, I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/B004A14W2C/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296266694&sr=1-4 Basil answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Tom Brown's The Tracker is an easy to read and engaging true account of a guy who learned tracking and survival skills from an Apache elder as a young boy and grew up to be a world-renowned tracker. Brown had a hard time in school and got in trouble; being in nature gave him a sense of identity and meaning. This book was tremendously inspiring to my struggling-teen self, and helped me to find solace and joy in nature, outside of the frustrating and messy social world from which I felt so alienated. Also, it's not a true story, but Lord of the Rings is one of my all-time favorites; it's a wonderful bit of escapist fantasy that also contains lots of valuable truths that are applicable to everyday life. The fact that it is a "Halfling", regarded as simple and unheroic by other inhabitants of Middle Earth, who finally vanquishes Sauron and brings an end to his reign of terror, is particularly powerful. Good luck to you and your boy. Rickler answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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