6 Picks to Grow Death Literacy for Teens
In a world surrounded by school violence, mass pandemic, global war, and community violence, it is essential that our teens and young adults have a vocabulary to speak to their experience with death and grief and a fluency to feel confident expressing themselves as they do so. The most natural way we can build this shared vocabulary and fluency is through literature as we engage with death and grief as the reader first, before shifting that language to describe our own world. These six books have been selected by my actual teenaged children and vetted by me, a death doula, as invitations into important conversations about death, dying, and grief.
Written by Jade Adgate
They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera
From the Back Cover:
We here at Last Friend Inc. are collectively sorry for this loss of you.
Our deepest sympathies extend to those who love you and those who will never meet you.
We hope you find a new friend of value to spend your final hours with today.
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to deliver some bad news: They’re going to die in less than twenty-four hours. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news is there’s an app for that. It’s called Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo meet up for one final epic adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
I recommend this book for fans of queer romance, readers aged 13+, and those who love a star-crossed lovers trope that makes you ask life’s greatest questions.
Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas
From Amazon:
A trans boy determined to prove he's a brujo to his Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.
Bestowed by the ancient goddess of death, Yadriel and the gifted members of his Latinx community can see spirits: women have the power to heal bodies and souls, while men can release lost spirits to the afterlife. But Yadriel, a trans boy, has never been able to perform the tasks of the brujas - because he is a brujo.
When his cousin suddenly dies, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
This book is perfect for those looking for trans representation, YA readers of Hispanic & Latino Fiction, and for lovers of ghost stories, mediumship, and the paranormal.
Keturah and Lord Death, by Martine Leavitt
From Amazon:
A young woman makes a bargain with Death himself—and only true love can set her free—in this spellbinding young adult fantasy romance.
For most of her sixteen years, beautiful Keturah Reeves has mesmerized the villagers with her gift for storytelling. But when she becomes hopelessly lost in the king’s forest, her strength all but diminished, she must spin the most important of tale of life. With her fate hanging in the balance, she charms Death himself—a handsome, melancholy, and stern lord—with a story of a love so true that he agrees to give her a one-day reprieve. Now, she must find her true love in the next twenty-four hours, or else all will be lost.
This book is perfect for younger teen readers and has all the classic tropes fiction readers love: royalty, romance, fantasy and the paranormal.
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe Series), by Neal Shusterman
From Amazon:
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Teens Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.
Perfect for younger teen readers who enjoy dystopian science-fiction.
I Fell in Love with Hope, by Lancali
From Amazon:
The heart-wrenching TikTok sensation about a group of terminally ill patients who vow to live the rest of their lives to the fullest and find a love that transforms and transcends.
Against the unforgiving landscape of a hospital, a group of terminally ill patients embraces the joys within their reach: friendship, freedom, rebellion. Each in their own way is broken; each in their own way is stronger for it.
In the midst of pain and loss, they find community, even miracles, and together they are determined to reclaim from life what illness has taken from them. But a singular heartbreak has led one to swear off love forever. The risk of experiencing another tragedy feels too great. Yet, in this desolate place where it seems impossible for love to make an appearance, a door opens—and so do hearts.
My older teen has this book earmarked and highlighted, as it is so full of poignant gems. I’d suggest this one for older teens who are looking for disability visibility, coming-of-age fiction, and contemporary romance.
You’ve Reached Sam, by Dustin Thao
From Amazon:
A heartfelt novel about love and loss and what it means to say goodbye.
Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out―move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city; spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.
The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?
This is the kind of book I would have loved as a teen: a traditional YA contemporary romance focused on grief that asks you to consider life’s existential questions. This is best for older teens, is emotionally charged, and is a contemporary romance.
