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Tough-O-Meter

We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)

(4) Base Camp

Let's face it: The language itself isn't very difficult to understand. This book was written like a diary of a teenage girl from the late 1960s/early 70s, so it has some now-obscure slang—but other than that, it's really pretty simple. What makes this book more difficult is the content: Any time drug abuse, sexual assault, and homelessness are included, a book can't be a little tough to digest. And that's exactly the case with this one.