Author: Kelly Jensen

Performed by Johnson, this is an outstanding and moving memoir about growing up at the intersection of Black and queer. It’s vulnerable, open, and compelling and would pair so spectacularly with Stamped (below!).

Performed by Lameese Issaq, Saedi’s memoir is a humor-soaked memoir about life as an illegal immigrant in America. We get a great look at Saedi’s family, her relationship with her sister, and the lengths that her parents went to to obtain green cards for them all. Sprinkled throughout the story are FAQs about Iranian culture and tradition which are written in a really funny yet informative manner. 

Hughes performs her own audiobook, which is a series of essays for YA readers on everything from growing up in a small Kentucky town to becoming a spelling bee champion to graduating at age 15 and moving herself to New York to pursue her dream. This is another listen for readers who love a good laugh.

A brutal and powerful verse memoir about growing up in an unstable family dealing with schizophrenia, absenteeism, sexual assault, and the foster care system. But through it all, Nikki’s solace in writing comes through, as does her commitment to being a survivor. Messy and challenging and moving, the memoir is made even more explosive by Grimes performing the audio herself.

Reynolds is such a natural performer, and he carries this must-read adaptation of Kendi’s adult book to the teen audience perfectly. It’s not a history book — a refrain that comes up over and over — but instead is a searing look at racism and antiracism today. The book clearly breaks down the differences between being racist, an assimilationist, and anti-racist, and listeners get a solid look at some of the most lauded Black leaders and where and how they did and did not advance anti-racist causes.

I listened to the adult edition of this book, but the young adult rendering is also performed by Khan-Cullors, with a forward by and performed by Angela Davis, and I suspect it’s just as outstanding aurally. This is a look at the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement and the systemic injustices experienced by Black people in America. Readers who aren’t familiar with the criminal justice system and the American police state will have their eyes opened here.

Coates grew up in the tumultuous 1980’s in Baltimore, known as the murder capital back then. With seven siblings, four mothers, and one highly unconventional father: Paul Coates, a larger-than-life Vietnam Vet, Black Panther, Afrocentric scholar, Ta-Nehisi’s coming of age story is gripping and lays bare the struggles of inner-city kids.

With candor, Ta-Nehisi Coates details the challenges on the streets and within one’s family, especially the eternal struggle for peace between a father and son and the important role family plays in such circumstances.

Hip hop is one of the most dominant and influential cultures in America, giving new voice to the younger generation. It defines a generation’s worldview. Exploring hip hop’s beginnings up to the present day, Jeff Chang and Dave “Davey D” Cook provide a provocative look into the new world that the hip hop generation has created.

Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip hop’s forebears, founders, mavericks, and present day icons, this book chronicles the epic events, ideas and the music that marked the hip hop generation’s rise.

I read this one in adult form and am SO excited to see this adapted for young readers!

All around the world, girls are going to school, working, dreaming up big futures—they are soccer players and surfers, ballerinas and chess champions. Yet we know so little about their daily lives. We often hear about challenges and catastrophes in the news, and about exceptional girls who make headlines. But even though the health, education, and success of girls so often determines the future of a community, we don’t know more about what life is like for the ordinary girls, the ones living outside the headlines.

From the Americas to Europe to Africa to Asia to the South Pacific, the thirty teens from twenty-seven countries in Girlhood share their own stories of growing up through diary entries and photographs, and the girls’ stories are put in context with reporting and research that helps us understand the circumstances and communities they live in. This full-color, exuberantly designed volume is a portrait of ordinary girlhood around the world, and of the world, as seen through girls’ eyes.

This book is beautiful and such a fabulous look at teens around the world. What makes it special is how much context is given to the girls’ lives, paired with the girls sharing their daily lives in their own words. It’ll be full color and the pictures and design of this are going to only make it more beautiful.

On June 3, 2017, as seen in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, Alex Honnold achieved what most had written off as unattainable: a 3,000-foot vertical climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, without a rope or harness. At the time, only a few knew what he was attempting to do, but after topping out at 9:28 am, having spent just under four hours on this historic feat, author Mark Synnott broke the story for National Geographic and the world watched in awe.

Now adapted for a younger audience, The Impossible Climb tells the gripping story of how a quiet kid from Sacramento, California, grew up to capture the attention of the entire globe by redefining the limits of human potential through hard work, discipline, and a deep respect for the natural world.

You’ve heard of the space race, but do you know the whole story?

The most ambitious race humankind has ever undertaken was masterminded in the shadows by two engineers on opposite sides of the Cold War—Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi officer living in the US, and Sergei Korolev, a Russian rocket designer once jailed for crimes against his country—and your textbooks probably never told you.

Von Braun became an American hero, recognized the world over, while Korolev toiled in obscurity. These two brilliant rocketeers never met, but together they shaped the science of spaceflight and redefined modern warfare. From Stalin’s brutal Gulag prisons and Hitler’s concentration camps to Cape Canaveral and beyond, their simultaneous quests pushed science—and human ingenuity—to the breaking point.

From Amy Cherrix comes the extraordinary hidden story of the space race and the bitter rivalry that launched humankind to the moon.

As their communities were being destroyed, groups of Jewish women and teenage girls across Poland began transforming Jewish youth groups into resistance factions. These “ghetto girls” helped build systems of underground bunkers, paid off the Gestapo, and bombed German train lines.

At the center of the book is eighteen-year-old Renia Kukielka, who traveled across her war-torn country as a weapons smuggler and messenger. Other women who joined the cause served as armed fighters, spies, and saboteurs, all risking their lives for their missions.

Never before chronicled in full, this is the incredible account of the strong Jewish women who fought back against the seemingly unstoppable Nazi regime. It follows the women through arrests, internment, and for a lucky few, into the late 20th century and beyond.

It also includes an eight-page insert of black-and-white photos, so that readers can see firsthand the extraordinary women who bravely fought for their freedom in the face of overwhelming odds.

In 1921, FDR contracted polio. Just as he began to set his sights on the New York governorship―and, with great hope, the presidency―FDR became paralyzed from the waist down. FDR faced a radical choice: give up politics or reenter the arena with a disability, something never seen before. With the help of Eleanor and close friends, Roosevelt made valiant strides toward rehabilitation and became even more focused on becoming president, proving that misfortune sometimes turns out to be a portal to unexpected opportunities and rewards―even to greatness.

This groundbreaking political biography richly weaves together medicine, disability narratives, and presidential history.

On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima triggering the nightmare scenario–a nuclear meltdown.

For six days, employees at the plant worked to contain the meltdown and disaster workers scoured the surrounding flooded area for survivors.

This book examines the science behind such a massive disaster and looks back at the people who experienced an unprecedented trifecta of destruction.

By the time he was twenty-seven years old, Kwame Onwuachi had opened—and closed—one of the most talked about restaurants in America. He had sold drugs in New York and been shipped off to rural Nigeria to “learn respect.” He had launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars made from selling candy on the subway and starred on Top Chef. Through it all, Onwuachi’s love of food and cooking remained a constant, even when, as a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the food world can be for people of color. In this inspirational memoir about the intersection of race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age; a powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest account of chasing your dreams—even when they don’t turn out as you expected.

Scipio Africanus Jones — a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved — leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve Black men who’d been unjustly sentenced to death.

In October 1919, a group of Black sharecroppers met at a church in an Arkansas village to organize a union. Bullets rained down on the meeting from outside. Many were killed by a white mob, and others were rounded up and arrested. Twelve of the sharecroppers were hastily tried and sentenced to death. Up stepped Scipio Africanus Jones, a self-taught lawyer who’d been born enslaved. Could he save the men’s lives and set them free? Through their in-depth research and consultation with legal experts, award-winning nonfiction authors Sandra and Rich Wallace examine the complex proceedings and an unsung African American early civil rights hero

In twentieth century America, no power–and no threat–loomed larger than the communist superpower of the Soviet Union. America saw in the dreams of the Soviet Union the overthrow of the US government, and the end of democracy and freedom. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the United States attempted to use deep economic and racial disparities in American culture to win over members and sympathizers.

From the miscarriage of justice in the Scotsboro Boys case, to the tragedy of the Rosenbergs to the theatrics of the Hollywood Ten to the menace of the Joseph McCarthy and his war hearings, Albert Marrin examines a unique time in American history…and explores both how some Americans were lured by the ideals of communism without understanding its reality and how fear of communist infiltration at times caused us to undermine our most deeply held values. The questions he raises ask: What is worth fighting for? And what are you willing to sacrifice to keep it?

Filled with black and white photographs throughout, this timely book from an award-author brings to life an important and dramatic era in American history with lessons that are deeply relevant today.

Violet and Daisy. They were as sweet and pretty as their names would suggest, the pair of them as alike as two flower buds on a single stem. They were also joined, back-to-back, at the base of their spine. 

Freaks, monsters — that’s what conjoined twins were called in 1908. And so their mother abandoned Violet and Daisy to the care of her midwife, who immediately put the babies on exhibition in the back room of her pub, embarking on a course of blatant exploitation that would range from the Brighton seashore to Australian amusement parks, American sideshows, and eventually to the most phenomenal success in vaudeville’s history.

But Violet and Daisy were more than just an exhibit, of course. They were two distinct individuals with remarkably harmonious personalities: Violet thoughtful yet candid, Daisy impulsive and easygoing.  Above all, they were sisters. 

In a story packed to the brim with questions about individuality, identity, and exploitation, Sarah Miller delivers an engrossing, compassionate portrait of two sisters whose bonds were so sacred that nothing — not even death — would compel Violet and Daisy to break them.

An unflinching look at ten young lives suspended outside of time—and bravely proceeding anyway—inside the Katsikas refugee camp in Greece.

Every war, famine, and flood spits out survivors.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cites an unprecedented 71 million forcibly displaced people on the planet today. In 2018, Dina Nayeri—a former refugee herself and the daughter of a refugee—invited documentary photographer Anna Bosch Miralpeix to accompany her to Katsikas, a refugee camp outside Ioannina, Greece, to record the hopes and struggles of ten of them—siblings and friends from Iran and Afganistan. “I wanted to play with them, to enter their imagined worlds, to see the landscape inside their minds,” she says. Ranging in age from five to seventeen, the children live in partitioned shipping-crate homes crowded on a field below a mountain. Robbed of curiosity and purpose, dignity and identity, each battles the dreary monster of a paused life.

Ten lyrical passages lead one into the next, punctuated by intimate photographs, to reveal the dreams, ambitions, and personalities of each displaced child, followed by a powerful account of the author’s own experiences in a camp. Locking the global refugee crisis sharply in focus, The Waiting Place is, finally, an urgent call to change what we teach young people about the nature of home and safety.

How about a book that makes you barge into your boss’s office to read a page of poetry from? That you dream of? That every movie, song, book, moment that follows continues to evoke in some way?

The term “Apple” is a slur in Native communities across the country. It’s for someone supposedly “red on the outside, white on the inside.”

Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple (Skin to the Core). The story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds.

Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking.

Note: this description comes from the publisher’s catalog and it doesn’t yet appear to be available for preorder outside the linked audiobook edition.

From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from “Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?” to “Why is it called a ‘traditional Indian fry bread taco’?” to “What’s it like for natives who don’t look native?” to “Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?”, and beyond, 

Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity.

The original academic text is fully adapted by renowned curriculum experts Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, for middle-grade and young adult readers to include discussion topics, archival images, original maps, recommendations for further reading, and other materials to encourage students, teachers, and general readers to think critically about their own place in history.

Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #Not Your Princess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible. 

This book is absolutely beautiful and powerful, showcasing Native teen voices, art, and creativity. It’s a shorter one, so you can read it quickly, but it’s really one to sit and savor!

Young, urban Natives powerfully show how their culture and values can survive—and enrich—city life. Urban Tribes offers unique insight into this growing and often misperceived group. Emotionally potent and visually arresting, the anthology profiles young urban Natives from across North America, exploring how they connect with Native culture and values in their contemporary lives. Their stories are as diverse as they are. From a young Dene woman pursuing a MBA at Stanford to a Pima photographer in Phoenix to a Mohawk actress in New York, these urban Natives share their unique perspectives to bridge the divide between their past and their future, their cultural home, and their adopted cities. Unflinchingly honest and deeply moving, contributors explore a wide-range of topics. From the trials and tribulations of dating in the city to the alienating experience of leaving a remote reserve to attend high school in the city, from the mainstream success of Electric Pow wow music to the humiliation of dealing with racist school mascots, personal perspectives illuminate larger political issues. An innovative and highly visual design offers a dynamic, reading experience.

Robin was born in South Korea and was raised by a single mother. The two of them had a tight bond when she was young but it got a little more challenging when her mother announced that she was getting married to a man in Huntsville, Alabama, and they would become permanent immigrants to the USA. Not speaking English, Robin is completely challenged in her new school with learning and communicating with classmates, and more, she’s lost those connections to her friends back in Korea…and her connection with comics. But when Robin’s mom enrolls her in a comics creation class, she finds herself suddenly able to develop a new friendship and rekindle her love of comics, reading, and being wholly herself.

This graphic memoir is gorgeous and a fabulous read and bonus, there’s some humor!

This graphic primer is essential reading for understanding the fight for suffrage and women’s rights more broadly. Where so many books focus heavily on the work done by white women, Kendall highlights women of color who made tremendous strides not only in the fight for the right to vote, but also for labor, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, abolition, and more. An outstanding look at the past, present, and future of the rights for people of all genders.

Speaking of books about women through history, Bagieu’s collective biography offers a broad scope of the accomplishments, achievements, and work women have done throughout history. If you’re looking for work in translation by an author/artist who is wickedly talented, you’ll want to pick this up ASAP.

Gene never liked sports growing up, but at the school where he works, basketball is all the community can talk about. The varsity team this year is on a hot streak and close to entering the California State Championships. The book follows as Gene gets to know the team, the players, and their passion for the game, which forever changes his understanding of why sports become such a meaningful piece of a person’s life.

And, of course, Gene’s art is simply spectacular.

Brown has made a name for himself with outstanding graphic nonfiction that highlights a moment in history worth exploring more deeply. In this book, he focuses in on Hurricane Katrina and the devastation left in its wake in New Orleans. Not only does the book highlight the acts of hope and heroism that came from the storm, but Brown doesn’t shy away from the realities of racism and incompetence that made the storm’s impact harm some communities much more than others.

If this book captivates you, pick up one of Brown’s other YA nonfiction comics: The Great American Dust Bowl, The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, or Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918.

Told from first-person points of view, this graphic nonfiction book highlights the stories of six Holocaust survivors. These narratives come from survivor stories and don’t shy away from the tragic realities of life in concentration camps, mass murder, and the dehumanization all around them.

This is a heavy read but a necessary one.