In Without You, There Is No Us, Suki Kim shows us a world most would consider psychological warfare. Inside one of the most elite schools in Pyongyang, Suki Kim teaches English in a world of censorship from not only her Supervisors but also her peers. Suki finds herself bonding with her students which only makes being under the umbrella of the DPRKs watchful eye even more painful. This book gives you the suspense of a mystery and the fear of a horror book…except it’s not fiction.
Born a Crime is the story of comedian Trevor Noah who portrays his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, where his existence was illegal due to the government ban on interracial relationships. The book consists of a collection of stories from Noah's childhood and early adulthood. It explores his family's experiences under apartheid, his mother's determination to provide a better life, and his own journey of self-discovery.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography penned by Douglass as he recounts his life in slavery and his escape to freedom. This book offers a first hand view from someone who had to bear the harsh conditions of being a slave. Douglass starts off with being separated from his mother at a very young age and begins to work on plantations. Throughout his life as a slave, he moves to a plethora of different plantations with different plantation owners.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is a compelling memoir that explores the comedian's remarkable life growing up in apartheid-era South Africa. The book provides a unique perspective on the racial and social complexities of the country's history as Noah, a mixed-race child, navigates the challenges of being born to a black mother and a white father, a union that was illegal at the time.
The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida, is a short collection of questions, answers, and a couple short stories that all are written in hopes of showing what life’s like for somebody who is autistic. This collection was written when Higashida was 12 years old and is mainly compiled of the questions that people ask him about certain behaviors based in autism that they consider odd or confusing. He also wrote a few short stories, in an attempt to display autism in a way that neurotypical people could understand.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself by Frederick Douglass is a book about personal experience based on being enslaved. He writes this book on how he and other slaves were traded, and how he overcomes his situations. He then works to help other slaves and speak out to abolish slavery.
Trevor Noah recounts his childhood in South Africa after and during apartheid. It focuses on his relationship with his mother and some of his most interesting life stories, which make us feel sad, happy, angry and more.
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is a diary about a girl, and is also a journal. She is a Jewish teenager who she and her family hid during the German occupation of the Netherland in WWII. She wrote her experiences for the world to see how her and those around her lives were impacted.
Heartland; a book about a life of poverty in a country of opportunity. Heartland is a nonfiction memoir written by the author Sarah Smarsh. This book resonates with many, as it is set in western Kansas and is told from the perspective of a girl named Sarah Smarsh who is raised by generations of teen mothers. All Sarah wants is to escape the cycle of poverty and teen pregnancy through her education and determination.
I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing, a novel written by Maya Angelou, accounts her life from age 3 through age 16, narrating an unsettled and traumatic childhood that included rape and racism. Maya Angelou describes her coming of age as an intelligent but insecure Black girl in the American South during the 1930s, and subsequently in California during the 1940s.
