Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
History is a poem that never ends. The lives of six Black Americans—from Ona Judge to Barack Obama—are woven together to reveal the grit and grace of the fight for freedom. Filled with eye-opening historical truths and moving story-poems, this collection is an essential bridge between our country’s past and our shared future.
Perfection has a price. The “perpetual daughter” of Cuban and Mexican immigrants navigates the narrow bridge between two cultures. This raw, honest account of a decade-long battle with bulimia and the pressure to excel is a powerful look at the resilience of the Hispanic family and the vital importance of breaking the silence surrounding mental health.
Finding yourself is the ultimate homecoming. The journey of a nonbinary teen is told with warmth, honesty, and inviting illustrations. By deconstructing the “rules” of high school gender, Parish shows that identity isn’t a destination reached overnight but it’s a patient process of making your body a place where you truly belong.
Is your life a choice or an accident? A 16,000-mile bike trip from Oregon to Patagonia becomes the backdrop for a profound internal awakening. From sleeping under bridges in Mexico to navigating the heights of the Andes, Jenkins explores the intersection of faith, identity, and the raw grit required to live a life without regret. A must-read for any aspiring wanderer.
KB Brookins’s Pretty is a raw, 4-star exploration of Black trans-masculinity and the journey to self-definition. Part memoir, part cultural critique, it navigates the “messy and painful” realities of living between governmental labels and personal truth. For educators and GSA facilitators, it’s a powerful tool for empathy, highlighting the resilience required to survive in a world that insists on defining you before you can define yourself.