Autobiography
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsAcclaimed poet Maya Angelou tells about her life as a African-American growing up in the South in the 1940s. She shares personal experiences, including being raped, and provides a rich historical account of life during segregation. "We grow to love her family and what they feel. Though slow at times, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is definitely worthwhile." Challenging.
Anonymous. Go Ask AliceThis book is the actual diary of a fifteen-year-old girl who uses drugs. The writer describes both the intense highs she experiences while on acid and dope and the equally intense fear, unhappiness and despair she experiences later. Among other aspects of the drug scene, the book reveals how peer pressure makes it especially hard for young people to quit once they've started using drugs. "Even though it can be a little corny, the morals are good." Moderate.
Austin, Steve. The Stone Cold Truth
Professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin takes you on a exciting journey through his life. He takes you through his time in WCW and ECW and getting paid only 500 a week to being one of the most well paid superstars in the history of the WWF. He talks about what he had to go through after his major neck/spine problems and how the doctors told him “he may never wrestle again”. “The Stone Cold Truth” teaches you to never give up in life, and that if you want something badly enough you can get it if you work hard. Easy
Baldwin, James. No Name in the StreetThis book deals with racism in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. In the first section, Baldwin describes his efforts to find a place where he will not suffer discrimination; he talks about travelling to France and then back again to the United States. In the second section, Baldwin talks about his relationship with other civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King and Malcom X. "This book is well written and deals with very important issues (racism and white supremacy)." Students also recommended The Fire Next Time. Challenging.
Brown, Claude. Manchild in the Promised LandThis thinly fictionalized account of Claude Brown's childhood as a hardened, streetwise criminal trying to survive the toughest streets of Harlem has been heralded as the definitive account of everyday life for the first generation of African Americans raised in the Northern ghettos of the 1940s and 1950s. When the book was first published in 1965, it was praised for its realistic portrayal of Harlem -- the children, young people, hardworking parents; the hustlers, drug dealers, prostitutes, and numbers runners; the police; the violence, sex, and humor. The book continues to resonate generations later, not only because of its fierce and dignified anger, not only because the struggles of urban youth are as deeply felt today as they were in Brown's time, but also because the book is affirmative and inspiring. Here is the story about the one who "made it," the boy who kept landing on his feet and became a man. (Book Description from Amazon) Challenging.
Cosby, Bill. Love and MarriageBill Cosby talks about his experiences as a teenager and later as a husband. Rather than telling the story of his life, though, he jumps around to different experiences and explains them in humorous detail. While he seems to have organized the chapters somewhat randomly at first, everything ties together well in the end. Students also recommended Time Flies. Moderate.
Delaney, Hearth. Having Our SayIn the form of an interview, two sisters tell the story of their family's life over the past century. At 101 and 103 years old, the sisters are strikingly different despite having been together throughout their lives. One is tough and speaks her mind; the other is a momma's child. "This book is amazing." Moderate.
Gilbreth, Frank and Ernestine. Belles on Their ToesThe sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen, this book tells the story of the Gilbreth family after Mr. Gilbreth dies. Left with eleven children between the ages of two and eighteen, Mrs. Gilbreth vows to carry on her husband's engineering career and to send all of her children to college. In the end, the children survive their growing pains and romantic confusions and prove just as determined to repay their mother. Easy.
Gordeeva, Ekaterina. My SergeiEkaterina tells about her own and her late husband's life, from their early childhood to the present. She reveals all the ups and downs of their personal experiences as well as their skating careers. "This was an especially interesting book for me because I am a skater and admire Ekaterina very much." Sports. Moderate.
Kozol, Jonathan. Death at an Early AgeKozol recounts his experience as a young teacher in a mostly African-American school in Boston. Kozol talks about his particular classroom and students as well as the Boston school system as a whole, which he tried to change. Eventually Kozol was fired from his job because he taught a poem written by an African-American and angered some of the white parents. "Overall it is a great book and I would definitely recommend it, especially to anybody who is going to be a teacher." Moderate.
Mah, Adeline Yeh. Falling Leaves: The True Story of An Unwanted Chinese DaughterSnow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating. (Amazon.com review) Moderate.
MacDonald, Michael Patrick. All Souls: A Family Story from SouthieMichael Patrick MacDonald grew up in "the best place in the world"--the Old Colony projects of South Boston--where 85% of the residents collect welfare in an area with the highest concentration of impoverished whites in the U.S. In All Souls, MacDonald takes us deep into the secret heart of Southie. With radiant insight, he opens up a contradictory world, where residents are besieged by gangs and crime but refuse to admit any problems, remaining fiercely loyal to their community. MacDonald also introduces us to the unforgettable people who inhabit this proud neighborhood. We meet his mother, Ma MacDonald, an accordion-playing, spiked-heel-wearing, indomitable mother to all; Whitey Bulger, the lord of Southie, gangster and father figure, protector and punisher; and Michael's beloved siblings, nearly half of whom were lost forever to drugs, murder, or suicide. By turns explosive and touching, All Souls ultimately shares a powerful message of hope, renewal, and redemption. (Book Description from Amazon) Moderate.
Morris, Jim and Joel Engel. The Rookie: The Incredible True Story of a Man Who Never Gave Up on His DreamAfter an injury-plagued stint in the minor leagues in his twenties, Jim Morris hung up his cleats and his dreams to start a new life as a father, high school physics teacher, and baseball coach. Jim's athletes knew that his dream was still alive - he threw the ball so hard they could barely hit it - and made a bet with him: if they won the league championship, he would have to try out for a major league ball club. They did - and he did, and during that tryout threw the ball faster than he ever had, faster than anyone there, nearly faster than anyone playing in the Bigs. He was immediately drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and three months later made his major league debut, striking out All-Star Royce Clayton. (Book Description from Amazon) Sports. Easy.
Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called It: One Childís Courage to SurviveDavid J. Pelzer's mother, Catherine Roerva, was, he writes in this ghastly, fascinating memoir, a devoted den mother to theCub Scouts in her care, and somewhat nurturant to her children--but not to David, whom she referred to as "an It." This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy. Sometimes she claimed he had violated some rule--no walking on the grass at school!--but mostly it was pure sadism. Inexplicably, his father didn't protect him; only an alert schoolteacher saved David. (review from Amazon.com) Easy.
Scott, Robert Lee, Jr. Boring a Hole in the SkyA U. S. Air Force Brigadier General, Scott tells the story of his life as a pilot from 1912 until his retirement in 1957. Scott talks in particular detail about a trip to Europe in 1932, when the Air Force flew the mail, and a tour of duty in 1942, when he was flying with the famed Flying Tigers. "I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what the Air Force was like in the first half of this century." Moderate.
Walker, Rebecca. Black, White and JewishRebecca Walker was born in 1969 to author Alice Walker and lawyer Mel Leventhal, who met and married in the heyday of the Civil Rights movement. But after their divorce, Rebecca was a lonely only child ferrying between two worlds-and trying to figure out where she fit in. (Book Description from Amazon) Moderate.
Wiesenthal, Simon. The SunflowerWhen Wiesenthal was a prisoner in a concentration camp, a dying SS officer had him brought to his hospital bed and asked him for his forgiveness. Weisenthal spends the first half of the book reflecting on his decision to leave the room without forgiving the young man; he devotes the second half of the book to the opinions of others--known philosophers, authors, professors--regarding his dilemma. Challenging.
Yaeger, Chuck and Leo Janos. YeagerThe book tells the story of Chuck Yeager's remarkable life: his childhood, his distinguished career as a dog fighter in World War II, his breaking of the sound barrier, and his bombing flights over Vietnam. "Everyone must read this book." Moderate.
Delaney, Hearth. Having Our Say
In the form of an interview, two sisters tell the story of their family's life over the past century. At 101 and 103 years old, the sisters are strikingly different despite having been together throughout their lives. One is tough and speaks her mind; the other is a momma's child. "This book is amazing." Moderate.
Elliot, Lawrence. George Washington Carver: The Man Who Overcame
This book tells the story of a man who survived slavery, poverty, and ill health and became a world-famous scientist. Carver is best known for discovering the many uses of the peanut--in ice cream, soap, pie, and paper--but he made many other important discoveries in the fields of botany and biology as well agriculture. At one decisive point in his life, Carver could have chosen to work at Iowa State but instead accepted an offer from Booker T. Washington to work at Tuskegee Institute, an all-Black college, for much less money. In the end, he played a large role in helping that institution thrive. "I know if I had Carver for a science teacher, I would probably become a scientist." Moderate.
Gilbreth, Frank and Ernestine. Belles on Their ToesThe sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen, this book tells the story of the Gilbreth family after Mr. Gilbreth dies. Left with eleven children between the ages of two and eighteen, Mrs. Gilbreth vows to carry on her husband's engineering career and to send all of her children to college. In the end, the children survive their growing pains and romantic confusions and prove just as determined to repay their mother. Moderate.
Gordeeva, Ekaterina. My SergeiEkaterina tells about her own and her late husband's life, from their early childhood to the present. She reveals all the ups and downs of their personal experiences as well as their skating careers. "This was an especially interesting book for me because I am a skater and admire Ekaterina very much." Sports. Moderate.
Halperin, Ian, Max Wallace and May Wallace. Who Killed Kurt Cobain? The Mysterious Death of An Icon.Just who did kill Kurt Cobain? Was it really Cobain himself, through careless use of drugs and intentional aim with a rifle? Or was it Courtney Love, Cobain's extravagant and chameleon-like wife? Or could it have been someone she hired--a professional assassin or lucky amateur? At this point one can't tell, yet the compelling chain of events that Halperin and Wallace expose constitutes evidence of a plausible alternative explanation to the official verdict of suicide.Cobain's short life (he was 27 when he died) was fraught with anguish--broken family, lost love and a desperate search for its return, youthful rebellion, homelessness, drugs. Reality surpassed Cobain's dreams, yet even when he became a millionaire rock star, his past wouldn't let go, and he continued to drown depression in heavy drug use. Halperin and Wallace have written a very good and interesting book, sans hero worship, for fans of pop music and murder mysteries alike, one that soberly lays out the case for thinking this pop icon's death may not be an open-and-shut case. (from Booklist) Moderate.
Kidder, Tracy. Mountains Beyond Mountains
An old Haitian saying-- “Beyond mountains there are mountains”-- describes not only the title, but the challenges thrown at Dr. Paul Farmer. Although nonfiction, the story probes deep into the mind of Farmer grasps the meaning of modern society. After graduating from college, he moves to Haiti. Despite poverty and opposition from skeptical colleagues, he tames the lions of deadly diseases, tuberculosis and HIV. His once small organization, Partners in Health, attracts world renown and aids other countries overwhelmed by Tuberculosis. This book conveys the essence of Paul Farmer, a saintly visage of how one man can change the world. Challenging
Marley, Timothy. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley
Struggling through his childhood with severe poverty in Kingston, Jamaica, Bob Marley lived a simple Rastafarian life. He soon became the sovereign of reggae music whose words still influence people throughout the world. This book details his life and features a look at his remarkable career as a reggae singer as well as Marley’s outspoken political and religious beliefs. With fascinating information on Marley’s struggles through cancer, the reggae music business, his legal issues, and his desires for a better world, this book will surely gain your respect for the misunderstood reggae king, Bob Marley. Moderate
Myers, Walter Dean. Malcom X: By Any Means NecessaryThis book tells the story of Malcom X's life, from the time he was a child living with his parents to the point where he gets out of prison and becomes an African-American leader with Elijah Muhammed. Easy.
Pilieggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia FamilyWiseguy is Nicholas Pileggi's remarkable bestseller, the most intimate account ever printed of life inside the deadly high-stakes world of what some people call the Mafia. Wiseguy is Henry Hill's story, in fascinating, brutal detail, the never-before-revealed day-to-day life of a working mobster -- his violence, his wild spending sprees, his wife, his mistresses, his code of honor.Henry Hill knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and he turned Federal witness to save his own life. The mob is still hunting him for what he reveals in Wiseguy: hundreds of crimes including arson, extortion, hijacking, and the $6 million Lufthansa heist, the biggest successful cash robbery in U.S. history, which led to ten murders. A firsthand account of the secret world of the mob. (Book Description from Amazon) . Challenging.