Bleschke, Mark. INTO THE STREETS: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protest in the United States Illustrated Edition). July 2020. Zest Books. $19.99. Paperback. 176 pages. 9781541579040. Young Adult. A pictoral account of protest for human rights in this nation, ranging chronologically from the early 1492 Pueblo Revolts of Indigenous Nations against Spanish colonialization through the 2020 Post George Floyd/ Breonna Taylor BLM Protests, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Guidelines on how youth can organize for peaceful and safe protests of their own is also available at the end of the book.
2021 TOP TEN NF
Gale, Heather and Mika Song. HO’ONANI: Hula Warrior. October 2019. Tundra Books. Hardback. $17.99. 40 pages. 978-0735264496. Picture Book for Older Readers. Based on the true story of an 11 year-old Hawaiian girl who wished to play the male role in a traditional school presentation and her teacher, a transgender, whose identity is embraced and held in high esteem by Hawaiian people and the Aloha culture of acceptance for gender identity. A variety of documentaries are available online as resources for this picture book for all ages.
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Khan-Cullors, Patrisse and Asha Bendele. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World. September 2020. Wednesday Books. $18.99. Hardback. 272 pages. 9781250194985. Young Adults. A young adult version of the original text by the creator of the Black Lives Matter movement. Chronicling the author’s beginnings of being racially profiled by police while growing up in Van Nuys, California through current times. The reader is privvy to the author’s lifetime experience with stress due to the racially aggression climate in this country. Resources for helping youth cope with a variety of mental health needs is provided.
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Passage Academy Students at Belmont. Everything I Been Through. February 2020. 826NYC. $12.00. Paperback. 47 pages. 9788676358005. Older Teens and Adults. A unique glimpse into the life of youth who were enrolled in a New York JD facility, as told in their own words. The series of poems and short stories show their resiliency and will to move forward, despict what they have had to face in their young lives.
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Piccolo, Normandy D. Why is Kristyn a Kutter? June 2019. Normandy’s Bright Idea. $15.00. Paperback. 273 pages. 9788676358005. Older Teens. Instead of talking about her problems, Kristyn’s rebellious spirit and self-hate has lead to episodes of depression and self-mutilation when things go wrong. It didn’t help that her best friend committed suicide, having her wonder if she will end up the same way. Resources for crisis intervention through national centers and online support is available.
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Price, James. THE COMEBACK: I Raised These Streets. August 2020. Divinity Publishing. $15.00. Paperback. 273 pages. 9788676358005. Older Teens and Adults. Choosing the streets over a full academic ride to an Ivy League college, Ricky Thomas, Jr. follows in the path of his drug dealing father. Clashing with Steven Brown over who will rule the streets and gain the affection of the girl, without losing their life in the process.
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Robertson, David A., Scott B. Henderson, and Donavan Yaciuk. THE RECKONER RISES: Breakdown. August 2020. Highwater. Paperback. $21.95. 64 pages. 9781553798903. Young Adults. Cole and Eva in a serious state of transition after events occurring on their reservation almost completely wiped out their entire nation of people. Now in this graphic sequel to The Reckoner trilogy, Cole is beginning to receive terrifying visions and Eva’s new abilities is pulling them both towards the inevitable, as the reader follows their morph into the super heroes of Indigenous ancestry.
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Waters, Michael W. and Keisha Morris. For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World September 2020. Flyaway Books. $18.00. Hardback. 40 pages. 9781947888081. Children. A picture book for old readers that seeks to dispel the pretense behind the constant shooting of unarmed black men and boys by people of authority. The deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Edwards are included in this narrative of hope.
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In the Margins Book Awards 