Non Fiction
The Far Away Brothers by Lauren Markham
Markham, L. (2017). The far away brothers: Two teenage immigrants making a life in America. Crown Publishing.
Plot Summary
This biographical story written by Lauren Markham details the upbringing and life events that lead to two brothers making the harrowing trek to the United States from their rural farm in El Salvador. Seventeen-year-old twin brothers, Ernesto and Raúl, must escape to America when it becomes apparent that their lives are in danger from a rumor that started with a local gang. They are from a poor family, but the money is secured by loan to get the boys to America illegally. The journey is fraught with danger and many horrors, and after being caught by authorities at the border, they are eventually released into the care of their older brother, Wilber Jr. Soon they find that life as an undocumented immigrant in America is more challenging and uncertain than they imagined, and their migrant status affords them little in the way of resources made available for their basic needs. The boys face the threat of deportation, extreme poverty, and gang retaliation against their family all while trying to both attend school and earn enough to support themselves financially. Will they succeed in their new lives, or will their fate be sealed by the hurtles that exist for new immigrants in the US?
Critical Evaluation
While it has remained a dream for many to seek a better life in the US, oftentimes it is a life-saving measure and a necessary escape for others. The Far Away Brothers gives insight to the trials of minors immigrating to the US and the lack of resources available for individuals who are already facing undue hardships. Ernesto and Raúl are twin brothers who are forced to seek asylum in America as their lives are threatened by a local gang in their home country of El Salvador. Their journey to the border is traumatizing, and their arrival in America sets new challenges into motion.
The brothers are caught at the border in Texas, and because they are minors, they are allowed to be released into the care of a family member. Their immigration status, however, now comes with a court date that could mean deportation, and certain danger, for the twins. Their older brother, Wilber Jr., allows them to stay with him in a cramped apartment in San Jose, California, but their difficulties have only just begun. Here, the boys must navigate through a new high school, language barriers, an impending court date, and settling the debt that their parents are left with due to the heavy loan, along with the exorbitant interest accrual, that paid for their travel to the United States. The family members left behind live a life of deprivation, and while Ernesto and Raúl try to live normal teenage lives in America, their homelife with Wilber Jr. is still lacking as their earnings never stretch far enough.
The story is told from the author's point of view as the biographer, and she takes care to describe the multitude of emotions and events experienced by the family. The theme of this book is exposure to the untold woes of immigration, and a call for understanding the myths associated with the contributions of undocumented Americans. The tone is somber, hopeful, and somewhat frenetic as events seem to spin out of control for both the twins and their family members left behind in El Salvador.
This book is an important and candid look at what human beings are expected to endure as immigrants arriving in an unwelcoming country. The story, and the way it is written, inspires empathy for those caught in these dire situations.
Reader's Annotation
The Far Away Brothers is the story of twin brothers from El Salvador who make their way over the border into America, only to be met with constant strife and grief. Their tale is one of hope, but comes with challenges that most Americans will never know in their own lives.
About the Author
Lauren Markham is a writer best known for her topical contributions on immigration. She resides in Northern California and continues her work with Bay Area youth and immigration programs in schools.
The Far Away Brothers: Two Teenage Immigrants Making a Life in America was the winner of the 2018 Ridenhour Book Prize, the Northern California Book Award, and a California Book Award Silver Prize. It was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Selection, a New York Times Book Critics' Top Book of 2017, and was shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and the L.A. Times Book Award and longlisted for a Pen America Literary Award in Biography.
Genre
YA nonfiction, biography.
Booktalking Ideas
What sacrifices are immigrants expected to make upon arriving to the United States? What types of programs should be established for minors entering the country illegally?
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Interest Age: 14-18 years
Challenge Issues: Political views surrounding immigration law.
Why I Chose This Book:
I chose this book for my mini-collection because there is widespread hate-speak, bigotry and disinformation in the United States, and much of it comes from trusted elected officials. This story is the kind of heartfelt, true-to-life tale that captures readers attention while informing them of a social issue affecting so many. It may change the minds of those who have not had the privilege of connecting with the deserving migrants in ways that lead to acceptance.
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Funny, You Don't Look Autistic by Michael McCreary
McCreary, M. (2019). Funny, you don't look autistic: A comedian's guide to life on the spectrum. Annick Press.
Plot Summary
Michael McCreary is the author of this very purposeful memoir, describing his experience of being diagnosed with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder), the many ways he's learned to interact with others who don't understand autism, and what is was like growing up with a brother also on the spectrum. Michael became interested in theater and the performing arts at a young age, and eventually found his niche in stand-up comedy. After receiving a notebook for journaling from his mom during his junior high school years, he was able to channel his frustrations through mapping his thoughts and feelings, which led to a more focused effort in finding his way through social situations. Michael tells humorous anecdotes in his memoir that range from such topics as believing he had a girlfriend to unknowingly being the target of school yard jokes. The book also contains facts to know about people with autism, and how those who aren’t familiar with ASD can understand myths about the disorder.
Critical Evaluation
One thing that has been missing in YA literature is a memoir that appeals to the social misunderstandings experienced by both autistic and Asperger’s syndrome in youth and beyond. Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic is a bestseller for what it brings to the public mind. In this memoir, Michael McCreary offers a look at what led to his diagnosis and how his behavior affected his acceptance in social circles throughout his young life. McCreary has a brother with ASD as well, and so his upbringing centered around finding ways for his parents to help them both adapt socially. When Michael discovers his talent as a public speaker, he soon became involved in theater and eventually, stand-up comedy, where his popularity began to soar. His memoir is a walk through some painful memories that, through journaling and theater training, McCreary was able to accept and capitalize upon creatively.
The memoir is told from McCreary’s point of view as a person diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who feels a need to share the misconceptions of ASD that have grown out of ignorance. The theme of the memoir is what McCreary and his fans refer to as “edu-tainment,” and support for those with ASD-related diagnoses. The tone, however, is quite light, and brings an air of forgiveness to readers who may have been guilty of perpetuating stereotypes of those on the autism spectrum.
One of my favorite points made by McCreary in his memoir is discouragement of the use of the startling back-handed compliment he hopes to never receive (again), nor be expressed to others who enjoy success after hardship. This compliment is to be told that he is “inspirational.” While McCreary understands and appreciates the sentiment, his first feeling upon hearing someone refer to him in this way was jarring; He doesn’t perform to be inspirational. He performs to get laughs and entertain while also spreading information about ASD. For anecdotes such as this, I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Reader's Annotation
Funny, You Don't Look Autistic is a memoir describing Michael McCreary's life experience as a person diagnosed with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder). McCreary tells of his journey to becoming a stand-up comedian and how he uses painful memories as fodder for his entertainment for others, which in turn, leads to healing for himself.
About the Author
Michael McCreary's website is AspieComic.com. The website shares that he is an autistic comedian, actor, author and TEDX speaker
who’s been performing stand-up comedy since age 13. He has performed stand-up shows and keynote addresses in every
province in Canada – plus the Yukon - and across the United States. He
has done shows for tech giants IBM and SAP International; for
universities such as McMaster, Queen’s and McGill and the University of
Texas; and for many autism organizations: Autism Ontario, Autism Canada,
Autism Nova Scotia, Autism Asperger’s Friendship Society (Calgary),
Firefly Autism (Denver)
Autism Yukon, Geneva Centre for Autism,
Autism Society Newfoundland & Labrador, Pacific Autism Family
Network; and for schools and school boards across the continent.
Michael
has also written the book “Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic” (Annick
Press), hosted the Autism Ontario video “Autism: See the Potential”, has
consulted on the TV show “Ransom” to ensure the authenticity of a
character with autism and has been featured on The National and on CBC
Radio’s “Laugh Out Loud”!
He is also part of an all autistic comedy troupe, Comics:
Not Otherwise Specified. He is currently working on a play, a new book,
a documentary and getting his driver's license.
Michael McCreary gives you permission to laugh at the lighter side of the Autism Spectrum.
Genre
YA nonfiction, memoir, comedy.
Booktalking Ideas
A.) What myths are surprising to learn about those with ASD?
B.) How relatable are Michael's experiences with bullying in school? With awkward friend situations? How does Michael's reactions to these issues differ from your own?
Reading Level: Grades 7-9
Interest Age: 13+
Challenge Issues: sensitivities to ASD-related humor.
Why I Chose This Book:
I chose Funny, You Don't Look Autistic because it is a humor-based first-hand account of what living with autism as a teen can feel like, and how limitations should never be placed on anyone with a diagnosis. Reading this book could serve as a way to instill empathy in teens who otherwise never considered the effects that jokes and pranks can have on someone who struggles with understanding nuance in social situations.
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A Few Red Drops by Claire Hartfield
Hartfield, C. (2018). A few red drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Clarion Books.
Plot Summary
In Chicago, Illinois in 1919, black kids weren’t allowed to swim in public swimming pools with white kids, and they weren’t allowed to swim at “white” beaches, either. So, they swam in Lake Michigan where they could be outside the boundaries set by law. One day in July, a teenage black boy swam within visibility of a “white” beach, and a man hurled a rock at his head so hard, it killed him. The riot that ensued lasted days and left the South Side of the city burned, businesses looted and destroyed, 537 wounded, and at least thirty-eight people dead. Twenty-three of these people were black, and fifteen were white. A Few Red Drops chronicles the feelings of disenfranchisement and hostility felt by blacks in the city, the burning of their homes by the hundreds, and the unsettling notion that racial tensions have yet to subside…
Critical Evaluation
Chicago is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in our country and has historically been a destination for immigrants since the late 1800’s. Surprising, then, that it is also a city with a checkered past of racial intolerance and segregation, most notably with the black population. In July of 1919, the effects of this intolerance came to a boiling point with the killing of a young man when five black teens went swimming within view of a “white” beach on Lake Michigan. A white beachgoer threw a rock in disgust at one of the boys in the water, killed him, and started the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, in which the city underwent days of violence and vandalism so great that at least thirty-eight were killed, over five hundred wounded, and thousands were left homeless. A Few Red Drops tells the story of what occurred during these few days and how the city has attempted to rebuild.
After enduring ongoing racism as a way of life, the trauma of watching Eugene Williams succumb to his injuries in the lake because of his race was maddening to his friends that day, and the minorities of Chicago had had enough. Tensions increased when an innocent black man was arrested for the crime, while the white man responsible for the death went free. Hartfield captures the feeling amongst the disenfranchised residents of Chicago and illustrates the chaos that ensued during the riot. The researched account of this event denotes feelings of escalated frustration and misplaced animosities. Despite the deadly outcome, it is questioned whether lessons were learned, or if continued violence was only delayed for the future. Hartfield expresses empathy for those who were closely affected by not only the violence of the riot, but the daily injustices leading up to the riot. While facts are clearly stated throughout the book, it is the people who suffered that make this story a compelling read.
Reader's Annotation
The Chicago Race Riot that occurred in July of 1919 has marked a place in history that signifies a boiling point of inequality in America. This is a novel that details the catalyst of the riot, the outcome, and the glaring similarities that exist in race relations today.
About the Author
Claire Hartfield is the 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner and a 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist. Her most recent book, A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 (Clarion
2018) has also been honored as a Junior Library Guild Choice, a 2019
Illinois Reading Council Top Book, and a Chicago Public Library Best of
the Best Books 2018.
Genre
YA nonfiction, history.
Booktalking Ideas
What events have occurred in the past few years that mimic what caused the Chicago Race Riot? How were these events handled by law? In the media? Within communities?
Reading Level: Grades 7-9
Interest Age: 12+ years
Challenge Issues: Racism, civil rights violations, murder.
Why I Chose this Book:
I chose this book for my mini-collection because we are seeing racial intolerance throughout America to this day, and young people need to be taught the history of what the country is guilty of in terms of inequalities perpetuated by laws and cultural thinking. Some believe there has been a paradigm shift in race relations due to the emergence of civil rights laws and activism, but evidence points to the contrary with the exposure of how our country continues to form power dynamics according to race.
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The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Slater, D. (2017). The 57 bus: A true story of two teenagers and the crime that changed their lives. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR).
Plot Summary
Sasha and Richard both take the bus home from school. Sasha is white, lives with their middle-class parents in the Oakland hills, attends private school, is an agender teen using the pronouns they/them, and has Asperger’s. They are described as a good friend and a studious person. Richard is an inner-city black teen who prides himself on being the class clown and aspires to please others, often in ways that denote poor decision-making. He lives with his single mother who runs a strict home. Richard is often described as being a positive person. One day, Sasha boards the city bus and is lulled to sleep while making the commute home. When Richard and his friends board, they see a tall man wearing a skirt asleep in the back row. Richard’s friends dare him to hold a lighter to Sasha’s skirt, marking the moment that Oakland’s 57 bus would make national news for a hate crime between two teenagers.
Critical Evaluation
November 4, 2013 was the day that two lives were changed forever by an impulsive decision, and Dashka Slater could not have written a more beautiful piece about the resulting pain of this event. While Sasha and Richard were living very different lives, their paths crossed on the same bus on the fateful day that Richard felt the pressure of belonging by friends, and Sasha was left defenseless in their company. Slater describes in grotesque detail the horrors that Sasha suffered due to burns caused by their skirt being lit on fire by Richard’s reckless behavior. Their recovery was prolonged and unjust as they were merely existing on a bus coming home from school.
But Richard would go on to have his own scars. A goofy, fun-loving, people pleasing teenager himself, he had the tendency to act first and think later. His reaction to the burning was that of confusion and shock; he truly never expected the skirt to catch fire despite his actions. His arrest was not the end of his troubles, of course. But his acceptance of his role in the incident was apparent in his remorseful demeanor, and while charged as an adult for felonies committed, he was granted a more lenient sentence that ultimately allowed for more solid rehabilitation.
Slater tells both sides of the story equally and without bias. It is truly a reporting of the facts, which elicit heart-wrenching emotion for both Sasha and Richard in the aftermath. The details are told with an unwavering voice of truth, which is admirable given that this story took a life of its own in the media, and exaggerated accounts could have been made instead. The story is tragic on its own, but to know that Richard’s letter of apology was delayed in getting to Sasha and their family by his attorney added a new layer of regret. The theme of this story appears to be forgiveness as well as remorse, and hopefully cautionary for young people who are able to read this book. Oakland is a diverse city that is, unfortunately, known for its violence as well. It’s encouraging to read Slater’s research on what the disparate journeys were like following the event, the healing for each family, and how both Sasha and Richard were able to grow from such a harrowing experience. This is a story that stays with a reader not because of the headline, but because of the individuals involved and the information shared by the author.
Reader's Annotation
Sasha and Richard are both aboard an Oakland city bus in the after school hours of November 4th, 2013 when their lives change forever due to actions taken by Richard. Sasha is asleep when Richard is coaxed into lighting their skirt on fire, resulting in an injury that warrants felony hate crime charges and two families left to heal from an unspeakable decision.
About the Author
Dashka’s true crime narrative, The 57 Bus, has received numerous accolades, including the 2018 Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association, the 2018 Beatty Award from the California Library Association, the California Book Award Gold Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. It was a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and an LA Times Book Award Finalist, in addition to receiving four starred reviews and being named to more than 20 separate lists of the year’s best books, including ones compiled by the Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and School Library Journal. In 2021, The 57 Bus was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.
Genre
YA Nonfiction, true crime.
Booktalking Ideas
After getting to know Richard in this book, do you believe this was a hate crime? Was he wrongly charged for a reckless choice, or was Sasha targeted for their identity?
What did you learn about gender identity from The 57 Bus? What terms were new to you and do you feel more informed to have read about this topic? Do you think readers will have a better sense of tolerance after reading this story?
Reading Level: Grades 7-9
Interest Age: 12-18 years
Challenge Issues: LGBTQ+, gender identity, hate crime, race, violence, gore.
Why I Chose this Book:
I chose this book for my mini-collection because I feel that the impact this story can have would be powerful enough to make people think differently. There is a depth to this story that cannot be summarized. I believe this story has the power to resonate with many and not only improve upon societal tolerance but encourage the idea of second chances as well.
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Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall (with Lisa Wysocky)
Hall, S. (2014). Hidden girl: The true story of a modern-day child slave. Simon & Schuster BFYR.
Plot Summary
Shyima is an eight-year-old in a family of eleven children, and
though they are poor, and abuse is present within the home, she appreciates
what little she has. Residing in a South Alexandria, Egypt, Shyima does not attend school but helps with
her younger siblings, whom she adores. One day, her mother is summoned to a wealthy
family’s home where Shyima’s older sister is employed, and because the sister has
stolen from this family, they are demanding a replacement. Shyima’s parents
have no money to pay the debt and feel they have no choice but to give Shyima
to the family as an indentured slave. She is no longer a child free to play or
be with her family, and she will never see her beloved siblings again. Her
captors leave Egypt in exile, smuggling Shyima into the United States, where
she is further neglected and taken advantage of…until her rescue by the authorities.
Critical Evaluation
In her Egyptian
hometown, Shyima remembers few resources provided for those in need. Poor families
often went hungry, there were no luxuries, and a child’s personal safety was
not a priority. But it was what she knew, and where she could be with her family.
The decision to sell her to a wealthy family in Cairo was probably seen as a
necessity by her parents, given their predicament of owing a debt that could
not be paid, but it was a decision that upended Shyima’s life and everything
she held dear. Though she would not be living in squalor and could escape abuse
imposed by her older brothers, Shyima would no longer enjoy the company of her
younger siblings. Her anger toward her parents only intensified as the days turned
into weeks, and when, after a few months into her employment, the family
absconded to the United States, taking her with them under false pretenses. Upon
her arrival in the U.S., her already grueling daily tasks grew more rigorous.
She was mistreated, malnourished, and neglected in cruel and ongoing ways for
years. It wasn’t until an anonymous tip led to her rescue, and here her life
took on new challenges still.
Set in Egypt,
then California, where her captors fled to escape some unknown legal
trouble, Shyima’s story is one of personal struggle as her endangerment tests her
inner strength. When she is finally discovered to be a slave within this home,
she is introduced to kindnesses she never knew existed, but also learns there
are few places she now belongs. The theme of this memoir is child abuse, human
trafficking, and survival. Shyima tells her story in first-person recollections
of what she endured, and how she has overcome the unthinkable. Because her response
to her situation is one of hope and endurance, the tone of her memoir is not entirely
dismal. As an adult, Shyima has harnessed the courage to heal, and join the movement
to help eradicate child slavery and human trafficking. The difficult part about
reading her story is that it’s impossible to determine which life was worse –
to live in destitution with no access to education while being exposed to sexual
abuse, though still being with family she loved… or forced into hidden slavery and
the lonely, deprived conditions that could eventually lead to better
opportunities, albeit post rescue from her captors’ atrocious behavior. Hidden
Girl cautions readers to pay attention to those who may be in silent danger
and to educate oneself on the signs of illegal exploitation.
Reader's Annotation
Eight-year-old Shyima is one of eleven children living in a one-bedroom dwelling in Egypt. When her parents are faced with an impossible debt, she is sold as a slave to a wealthy family who smuggles her into the U.S., where eventually the abuse and neglect is discovered, and she is finally rescued.
About the Author
Shyima Hall (born September 29, 1989), from South Alexandria, Egypt, is known for advocating against human trafficking by sharing her personal experiences as a child slave. At eight years old, she was sold into slavery by her parents to a rich family in Cairo. Hall was given to the family in order to repay her older sister's debt of about thirty dollars. She worked for Abdel Nasser Eid Youssef and Amal Admed Ewis-Abd El Motelib for two years among other slaves. The family moved to Irvine, California where Hall was forced to live in a small room in the family's garage and do chores for the parents and their five children. A neighbor reported their suspicions to child protective services. In 2002, immigration officers came into her captors' home and took her away. She was put into foster care and lived with three foster families until she was 18.
On January 21, 2014, Hidden Girl
was published by Simon and Schuster. The book was co-authored by Shyima
Hall and Lisa Wysocky. Hall's book details her life from before her
capture up until obtaining citizenship. Hall has done multiple
appearances and talks at high schools and colleges across the United
States. She has appeared on a panel to bring awareness for human
trafficking for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit.
Genre
Memoir, true crime.
Booktalking Ideas
How is indentured servitude made possible in present day America? How is it made possible globally?
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Interest Age: Ages 14+
Challenge Issues: Sexual abuse, child abuse, human trafficking
Why I Chose this Book:
I chose this book because I believe Americans of all ages need to be aware not only of the dangers and existence of human trafficking, but the plight of many impoverished human beings around the world. In the United States, many of us have a very near-sighted view of the vulnerability of those who are given limited resources for means of survival. This memoir exposes much of the abuse that happens in plain sight.
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