Anti-Racist Non-Fiction Teen Reading List Browse for books before coming to the library and/or for contactless pick-up.

Click on the book's title to be directed to the library catalog to check for availability. Once there you can put the book on hold by clicking the "Request It" button and logging into your account with your library barcode and pin. You can also place the item on hold by calling Teen Space at 516-489-2220 ex 218 If the UPL copy is unavailable, requesting from another library is possible but will take time.

Prefer e-book or audio? Links are provided if in our digital collection in those formats.

Anderson, Carol. We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide "When America makes progress toward racial equality, the systemic response is a backlash that rolls back those wins. This edition adapted from the author's White Rage especially for teens illuminates these dark moments of history."

Arce, Julissa. Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream "Explores the author's days in Mexico separated from her parents, and her daily fears while growing up undocumented in Texas." E-book

Behnke, Alison. Racial Profiling: Everyday Inequality "Explores the history, the many manifestations, and the consequences of this form of social injustice." E-book

Bieschke, Marke. Into the Streets "This lively book guides readers through the art and history of significant protests, sit-ins, and collective acts of resistance throughout US history. Photos, artwork, signs, and other visual elements highlight the history of social action, from American Indian resistance to colonists through Black Lives Matter and Women's Marches." Davis, Kenneth C. In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives "An examination of American slavery through the true stories of five enslaved people who were considered the property of some of our best-known presidents." E-book

Duany, Ger, and Garen. Walk Toward the Rising Sun: From Child Soldier to Ambassador of Peace "The UN Goodwill Ambassador and former “lost boy” survivor of Sudan’s tragic North-South civil war traces the inspiring story of his journey from a child soldier and struggling refugee to a Hollywood performer and international peace activist."

Elliott, Zetta. Say Her Name "Inspired by the African American Policy Forum’s #SayHerName campaign and the works of such notables as Lucille Clifton and Nikki Giovanni, a collection of poems stands as a tribute to Black Lives Matter activists and victims of police brutality." E-book I Audio-book

Gill, Joel Christian. Strange Fruit. 1, Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History 1 “A graphic collection of little-known stories of African Americans in United States' history.”

Goldsmith, Connie. Kiyo Sato: From a WWII Japanese Internment Camp to a Life of Service "This is the story of Kiyo Sato and her family and their experience in the U.S. Japanese Internment Camps during WWII."

Grande, Reyna. The Distance Between Us, Young Readers Edition "At the age of 8, Reyna Grande made the dangerous and illegal trek across the border from Mexico to the United States, and discovered that the American Dream is much more complicated that it seemed." E-book

Greenly, Larry. Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot "Presents the life of the African American pilot who flew missions for France during World War I, experienced racial discrimination in the United States, was beaten in the Peekskill Riots of 1949, and became a member of the French Legion of Honor." Hudson, Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson. The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth "An evocative follow-up to We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices frankly explores the subjects of racism, identity and self-esteem in the stories and artwork of 30 award- winning contributors, including Raúl Colón, Nikki Grimes and Peter H. Reynolds." E-book I Audio-book

Iftin, Abdi Nor. Call Me American: The Extraordinary True Story of a Young Somali Immigrant “Adapted from the adult memoir, an intimate portrait of modern immigration describes how the author’s family was forced by war to leave their home in Somalia before he received an opportunity to win the annual U.S. visa lottery.”

Johnson, Katherine G. Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson "The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11." E-book

Khan-Cullors, Patrisse. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World "This is the story of how the movement that started with a hashtag-- #BlackLivesMatter--spread across the nation and then across the world and the journey that led one of its co-founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, to this moment." E-book I Audio-book

Levinson, Cynthia. We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March "Discusses the events of the four thousand African American students who marched to jail to secure their freedom in May 1963."

Lewis, John. March 1 “A first-hand account of the author's lifelong struggle for civil and human rights spans his youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.” E-book

Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong "Criticizes the way history is presented in current textbooks, and suggests a fresh and more accurate approach to teaching American history." Maraniss, Andrew. Strong Inside: The True Story of How Perry Wallace Broke College Basketball's Color Line - Young Readers Edition Perry Wallace was recruited by Vanderbilt University in 1966. Recruiting a local teen basketball star should not have been an issue, but his being African American was. Wallace had to face racial slurs, discrimination, and unfair treatment on and off the court.

Markham, Lauren. The Far Away Brothers: Two Teenage Immigrants Making a Life in America; Adapted for Young Adults "Identical twins Ernesto and Raul Flores, seventeen, must flee El Salvador, make a harrowing journey across the Rio Grande and the Texas desert, face capture by immigration authorities, and struggle to navigate life in America."

Reynolds, Jason. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You "A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning." E-book I Audio-book

Saedi, Sara. Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card Sara Saedi was thirteen when she learned she was breaking the law. At age two, she immigrated to the United States illegally with her family, an act she didn't know about. Although she feared deportation, she didn't let that fear stop her from living her life. E-book

Sheinkin, Steve. Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team "A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story of how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team." E-book I Audio-book

Sotomayor, Sonia. The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor "An adaptation for middle graders based on the bestselling adult memoir, My Beloved World, in which the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor's details her achievements, which serve as a true testament to the fact that no matter the obstacles, dreams can come true."

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults: A True Story of the Fight for Justice "Bryan Stevenson details from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most marginalized people." E-book I Audio-book Tarnowska, Wafa. Amazing Women of the Middle East: 25 Stories from Ancient Times to Present Day "A collection of stories about incredible women from the Middle East....Feel inspired by twenty-five amazing women from the Middle East, who have created a legacy through strength of vision, leadership, courage, and determination."

Villalobos, Juan Pablo. The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border "Award-winning Mexican author Juan Pablo Villalobos explores illegal immigration with this emotionally raw and timely nonfiction book about 10 Central American teens and their journeys to the United States."

Watson, Bruce. Freedom Summer for Young People: The Savage Season of 1964 That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy "In the summer of 1964, as the Civil Rights movement boiled over, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent more than seven hundred college students to Mississippi to help black Americans already battling for democracy, their dignity and the right to vote." E-book

Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson recounts, in verse, her time growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. E-book I Audio-book

Yousafzai, Malala. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World Life and story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee and education advocate Malala Yousafzai in her own words. E-book I Audio-book

Yousafzai, Malala. We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World "Introduces displaced people from around the world to give faces to the statistics and news stories readers see and hear." E-book

Book descriptions in quotes are taken directly from the library catalog or the database Novelist. Those without were written by the compiler of this list.

This list was compiled in January 2021 by UPL Teen Services Librarian Amanda Borgia