Nonfiction
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women
by Lisa Charleyboy
Bibliographic Information
Author (Edited by) Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
ISBN 9781554519583
Publication Date 2017
Publisher Annick Press
Physical Description 109 pp : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cm
Subject Term Indian women - North America - ethnic identity - juvenile literature
Plot Summary
This book is considered an anthology, so there technically is no plot. The main theme surrounding the anthology is the exploration of Native Indigenous Women's life experiences. Various women discuss topics ranging from identity to intergenerational trauma to sexual abuse. The women writers range in demographics (Cree nation, Cherokee nation, etc.) and are socially diverse (actresses, students, poets, artists, etc.). In one of the stories focused on intergenerational trauma, the text discusses the horrendous mistreatment found within the residential schools in Canada and parents still dealing with PTSD. Another essay elaborated on how racist and culturally insensitive wearing a costume depicting Native people for Halloween is, even if the person wearing it doesn't mean any harm by it. Describing what it's like to look "Native" enough, essays and photographs depict this topic, showing various women holding signs indicating their Native group and registration number. Along with the negatives associated with being a Native woman, the anthology also depicts hope for the future and includes positive examples of women in the media making a difference.
Critical Evaluation
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women is an anthology book which includes art, poetry, essays, photographs, and interviews. Different formats are used by the various authors to be reflective of their stories and lived experiences. The title of the novel includes a hashtag, which appears to be indicative that Native women are being heard (like the #MeToo movement) and truly seen. The anthology has bold images and drawings, including the RedWoman painting by Aze E. Abe, along with a reflective essay from Leanne Simpson relating to being Indigenous. The anthology book contains the works of 58 different Native women discussing their identity and how it shapes their worldview.
The anthology is split into four main sections titled: The Ties That Bind Us, It Could Have Been Me, I am Not Your Princess, and Pathfinders. In each chapter, a common theme is predominantly discussed by the authors in the various artistic formats. The imagery enhances the written text and gives readers a better understanding to the issues and problems that arise in the anthology. Since the book is composed of various authors talking about different themes, the tone in writing ranges from sorrow and regret to joy and hopefulness for the coming future. In The Ties That Bind Us section, the authors discuss intergenerational trauma as well as what it means to be a Native American woman in this day and age. By the last chapter of the anthology, the writers elaborate on positive representation and hope for the future regarding Native American women representation. Throughout the book, the authors relate how both historically and in current culture Native women have been treated and the need to break away from the negative stereotypes and bonds that hold them down.
Reader's Annotation
Answering the question of "What does it mean to be an Indigenous woman today?," a variety of Native authors from different backgrounds discuss this topic through art, essays, and other platforms.
About the Authors/Editors
Lisa Charleyboy is a First Nations writer, storyteller, editor, and social entrepreneur. She is editor-in-chief of Urban Native Magazine. Charleyboy frequently appears on radio and television, primarily discussing Aboriginal issues in Canada. She has been named one of Toronto's top bloggers and one of Canada's Top Ten Fashion Bloggers. In 2013, she was named by the Huffington Post as one of three Aboriginal millennials to watch. Her novel #Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women received the American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book and was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist. (Adapted from the author's Wikipedia page).
Mary Beth Leatherdale is the award-winning author and editor of children's and young adult books. Her books have earned many starred reviews and have won/been shortlisted for awards. Her works have been translated into several languages, including Italian, Korean, German, and Turkish. Before becoming an editor, Leatherdale was the editorial director at Owlkids and the editor of Chirp and OWL magazines. She earned a degree in Visual Arts from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education. She currently lives in Toronto with her family and dog. (Adapted from author's professional website).
Genres
Poetry, short stories, essays, interviews, art, anthology
Booktalking Ideas
Play a short YouTube video describing the content of the book (includes poetry, art, interviews, etc.). Discuss the various Native nations depicted in the anthology (Cree, Cherokee, Lakota, etc.) and the important role women held within the culture.
Reading Level
+12
Challenge Issues
Alcoholism, racism, sexual violence, drug abuse, cultural appropriation, sexism
Why I Chose This Book
I wanted to have female Native voices represented in my non-fiction selection. This book contains written text and art, which can help bring in reluctant readers; they can pick and choose what they want to read/see.
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
by Deborah Heiligman
Bibliographic Information
Author Deborah Heiligman
ISBN 9780805093391
Publication Date 2017
Publisher Godwin Books/Henry Holt & Company
Physical Description 454 pp, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color); 24 cm
Subject Term Painters - Netherlands - biography - juvenile literature
Plot Summary
Delving into the Van Gogh brothers' lives, the book opens with Vincent attending boarding school and by age 16 working in the firm Goupil & Ice as an apprentice art dealer. Centering on correspondence letters between Vincent and Theo, the book begins with how the letter writing came about and the loving relationship both brothers shared with each other. Later in life, when Vincent didn't succeed at either becoming a priest in seminary or being an art dealer, he devolved into a horrible depression that took a toll on him both mentally and physically. During this time, the letters between the two brothers came to a halt. With no prospects in sight, Vincent sold some sketches he had made which propelled his fame and artist career. After living with another artist named Gauguin, cutting his ear off and delivering it to his favorite prostitute, and falling deeper into mental health issues, Vincent ended up in an asylum where he created his most popular artwork, Starry Night. Through all of this, Theo was a constant supporter of Vincent financially.
Critical Evaluation
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers has 12 main sections with titles and dates for when the story is taking place. This book was a long read, with 454 pages and was mostly told in third person present tense. Each chapter varies in length and pacing, with some being shorter while others being longer depending on the content. Deborah Heiligman repeats certain words and phrases throughout the book, including Vincent's death, where she writes, "Vincent dies in Theo's arms" (p. 378) as well as later repeating, but in the past tense, "Vincent died in Theo's arms" (p. 402). By repeating the phrases, both in the present as well as past tense, Heiligman is strongly expressing the importance of event for effect.
Throughout the novel, Heiligman plays with recurring themes, most prominently the two brothers at the windmill, which is symbolic for their hopeful futures. The author's writing style makes reading this long book very enjoyable and easy to continue reading. Intermixed with the writing are illustrations to help the reader have more understanding of the setting and people being discussed in the story. The way Heiligman writes makes me, as the reader, feel like I'm in a conversation as opposed to reading dry, bibliographic text with no heart. Because of the length of the book, readers 14 and up are recommended.
Reader's Annotation
Everybody knows the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh, renowned for his Starry Night masterpiece, but readers will truly know a whole other aspect of his life including his most ardent and loved brother who was a constant source of support.
About the Author
Deborah Heiligman is an author known for her children's and young adult novels. Her work ranges from picture books to fiction and non-fiction young adult books. Heiligman began her writing career working for the 4th grade classroom magazine Scholastic News Explorer. In addition to children and young adult books, she also has contributed to The New York Times and The Philadelphia Enquirer. Her novel Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith was a Michael L. Printz Award Honor book and won the YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-fiction for Young Adults. The book was also a National Book Award finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Her 2012 book Intentions was the winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen readers. She has also received the 2021 Mathical Honors for The Boy Who Loved Math. She has authored 32 books, most of them being in the non-fiction genre. Her novel Vincent & Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers won the YALSA Excellence in Non-fiction Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for non-fiction, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for non-fiction, and an ALA Printz honor. She lives in New York City with her Pulitzer Prize winning husband. (Adapted from author's Wikipedia page).
Genres
Biography, history
Booktalking Ideas
Play the YouTube video Vincent and Theo Book Trailer. Briefly discuss Vincent Van Gogh's art career, then talk about the brothers' relationship and read aloud a correspondence letter between the two.
Reading Level
14+
Challenge Issues
Suicide, mental health struggles, prostitution/brothels, STD, drinking, smoking
Why I Chose This Book
I wanted to include a biographical novel, and this book includes topics ranging from family relationships to mental health struggles, which are definitely applicable for teens to read.
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai
Bibliographic Information
Author Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
ISBN 9780316322409
Publication Date 2013
Publisher Little, Brown and Company
Physical Description 327 pp, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, map; 25 cm
Subject Term Yousafzai, Malala
Plot Summary
The novel begins with the tragic event of Malala getting shot in the head by the Taliban while on her school bus. From there, Yousafzai goes back in time, discussing when she was born and her name origin. Describing what it means to be Pashtun, Yousafzai also tells the history of her people and the different forms of Islam prevalent where she grew up. Her father, Ziauddin, founded and ran the Kushal School, where Malala attended, and her mother, Toor Pekai, married via a love match as opposed to arranged marriage, which is uncommon but not unheard of. After 9/11, the Taliban emerge in her hometown, Swat, and rapidly take over, enforcing women to stay home and remain covered in burqas when going out with their husband. Malala continued going to school in the face of the Taliban. Monsoons ravage the countryside as well and the Taliban are the organization who provides assistance and aid to people instead of the government. After Malala's shooting and recovery time in the hospital, she receives an overwhelming amount of support internationally and the Pakistan government sets her and her family up with a place to stay in England. Malala continues to fight for the rights of girls' education.
Critical Evaluation
The book is composed of a prologue, 24 chapters, and an epilogue. There are five parts to the book: Part One: Before the Taliban, Part Two: The Valley of Death, Part Three: Three Bullets, Three Girls, Part Four: Between Life and Death, and Part Five: A Second Life. After the epilogue, there are sections including a glossary, important events in Pakistan and Swat, Acknowledgments, and a note on the Malala Fund. Important themes found in the book include using education as a powerful weapon (when people are more educated, it is more difficult to fall prey to the lies and powers that are put in place) and the dichotomy of being a believer while also being against interpretations of the teachings (Malala is Muslim, but believes that some of the teachings, particularly regarding a woman's role, are twisted). Malala believes that one can still be a believer and not conform to an outward appearance of faith (burqas, following behind the husband/only able to go out in public with the husband).
Hypocrisy is discussed heavily throughout the book; Malala believes, rightly so, that people who identify as religious or spiritual should practice what they preach and equally show everybody love and respect. In the face of adversity, Malala fights for what she believes and knows true to be right, which is an admirable quality to have. The writing in the book vividly paints the setting and background of the culture and is an addicting read; I had a hard time putting this one down, especially as a fan of Malala and her message. As someone who is not educated on the Pashtun people, I really liked learning about how hospitable they are as a community, but, like Malala and her father, was perplexed by how prominent revenge is and that it is viewed as honorable to kill.
Reader's Annotation
In a culture and world where women are treated as less than by men, Malala Yousafzai took a strong stand for women's education, faced the repercussions, and came out stronger than ever.
About Malala
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani female education activist, film and television producer, and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, the second Pakistani and the only Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize. Yousafzai is a human rights activist for the education of women and children in her native homeland, Swat, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her advocacy has grown into an international movement.
The daughter of education activist Ziauddin Yousafzai, she was born to a Pashtun family in Swat and was named after the Afghan folk heroine Malalai of Maiwand. She considers Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Barrack Obama, and Benazir Bhutto role models. On October 9, 2012 Yousafzai and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt targeting her for her activism. After her recovery, she became a prominent figure for the right to education. She has cofounded the Malala fund, a non-profit organization with Shiza Shahid. In 2013, she received the Sakharov Prize and was also the subject of the Oscar shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala in 2015. She is a practicing Sunni Muslim. (Adapted from Malala Yousafzai's Wikipedia page).
Genres
Biography
Booktalking Ideas
Watch a YouTube video showing Malala talking about the importance of women's education. Discuss with teen's the history of the Taliban and the difference between radical Islam and Islam as a religion.
Reading Level
13+
Challenge Issues
Violence, sexism, patriarchy, religious extremism
Why I Chose This Book
This book is important for all of us who take for granted freedom of speech and freedom of religion; Malala's story is pivotal for showing the importance of why it's important to stand up and fight for women's equality and education.
Black Birds in the Sky
by Brandy Colbert
Bibliographic Information
Author Brandy Colbert
ISBN 9780063056664
Publication Date 2021
Publisher Balzer + Bray
Physical Description 216 pp : illustrations ; 22 cm
Subject Term Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa Okla., 1921
Plot Summary
The book begins with author Brandy Colbert reflecting on growing up in Springfield, Missouri and her experience growing up as a black student in a predominantly white school. She discussed, amongst microaggressions from her white peers, having a difficult time when learning about Black history because of the miniscule amount of time focused on the history of slavery and absolutely no lesson on the Reconstruction period. After discussing her own past dealing with race, Colbert writes about lynching history from where she grew up and then deep dives into the Tulsa Race Massacre. The massacre took place in a wealthy Black neighborhood where Dick Rowland tripped while getting into an elevator and grabbed onto a white woman; an observer saw this incident and thought that Dick was assaulting the white woman in which the police were called and he was arrested for a crime that didn't happen. After he was released from jail, white people became extremely riled up and threatened violence on the Rowland. From there, the situation escalated after Black people defending Rowland stepped in to stop the mob.
Critical Evaluation
The book includes a forward, seven chapters, and an afterward. Included in the book are images and illustrations to help the reader get more information relating to the Tulsa Race Massacre. I liked how Brandy began with her own experience dealing with growing up in a predominantly white community and how the school completely glossed over the Black experience and history dealing with slavery onward. Colbert discusses in the book how racial violence from the past carries over into current times and transformed America infrastructure and communities. She writes how even though slavery became banned, violence and prejudice continued on toward the Black community: "Whatever the reason, violence and terrorism inflicted on Black Americans increased greatly in the years after Reconstruction - and no single organization was more responsible...than the Ku Klux Klan" (2021, p 53).
Colbert is able to bring together various elements and stories to focus on the main event, the Tulsa Race Massacre. She clearly writes that events like the massacre aren't a one-and-done event, but, sadly, something that has been going on throughout history, even to this day. Colbert is a great author who writes succinctly and lays out clearly the message that excluding these sad, but important, events in history continues to fester ambivalence and hatred; not having these touch conversations about events that have happened doesn't help with any healing for the community and the country.
Reader's Annotation
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is a story that, sadly, most Americans do not know about; author Brandy Colbert relays how tragic events like the massacre are not isolated incidents and that by not having open, honest dialogues, history will continue to be repeated.
About the Author
Brandy Colbert is an author of young adult fiction and nonfiction. Her 2018 novel Little & Lion won the Stonewall Book Award for children's and young adult literature. In 2022, her nonfiction book Black Birds in the Sky won the Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction. Other notable works include Pointe, the young reader's edition of Life in Motion, Finding Yvonne, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, The Only Black Girls in Town, and The Blackwoods. She was born and raised in the Springfield, Missouri where she attended Glendale High School.
Colbert was inspired by the works of Dorothy West, Barthe DeClements, Jesmyn Ward, Colson Whitehead, and Zadie Smith. She began working on what would be her debut novel, Pointe, in 2009, inspired by reports of long-term kidnapping cases. Colbert also teaches at the Hamline University's MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her novel, Black Birds in the Sky was a finalist for the 2022 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award. (Taken from Brandy Colbert's Wikipedia page).
Genres
Historical non-fiction
Booktalking Ideas
Show a short video about the Tulsa Race Massacre. Discuss the author's experience growing up in a predominantly white community and how issues in the past influence the present moment.
Reading Level
14+
Challenge Issues
Violence, lynching, murder, racism, sexual assault
Why I Chose This Book
The message in this book is such a powerful for teens to read about, especially since they are the next generation
The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and her Hidden Life
by Amy Butler Greenfield
Bibliographic Information
Author Amy Butler Greenfield
ISBN 9780593127193
Publication Date 2021
Publisher Random House Studio
Physical Description 328 pp : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subject Term Friedman, Elizebeth 1892-1980 - juvenile literature
Plot Summary
Elizebeth Smith Friedman was always interested in puzzle games and cryptograms. When an eccentric millionaire hires her to prove that Shakespeare's works had hidden messages and were transcribed by Frances Bacon, she was up for the job (spoiler alert: there were no secret messages in the plays). Even though she found no evidence of hidden messages, Elizebeth learned about vast amounts about coding. When WWI began, Elizebeth and her husband became stand-outs in code-breaking for the war. After WWI, Elizebeth broke codes working for the Coastguard catching booze smugglers during Prohibition. Because he was a woman, she often was overlooked and didn't receive the acclaim that was justified to her. During WWII, Elizebeth and her husband worked in different military branches and couldn't discuss any of their work with each other. The book goes into her fascinating life code breaking in a world dominated by men and the love between her and her husband.
Critical Evaluation
As someone mildly familiar with the WWII codebreakers because of the movie The Imitation Game, I was curious and excited to read this book. Author Amy Butler Greenfield's writing is informative, engaging, and a great read; I personally do not gravitate toward nonfiction books, but this one in particular really drew me in. Greenfield has a way of writing that really brings the reader into the setting and plot and keeps them transfixed on the content. The book has a whopping 32 chapters, but each chapter is pretty short in length; this helped me continue reading on and feel successful with how many chapters I had read in a short amount of time. Also throughout the book, Greenfield places "Code Breaks" which outlined the different types of codes and how to break them; I particularly liked this as someone who enjoys doing puzzles and cryptograms, obviously not as well as Elizebeth, though.
Greenfield also includes images and illustrations depicting Elizebeth and her husband throughout their marriage as well as other important pieces of information pertaining to the story. The dominant theme throughout the novel was the rampant sexism prevalent during the time and how all of the amazing work that Elizebeth did was kept hush hush and she mostly became unknown and unheard of while male peers were very much acknowledged. When the book discusses the part where her codebreaking and testimony was questioned by lawyers, I love the depiction that Greenfield shows; Elizebeth got up, went to the blackboard, and taught the group of men in the room how to code break. I absolutely loved how, no matter what odds were thrown at Elizebeth, she stayed resilient and remains a silent hero, but a hero nonetheless.
Reader's Annotation
In a world dominated by men, Elizebeth Smith Friedman broke the glass ceiling before people were even aware what that phrase meant; her work cracking codes saved countless people and she is considered an unsung hero, finally getting the recognition she deserves.
About the Author
Amy Butler Greenfield is an award-winning historian and novelist who writes for both adults and children. An enthusiastic speaker, she has given popular talks at Harvard University's Sackler Museum, the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, the Los Angeles Public Library, and UK intelligence agency GCHQ, as well as bookstores, classrooms, and lecture halls. Her books have been published in nine languages. As a Marshall Scholar, Amy studied Modern History at Oxford, researching the early history of chocolate. Later, her history of the red dye cochineal, A Perfect Red, won the PEN/Albrand Award for First Nonfiction and the Veolia Prix du Livre Environment. Her books, including Virginia Bound and the Chantress Trilogy have won the Beacon of Freedom Award for historical fiction, been selected as a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and been finalists for the Julia Ward Howe Prize, the Virginia Reader's Choice Award, and the Young Hoosier Book Award.
Her most recent books for children are the Ra the Mighty mystery series. The Ra books have appeared on state and international children's choice lists, garnered an Edgar Award nomination, and are Gold Standard Selections of the Junior Library Guild. Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and graduated from Williams College. (Taken from Amy Butler Greenfield's Author Bio page).
Genres
Biography
Booktalking Ideas
Play some of the PBS documentary focusing on Elizebeth's work codebreaking. Talk about how Elizebeth was a pioneer in a world dominated by men.
Reading Level
14+
Challenge Issues
Violence, sexism
Why I Chose This Book
This is a well written biography focusing on a woman in history mostly forgotten; the book outlines her life and heroic work she did being one of the top codebreakers in the world.
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