Books that Make Us Better People

 

1) Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship by Barbara Krasner (2023)

Based on real life events, two best friends are torn apart by World War 2, but not in the way one would expect. One boy is sent to a Nazi youth camp for German-Americans where he learns that Jewish people like his best friend are the enemy. Grieved by the loss of his friend, Benjy forms his own anti-Nazi vigilante group. I found this book on GoodReads and it stood out as a title to add to this list because there are so many WW2 books, yet this one is telling a completely new side of the war. 

2) This Terrible True Thing by Jenny Laden (2023)

Also found on GoodReads and based on a true story, Jenny Laden uses poems, journal entries, and drawings to tell the story of her gay father's battle with AIDS during the 90's epidemic. It made it to this list because I think it's so important for historical fiction to also be about social issues beyond wars. It's also important that we continue to tell the story of those victims of AIDS, especially in a time when we have a lot of resources for HIV positive folks. 

3) Displacement by Kiku Hughes (2020)

Speaking of events that we should not forget to read about... when America put Japanese-Americans into internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I found this title last week browsing the library for romance books and it's on this list because I think all high schoolers should be reading about the subject in conjunction with learning about the holocaust. (Shout out to Mr. Rojee from Medway High School for teaching us about this even though it wasn't on the curriculum and there were basically no books on the subject at the time). Kiku travels back in time to when her grandmother was imprisoned for being of Japanese descent. 

4) Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (2020)

This is a graphic memoir that tells the story of a young girl's immigration to the U.S. from Korea. It's a graphic novel because Ha's love of comics is what gets her out of the isolation she felt after moving to Alabama. I discovered this book browsing for something to read in the graphic novel section of my public library and have since been seeing it everywhere. It's on this list because of how important it is for students to gain empathy for immigrants right now. 

 

5) Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi (2018)

Sara Saedi is an Iranian immigrant who wants to learn to drive, get a boyfriend, be acne-free, and then discovers that she also needs a green card after learning about her undocumented status. I wanted a memoir for this list because a lot of non-readers I know prefer non-fiction with conversational tones and modern day dilemmas. I discovered this book on GoodReads because of my interest in Almost American Girl.