Skip to Main Content

Roland Park Country School: Upper School Summer Reading 2022

RPCS Libraries

Assigned Summer Reading

Welcome to Roland Park Country School's Summer Reading LibGuide for Upper School students!

Upper School students will read one or two designated titles for their RPCS English classes, plus one free choice book from this LibGuide. Scroll down below the English titles to see covers, titles and descriptions for choice book options.
Find the titles required for English classes at RPCS in the table below. Reading guides are linked below many titles.
Respond to your choice book with one of the options listed in this reading response assignment. Your choice reading assignment is due on Tuesday, September 6 in your advisory.
Many of the choice titles on this LibGuide were recommended by RPCS Upper School students and are available through our SORA eBook and digital audio collection. Look for "available on SORA" in the details below each book.
The AP, Honors, and Integrated Studies Course Summer Assignments LibGuide provides information for the required summer work for RPCS's AP Courses in English, history, mathematics science, visual arts, world languages, and the Integrated Studies courses.
Students taking courses at Bryn Mawr and Gilman should check the following links for additional requirements: Bryn Mawr School's Summer Reading and Gilman School's Summer Reading website.
The Ivy Bookshop is offering a 10% discount on all summer reading. Families can visit the shop, which is open every day from 10am-7pm, or their website, where they can use the coupon code SUMMER10 to take advantage of the discount.

Required Titles for English Classes at RPCS

English 9:

Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai (Available in SORA)

Click here for the reading guide for Escape from Aleppo

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

English 9 Honors:

Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai (Available in SORA)

Click here for the reading guide for Escape from Aleppo

Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Available in SORA)

Click here for the reading guide for Poet X

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

English 10:

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Click here for the reading guide for Purple Hibiscus

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

English 10 Honors:

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Click here for the reading guide for Purple Hibiscus

Trick Mirror (6 selected essays, see Reading Guide for which essays to read) by Jia Tolentino (Available in SORA)
Click here for the reading guide for Trick Mirror

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

English 11 at RPCS:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (Available in SORA)
Click here for the reading guide for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

12th Grade English Courses at RPCS:

Honors Research Seminar: Profiles in Leadership:

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (Available in SORA)

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

Honors Research Seminar: Telling African Stories:

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

Disabilities in Literature:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Plus one free choice book from this LibGuide

AP English Literature and Composition:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Plus one free choice contemporary NOVEL from this LibGuide

Young Adult Fiction

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
ISBN: 9780142420911
Publication Date: 2017-07-11
Affectionately dubbed the Nigerian Harry Potter, Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone! (Read the full trilogy: Akata Warrior and Akata Woman. Any of these titles are acceptable)
Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin; Rosie Hedger (Translator)
ISBN: 9780545889650
Publication Date: 2017-01-03
Available in SORA. In this internationally acclaimed debut, Marianne Kaurin recreates the atmosphere of secrecy and uncertainty in World War II Norway in a moving story of sorrow, chance, and first love.
Anatomy: a Love Story by Dana Schwartz
ISBN: 9781250774156
Publication Date: 2022-01-18
*INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* Schwartz's magical novel is at once gripping and tender, and the intricate plot is engrossing as the reader tries to solve the mystery. This is, in the end, the story of the anatomy of the human heart. - Booklist (starred review) Not for the squeamish!
Ballad and Dagger (an Outlaw Saints Novel) by Daniel José Older
Call Number: J FIC OLD
ISBN: 9781368070829
Publication Date: 2022-05-03
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Daniel José Older's music-and-magic-filled YA urban fantasy about two teens who discover each other and their powers during a political battle within a unique diaspora community. YA
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray
ISBN: 9780593405680
Publication Date: 2021-09-28
Available in SORA. In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked and Iron Widow, fate binds two teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster. "Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses." --Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful
An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
ISBN: 9781524738198
Publication Date: 2021-08-31
Available in SORA. New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.
Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
ISBN: 9780593309032
Publication Date: 2022-02-15
From National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi comes a companion novel to the critically acclaimed PET that explores both the importance and cost of social revolution--and how youth lead the way.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
ISBN: 9781250170972
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Instant New York Times Bestseller, TIME Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time, TIME Best YA Books of All Time,
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
ISBN: 9781335402509
Publication Date: 2021-10-05
Available in SORA. Death lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together.
Crier's War by Nina Varela
ISBN: 9780062823953
Publication Date: 2020-08-11
From debut author Nina Varela comes the first book in a richly imagined epic fantasy duology about an impossible love between two girls--one human, one Made--whose romance could be the beginning of a revolution.
A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
Call Number: J FIC NAM
ISBN: 9781534471245
Publication Date: 2020-11-10
(Available on SORA) Love & Gelato meets Don’t Date Rosa Santos in this charming, heartfelt story following a Miami girl who unexpectedly finds love—and herself—in a small English town.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
ISBN: 9780525552970
Publication Date: 2019-08-20
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.
Fatal Throne: the Wives of Henry VIII Tell All by Candace Fleming; et al.
Call Number: J FIC AND
ISBN: 9781984830333
Publication Date: 2020-02-18
(Available in SORA) This is an edge-of-your-seat reimagining of the romance and tragedy that defined the six wives of Henry VIII, told from multiple points of view by award-winning and bestselling authors.
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith
ISBN: 9780399559440
Publication Date: 2020-03-17
Available in SORA. Two teens are thrown together on a cross-country train trip that will teach them about love, each other, and the futures they can build for themselves in this meet-cute romance from the bestselling author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Call Number: J FIC BOU
ISBN: 9781250766564
Publication Date: 2021-03-16
(Available on SORA) With four starred reviews, Angeline Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan; James Patterson (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9780316561358
Publication Date: 2019-10-08
Uncover a riveting story of palace intrigue set in a sumptuous Asian-inspired fantasy world in the breakout YA novel that Publisher's Weekly calls elegant and adrenaline-soaked. (All titles in this series would be acceptable)
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
ISBN: 9781250145451
Publication Date: 2020-10-27
(Available in SORA) No one speaks of the grace year. It's forbidden. In Garner County, girls are banished for their sixteenth year to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty) by Diana Ma
Call Number: J FIC MA
ISBN: 9781419749964
Publication Date: 2020-12-01
(Available on SORA) "More than a cute rom-com, this novel highlights LGBTQ+ rights, contemporary attitudes held by Chinese citizens, Chinese history, Hollywood’s ethnic prejudices, and pride in culture and family. . . this is a fun start to a promising series."
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
ISBN: 9780316282642
Publication Date: 2022-05-10
(Available in SORA) "With Hollow Fires, Samira Ahmed offers us an impossible-to-put-down thriller that is both spectacularly haunting and deeply thoughtful. Safiya and Jawad are not narrators we usually see, and their harrowing story is a wholly original commentary on perception, community, and the way society weighs one life against another." --Sabaa Tahir #1 NYT bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes
Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
ISBN: 9780593177051
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
This powerful novel-in-verse captures one girl, caught between cultures, on an unexpected journey to face the ephemeral girl she might have been. Woven through with moments of lyrical beauty, this is a tender meditation on family, belonging, and home.
How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian
Call Number: J FIC PAD
ISBN: 9781616208493
Publication Date: 2020-01-28
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of 2020. Family isn't something you're born into — it's something you build. One young woman’s journey to find her place in the world as the carefully separated strands of her life — family, money, school, and love — begin to overlap and tangle.
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales; Cale Dietrich
ISBN: 9781250805805
Publication Date: 2021-12-07
Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America...the four are teen heartthrobs in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, the pressure to stay in the closet has Ruben confiding in Zach. On a whirlwind tour through Europe, the two come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
ISBN: 9781984836038
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
(Available in SORA) A #1 New York Times and National Bestseller!
A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
ISBN: 9781982102548
Publication Date: 2021-09-07
(Available in SORA) Alternating between Orquídea's past and her descendants' present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a "spellbinding tale, both timeless and fresh, that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Prepare to fall in love" (Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author).
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
ISBN: 9781524718961
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
(Available in SORA) #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this romantic page-turner from the author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, Evie has the power to see other people's romantic fates--what will happen when she finally sees her own?
It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi
ISBN: 9780062741486
Publication Date: 2021-09-14
(Available in SORA) Two exes must revisit their past after their siblings start dating in this rom-com perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Morgan Matson. A Parade Best YA of the Year!
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
ISBN: 9781335405661
Publication Date: 2021-10-12
A girl of two worlds, accepted by none... A half Reaper, half Shinigami soul collector seeks her destiny in this haunting and compulsively readable dark fantasy duology set in 1890s Japan.
Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas
ISBN: 9780593326183
Publication Date: 2022-05-31
(Available in SORA) Two Black queer best friends face their last day together with an epic journey through Baltimore in this magnetic YA debut by bestselling author of Here for It, R. Eric Thomas.
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
ISBN: 9781492623168
Publication Date: 2017-08-01
(Available in SORA) Follow three sisters--and teen witches--as they develop their powers and battle magic through epic questing in the realms beyond. (All titles in this series would be acceptable)
Last Girls by Demetra Brodsky
ISBN: 9781250256584
Publication Date: 2021-05-04
(Available in SORA) Demetra Brodsky's Last Girls is a twisting, suspenseful YA thriller about sisterhood, survival, and family secrets set in the world of doomsday prepping. No one knows how the world will end. Prepare for every situation. Nowhere is safe.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
ISBN: 9780525555254
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
Winner of the National Book Award and A New York Times Bestseller! America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
ISBN: 9780593305829
Publication Date: 2021-08-03
A dark, twisty thriller about a centuries-old, ivy-covered boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past. The dangerous romance and atmospheric setting makes it a perfect read for fans of dark academia.
The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu
ISBN: 9781250767769
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
(Available in SORA) Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu's The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.
Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen
ISBN: 9780593117552
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
(Available in SORA) A hilarious, heartfelt rom-com about the unexpected consequences of one teen's quest to help her friends find love, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jane Austen.
Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist
ISBN: 9780316305365
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
In his debut novel, YouTube personality and author of We Should Hang Out Sometime Josh Sundquist explores the nature of love, trust, and romantic attraction.
Love Is a Revolution by Renée Watson
ISBN: 9781547600601
Publication Date: 2021-02-02
(Available in SORA) In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself.
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
ISBN: 9780063071780
Publication Date: 2022-02-08
(Available in SORA) On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara's secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Call Number: J FIC DIM
ISBN: 9781770864863
Publication Date: 2017-09-01
(Available in SORA) "The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden... but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves"--Back cover.
Meet Cute by Jennifer L. Armentrout; et al.
Call Number: SS MEE
ISBN: 9781328759870
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. Meet Cute is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “how they first met” from some of today’s most popular YA authors.
The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson
ISBN: 9780358448907
Publication Date: 2022-03-29
A fascinating historical novel about Hilde, an orphan who experiences Berlin on the cusp of World War II as she discovers her own voice and sexuality, ultimately finding a family when she gets a job at a gay cabaret, by award-winning author Kip Wilson.
One True Loves by Elise Bryant
ISBN: 9780062982865
Publication Date: 2022-01-04
(Available in SORA) From the author of Happily Ever Afters comes another irresistible YA romantic comedy full of self-discovery and Black love--and a dreamy European cruise. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
ISBN: 9780063024649
Publication Date: 2022-02-22
(Available in SORA) Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And the cute boy at work isn't just a boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family. To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story...she is not the hero. (Macabre fantasy)
Out Now by Saundra Mitchell; et al.
ISBN: 9781335018267
Publication Date: 2020-05-26
(Available in SORA) Fans of Becky Albertelli, Adam Silvera and Nina LaCour will eat up this delicious anthology of romantic and adventurous contemporary and speculative stories featuring LGBTQ+ teens.
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
ISBN: 9780593109427
Publication Date: 2021-05-18
(Available in SORA) Olivia Abtahi's debut is as hilarious as it is heartfelt--a delightful tale where, amid the turmoil of high school friendships and crushes, being yourself is always the perfect way to be.
Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay
Call Number: J FIC SAL
ISBN: 9781536209600
Publication Date: 2020-05-12
In a standout debut for the #MeToo era, a young pianist devotes herself to her art — and to the demanding, charismatic teacher she idolizes.
The Red Palace by June Hur
ISBN: 9781250800558
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
(Available in SORA) To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood...Joseon (Korea), 1758.
An expertly choreographed mystery with a touch of romance and an emotionally satisfying conclusion ... The perfect book to curl up with for a cozy winter afternoon of murder and intrigue. --NPR
The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton; Sona Charaipotra
ISBN: 9781368014144
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
(Available in SORA) All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.
At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC's elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life. Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all--the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
ISBN: 9780062085504
Publication Date: 2018-01-09
(Available in SORA) One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can leave a fully grown man gasping for air. One touch, and she can kill. The gripping first installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series. (Any title in the series would be acceptable)
Shine by Jessica Jung
ISBN: 9781534462519
Publication Date: 2020-09-29
(Available in SORA) An instant New York Times bestseller! Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls' Generation.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
ISBN: 9781250076960
Publication Date: 2018-02-06
"A heady blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure." --Rick Riordan, New York Times-bestselling author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (Any title in this series would be acceptable)
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Call Number: J FIC BOW
ISBN: 9780593120941
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
(Available in SORA) NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls this book, “epic and original,” in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Beasts of Prey.
Some Kind of Animal by Maria Romasco-Moore
Call Number: J FIC MOO
ISBN: 9781984893543
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
For fans of Sadie comes a new story about two girls with a secret no one would ever believe, and the wild, desperate lengths they will go to protect each other from the outside world.
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
ISBN: 9780593349724
Publication Date: 2021-06-15
(Available in SORA) Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Ruta Sepetys, this sweet, summery romance set in Nantucket follows seventeen-year-old Abby Schoenberg as she uncovers a secret about her grandmother's life during WWII.
Take Me with You When You Go by David Levithan; Jennifer Niven
ISBN: 9780525580997
Publication Date: 2021-08-31
Subject: You. Missing.
From the New York Times bestselling authors of All the Bright Places and Every Day comes a story of hope, siblinghood, and finding your home in the people who matter the most.
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen
Call Number: J FIC YEN
ISBN: 9780593117521
Publication Date: 2021-02-02
(available on SORA) For fans of Jenny Han, Jane Austen, and The Great British Baking Show, A Taste for Love, is a delicious rom com about first love, familial expectations, and making the perfect bao.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
ISBN: 9780593114315
Publication Date: 2021-06-29
(Available in SORA) Gossip Girl meets One of Us Is Lying with a dash of The Secret History in this slick, taut murder mystery set against the backdrop of an exclusive prep school on Long Island. Thriller!
This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg
ISBN: 9781250786272
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
(Available in SORA) Marit Weisenberg's This Golden State follows a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted world.
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
ISBN: 9781547603909
Publication Date: 2021-06-29
(Available in SORA) Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
ISBN: 9781250766601
Publication Date: 2021-05-18
The New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine YA Book Club Pick! Emiko Jean's Tokyo Ever After is the "refreshing, spot-on" (Booklist, starred review) story of an ordinary Japanese American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
ISBN: 9781250750433
Publication Date: 2020-12-29
A fresh, irresistible rom-com from debut author Emma Lord about the chances we take, the paths life can lead us on, and how love can be found in the opposite place you expected.
Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer
Call Number: J FIC KON
ISBN: 9781419740848
Publication Date: 2020-04-21
"Kronzer deftly combines what it means to be a female in comedy with a story of contemporary resonance that evokes the #MeToo movement." — Booklist
Vinyl Moon by Mahogany l. Browne
ISBN: 9780593176436
Publication Date: 2022-01-11
A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain.
Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew
ISBN: 9780735269002
Publication Date: 2021-09-14
An Indigenous teen girl is caught between two worlds, both real and virtual, in the YA fantasy debut from bestselling Indigenous author Wab Kinew. Perfect for fans of Ready Player One and the Otherworld series.
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Call Number: J FIC CHE
ISBN: 9780358131434
Publication Date: 2020-09-01
From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
ISBN: 9780385741279
Publication Date: 2018-05-29
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Don't miss the eagerly anticipated prequel, Family of Liars, available May 2022! Thriller! (Sequel would be acceptable too)
What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
ISBN: 9781250821188
Publication Date: 2023-04-18
(Available in SORA) A 2022 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist, Cory Anderson's stunning novel about brutality and beauty, and about broken people trying to survive--Intense, brutal, and searingly honest, perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Laura Ruby, and Meg Rosoff.
To understand the truth, you have to start at the beginning. Thiller!
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
ISBN: 9780063029095
Publication Date: 2021-09-14
(Available in SORA) The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson!
The Words in My Hands by Asphyxia
ISBN: 9781773215280
Publication Date: 2021-11-30
Part coming of age, part call to action, this fast-paced #ownvoices dystopian novel about a Deaf teenager is a unique and inspiring exploration of what it means to belong.

Adult Fiction

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Call Number: FIC WIL
ISBN: 9780812998955
Publication Date: 2019-02-12
Marie Mitchell, an FBI agent whose career has become stagnated, is given an opportunity to join a task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
ISBN: 9780593358337
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
ISBN: 9781534437685
Publication Date: 2021-06-29
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the "engrossing and vibrant" (Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby) first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
Call Number: FIC DOS
ISBN: 9781419752926
Publication Date: 2021-01-26
Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, a searing literary debut novel set in India about mothers and daughters, obsession and betrayal.
Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander
ISBN: 9781982163693
Publication Date: 2022-09-06
This "exuberant celebration of Black women's joy as well as their achievements" (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) novelizes the life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary in a previously untold story of passion, perseverance, and building a legacy after emancipation in North Carolina.
Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
ISBN: 9780593185384
Publication Date: 2022-02-08
From bestselling YA author Bethany C. Morrow comes a new suspense novel, in the vein of Get Out meets My Sister the Serial Killer, about a calculating young Black girl who manipulates her way into the lives of her Black best friend's white wealthy adopted family; but as she spends more time with the Whitmans, she begins to suspect she may not be the only one with ulterior motives.
Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
Call Number: FIC DAN
ISBN: 9780307472274
Publication Date: 2014-07-01
(Available in SORA) Just as her father makes the wrenching decision to send her away for a chance at a better life, Claire Limyè Lanmè—Claire of the Sea Light—suddenly disappears. As the people of the Haitian seaside community of Ville Rose search for her, painful secrets, haunting memories, and startling truths are unearthed. In this stunning novel about intertwined lives, Edwidge Danticat crafts a tightly woven, breathtaking tapestry that explores the mysterious bonds we share—with the natural world and with one another.
Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang
ISBN: 9780062951809
Publication Date: 2020-03-31
A wry, tender portrait of a young woman—finally free to decide her own path, but unsure if she knows herself well enough to choose wisely—from a captivating new literary voice.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
ISBN: 9780593298350
Publication Date: 2022-03-22
A Taiwanese American woman’s coming-of-consciousness ignites eye-opening revelations and chaos on a college campus in this outrageously hilarious and startlingly tender debut novel.
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
ISBN: 9781250205933
Publication Date: 2019-09-03
(Available in SORA) In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's Dominicana is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
ISBN: 9780393868074
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.
Famous Adopted People by Alice Stephens
Call Number: FIC STE
ISBN: 9781944700744
Publication Date: 2018-10-16
"Stephens' darkly comic, sharply irreverent, undeniably wise 'Great Adoption Novel' is an unexpectedly timely, not-to-be-missed, epic wild ride." --Booklist, *Starred Review*
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
ISBN: 9781250313188
Publication Date: 2020-07-14
Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth, first in The Locked Tomb Trilogy, unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
ISBN: 9781250782953
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
In the 2050s, Earth has begun to empty. Those with the means and the privilege have departed the great cities of the United States for the more comfortable confines of space colonies. Those left behind salvage what they can from the collapsing infrastructure.
A House Is a Body by Shruti Swamy
Call Number: FIC SWA
ISBN: 9781616209896
Publication Date: 2020-08-11
Dreams collide with reality, modernity with antiquity, and myth with identity in the twelve arresting stories of A House Is a Body.
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
Call Number: FIC ZHA
ISBN: 9780525537205
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving landscape—trying not just to survive but to find a home.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, Special Edition by V. E. Schwab
ISBN: 9781250830746
Publication Date: 2021-10-05
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever--and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck
Call Number: FIC ROB
ISBN: 9780593102145
Publication Date: 2021-02-09
In the depths of war, she would defy the odds to help liberate a nation…a gripping historical novel based on the remarkable true story of World War II heroine Virginia Hall, from the bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl.
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
ISBN: 9781250789068
Publication Date: 2021-09-28
2022 Stonewall Book Award Winner
Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.
When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate...
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
ISBN: 9781451678192
Publication Date: 2012-04-17
In The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury, America’s preeminent storyteller, imagines a place of hope, dreams, and metaphor— of crystal pillars and fossil seas—where a fine dust settles on the great empty cities of a vanished, devastated civilization.
The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe
ISBN: 9780063070875
Publication Date: 2022-04-19
New York Times bestseller!I Singer-songwriter, actor, fashion icon, activist, and worldwide superstar Janelle Monáe brings to the written page the Afrofuturistic world of one of her critically acclaimed albums, exploring how different threads of liberation—queerness, race, gender plurality, and love—become tangled with future possibilities of memory and time...
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Call Number: FIC ERD
ISBN: 9780062671189
Publication Date: 2020-03-03
(Available in SORA) In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
Call Number: FIC EVA
ISBN: 9781594487330
Publication Date: 2020-11-10
The award-winning author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self brings her signature voice and insight to the subjects of race, grief, apology, and American history.
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
Call Number: FIC GAR
ISBN: 9781250776686
Publication Date: 2021-03-30
A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
ISBN: 9781250786173
Publication Date: 2022-01-04
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
ISBN: 9781250244499
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks.
The Orphanage by Serhiy Zhadan; Reilly Costigan-Humes (Translator); Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler (Translator)
ISBN: 9780300243017
Publication Date: 2021-02-23
A devastating story of the struggle of civilians caught up in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Chosen as one of "Six Books to Read for Context on Ukraine" by the New York Times
Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the "20 Best Books of 2021"
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland
ISBN: 9780142001820
Publication Date: 2002-12-31
Set against the glorious backdrops of Rome, Florence, Genoa, and Naples, inhabited by historical characters such as Galileo and Cosimo de' Medici II, and filled with rich details about life as a seventeenth-century painter, Vreeland creates an inspiring story about one woman's lifelong struggle to reconcile career and family, passion and genius.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
ISBN: 9781635577808
Publication Date: 2021-09-28
For readers of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth; Sara Lautman (Illustrator)
Call Number: FIC DAN
ISBN: 9780062942852
Publication Date: 2020-10-20
The award-winning author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post makes her adult debut with this highly imaginative and original horror-comedy centered around a cursed New England boarding school for girls—a wickedly whimsical celebration of the art of storytelling, sapphic love, and the rebellious female spirit.
Recitatif by Toni Morrison; Zadie Smith (Introduction by)
ISBN: 9780593315033
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - A beautiful, arresting story about race and the relationships that shape us through life by the legendary Nobel Prize winner--for the first time in a beautifully produced stand-alone edition, with an introduction by Zadie Smith.
The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto
Call Number: FIC BHU
ISBN: 9781839760341
Publication Date: 2020-08-18
“Told in alternate chapters from the points of view of all three protagonists, the book moves forward and backward, explaining their motivations in spare, almost jaunty prose that elicits empathy for the troubled teens and stands in stark contrast to the seriousness of the plot. Bhutto’s penetrating character study convinces all the way to the inevitable bloody end. ”
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
ISBN: 9780525511298
Publication Date: 2019-04-02
(Available in SORA) NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection—a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands.
Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman
ISBN: 9780063000032
Publication Date: 2022-01-04
In a suspenseful collection of stories featuring fierce women—including one never-before-published novella—New York Times bestseller and Baltimorean, Laura Lippman showcases why she is one of today’s top crime writers.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
ISBN: 9780062671127
Publication Date: 2021-11-09
In this New York Times bestselling novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
ISBN: 9781501161933
Publication Date: 2018-05-29
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson
ISBN: 9780062964588
Publication Date: 2021-08-03
Kaia Alderson's debut historical fiction novel reveals the untold, true story of the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps, who made the dangerous voyage to Europe to ensure American servicemen received word from their loved ones during World War II.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
ISBN: 9780062060624
Publication Date: 2012-08-28
A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe.
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
ISBN: 9781250765352
Publication Date: 2021-10-05
It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one...(fractured, reimagined Sleeping Beauty)
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Call Number: FIC FRA
ISBN: 9781250088567
Publication Date: 2018-01-23
When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes. This is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And families with secrets don't get to keep them forever.
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
ISBN: 9780385547932
Publication Date: 2022-01-11
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - From the author of the classic A Little Life--a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.
Violeta by Isabel Allende; Frances Riddle (Translator)
ISBN: 9780593496206
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - This sweeping novel from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
ISBN: 9780593315415
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
In this riveting page-turner, Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise--until a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his lost family heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. Thriller!
Well-Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave
Call Number: FIC DAV
ISBN: 9781984806154
Publication Date: 2020-07-14
From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
ISBN: 9780399563096
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
The New York Times bestseller with more than 1 million copies sold worldwide
Inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive--and to reunite--We Were the Lucky Ones is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.

Poetry

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Call Number: 811 HAR
ISBN: 9780393358483
Publication Date: 2020-08-18
(Available in SORA)
Brown by Kevin Young
ISBN: 9781524711146
Publication Date: 2020-03-03
(Available in SORA) James Brown. John Brown's raid. Brown v. the Topeka Board of Ed. The prizewinning author of Blue Laws meditates on all things "brown" in this powerful new collection--now in paperback.
Build Yourself a Boat by Felix Camonghne
Call Number: 811 CAM
ISBN: 9781608466115
Publication Date: 2019-04-23
This is about what grows through the wreckage. This is an anthem of survival and a look at what might come after. A view of what floats and what, ultimately, sustains.
Build Yourself a Boat redefines the language of collective and individual trauma through lyric and memory.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Call Number: 811 GOR
ISBN: 9780593465066
Publication Date: 2021-12-07
The breakout poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. YA
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
ISBN: 9781555978310
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
Finalist for the National Book Award - Finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Award - Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award - - Winner of the National Jewish Book Award - Finalist for the T. S. Eliot Prize - Finalist for the Forward Prize for Best Collection
Ilya Kaminsky's astonishing parable in poems asks us, What is silence?
Invasive Species by Marwa Helal
Call Number: 811 HEL
ISBN: 9781937658939
Publication Date: 2019-01-08
In Invasive species, Marwa Helal's searing politically charged poems touch on our collective humanity and build new pathways for empathy, etching themselves into memory. This work centers on urgent themes in our cultural landscape, creating space for unseen victims of discriminatory foreign (read: immigration) policy: migrants, refugees--the displaced.
Just Us by Claudia Rankine
Call Number: 811 RAN
ISBN: 9781644450215
Publication Date: 2020-09-08
As everyday white supremacy becomes increasingly vocalized with no clear answers at hand, how best might we approach one another? Claudia Rankine, without telling us what to do, urges us to begin the discussions that might open pathways through this divisive and stuck moment in American history.
Lima :: Limón by Natalie Scenters-Zapico
Call Number: 811 SCE
ISBN: 9781556595318
Publication Date: 2019-05-14
In her striking second collection, Natalie Scenters-Zapico sets her unflinching gaze once again on the borders of things. Lima:: Lim n illuminates both the sweet and the sour of the immigrant experience, of life as a woman in the U.S. and Mexico, and of the politics of the present day.
My Baby First Birthday by Jenny Zhang
Call Number: 811 ZHA
ISBN: 9781947793811
Publication Date: 2020-05-12
Radiant and tender, My Baby First Birthday is a collection that examines innocence, asking us who gets to be loved and who has to deplete themselves just to survive. Jenny Zhang writes about accepting pain, about the way we fetishize womanhood and motherhood, and reduce women to their violations, traumas, and body parts.
Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes
Call Number: 811 GRI
ISBN: 9781629798813
Publication Date: 2019-10-08
(Available on SORA) In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
Call Number: 811 DIA
ISBN: 9781644450147
Publication Date: 2020-03-03
Postcolonial Love Poem is an anthem of desire against erasure. Natalie Diaz’s brilliant second collection demands that every body carried in its pages—bodies of language, land, rivers, suffering brothers, enemies, and lovers—be touched and held as beloveds. Through these poems, the wounds inflicted by America onto an indigenous people are allowed to bloom pleasure and tenderness: “Let me call my anxiety, desire, then. / Let me call it, a garden.”
Rain Scald by Tacey M. Atsitty
Call Number: 811 ATS
ISBN: 9780826358677
Publication Date: 2018-02-15
In this innovative debut collection, Tacey M. Atsitty employs traditional, lyric, and experimental verse to create an intricate landscape she invites readers to explore. Presented in three sections, Ts yi', Gorge Dweller, and T hee', the poems negotiate between belief and doubt, self and family, and interior and exterior landscapes.
Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur
Call Number: 821 THA
ISBN: 9781536209921
Publication Date: 2020-09-08
From acclaimed performance poet Sophia Thakur comes a stirring collection of coming-of-age poems exploring issues of identity, difference, perseverance, relationships, fear, loss, and joy.
Such Color by Tracy K. Smith
ISBN: 9781644450673
Publication Date: 2021-10-05
Such Color collects the best poems from Smith's award-winning books and culminates in thirty pages of brilliant, excoriating new poems.

Local Independent Bookstores

The Children's Bookstore
Greedy Reads
The Ivy Bookshop
Support local booksellers by buying books from the Ivy and they will be shipped directly to you.
Mahogany Books
MahoganyBooks is a semi-local, Black-owned independent bookstore that believes in social entrepreneurship. Online orders are shipped from Washington, D.C.
Red Emma's Books
Due to the cororonavirus, Red Emma's worker owners have decided that the safest course of action is to temporarily completely close our space. We are not accepting take out or delivery orders for food, but we are still accepting and shipping online orders for books.

OverDrive

Sora for OverDrive

Non-fiction

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Call Number: 364.15 Sla
ISBN: 9780374303235
Publication Date: 2017-10-17
(Available in SORA) One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever.
Admissions by Kendra James
ISBN: 9781538753484
Publication Date: 2022-01-18
With its combination of incisive social critique and uproarious depictions of elite nonsense at boarding schools, ADMISSIONS will resonate with anyone who has ever been The Only One in a room, dealt with racial microaggressions, or even just suffered from an extreme case of homesickness.
All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
ISBN: 9781984854995
Publication Date: 2021-06-08
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft an extraordinary testament to people who are left out of the archives.
The Anthropocene Reviewed (Signed Edition) by John Green
ISBN: 9780525555216
Publication Date: 2021-05-18
Goodreads Choice winner for Nonfiction 2021 and instant #1 bestseller! A deeply moving collection of personal essays from John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down.
Apple by Eric Gansworth
Call Number: BIO GAN
ISBN: 9781646140138
Publication Date: 2020-10-06
(Available on SORA) In APPLE (SKIN TO THE CORE), Eric Gansworth tells his story, the story of his family—of Onondaga among Tuscaroras—of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur ("apple") and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking.
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
ISBN: 9780385547215
Publication Date: 2021-09-07
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The moving story of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the world--an incandescent debut from an astonishing new talent.
Black Joy by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts
ISBN: 9781982176556
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
With deeply personal and uplifting essays in the vein of Black Girls Rock, You Are Your Best Thing, and I Really Needed This Today, this is "a necessary testimony on the magic and beauty of our capacity to live and love fully and out loud" (Kerry Washington).
Can't Stop Won't Stop (Young Adult Edition) by Jeff Chang; Dave 'Davey D' Cook; Jeff Chang; Dave Cook
Call Number: 306.4 CHA
ISBN: 9781250790514
Publication Date: 2021-03-16
From award-winning author Jeff Chang, Can't Stop Won't Stop is the young adult adaptation of the story of hip-hop, a generation-defining movement and the music that transformed American politics and culture forever.
The Confident Mind by Nate Zinsser
ISBN: 9780063014831
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
Believe and be unshakable. The Director of West Point's influential Performance Psychology Program shares the secrets of mental toughness and self-belief in this definitive guide to mastering confidence, the key to performance in any field.
Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser
ISBN: 9781250837165
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever is a story of the bonds of brotherhood, family loyalty, the transformative connection between man and horse, and forging a better future from impossible odds.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
ISBN: 9780525657743
Publication Date: 2021-04-20
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR - NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity.
The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
ISBN: 9781541724686
Publication Date: 2022-05-10
Dr. Prescod-Weinstein urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is rife with racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society, beginning with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. The Disordered Cosmos dreams into existence a world that allows everyone to experience and understand the wonders of the universe.
The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura
Call Number: 610.922 NIM
ISBN: 9780393635546
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
A riveting dual biography of America’s first female physicians...A compellingly portrayed and vividly realized biography of triumph and trailblazing.
A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley
ISBN: 9780374314071
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
Using the life and work of Picasso as a framing device, debut memoirist Henley-a white woman born with Crouzon syndrome, a rare "craniofacial condition where the bones in the head don’t grow"-writes about "beauty through a lens of disfigurement."
The Four Sacred Gifts by Anita L. Sanchez
ISBN: 9781501150869
Publication Date: 2018-11-13
In The Four Sacred Gifts, visionary international business consultant Anita Sanchez, PhD, reveals the timely prophecy entrusted to her by a global collective of indigenous elders--four guiding gifts that "will allow you to set yourself free to live your most successful life...learn how to forgive, to heal, to unite with all life, and to revitalize hope."
Go Back to Where You Came From by Wajahat Ali
ISBN: 9780393867978
Publication Date: 2022-01-18
In this refreshingly bold, hopeful, and uproarious memoir, Ali offers indispensable lessons for cultivating a more compassionate, inclusive, and delicious America.
Haben by Haben Girma
Call Number: BIO GIR
ISBN: 9781538728734
Publication Date: 2020-08-11
(Available on SORA) The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage.
Here's the Deal by Kellyanne Conway
ISBN: 9781982187347
Publication Date: 2022-05-24
Among the Trump era’s savviest insiders, one name stands especially tall: Kellyanne.
Here for It by R. Eric Thomas
ISBN: 9780525621034
Publication Date: 2020-02-18
Here for It will resonate deeply and joyfully with everyone who has ever felt pushed to the margins, struggled with self-acceptance, or wished to shine more brightly in a dark world. Stay here for it—the future may surprise you.
Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall; Lisa Wysocky (As told to)
ISBN: 9781442481688
Publication Date: 2014-01-21
An inspiring and compelling memoir from a young woman who lost her childhood to slavery--and built a new life grounded in determination and justice.
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
ISBN: 9780316279291
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
From the activist who coined the term "Intersectional Environmentalist" comes a primer on intersectional environmentalism for the next generation of activists looking to create meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable change.
Jane Against the World by Karen Blumenthal
ISBN: 9781626721654
Publication Date: 2020-02-25
Tracing the path to the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and repercussions that have affected generations of American women.
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson
Call Number: BIO STE
ISBN: 9780525580034
Publication Date: 2018-09-18
(Available in SORA) "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"--Provided by publisher. YA
Killers of the Flower Moon: Adapted for Young Readers by David Grann
ISBN: 9780593377345
Publication Date: 2021-11-16
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, thanks to the oil that was discovered beneath their land. Then, one by one, the Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances, and anyone who tried to investigate met the same end.
Knockout by Mia Kang
Call Number: BIO KAN
ISBN: 9781419743320
Publication Date: 2020-10-20
An intimate and unflinching memoir exploring Mia Kang’s journey from self-loathing to self-love.
The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams
Call Number: 595.78 WIL
ISBN: 9781501178061
Publication Date: 2020-06-02
In this fascinating book from the New York Times bestselling author of The Horse, Wendy Williams explores the lives of one of the world’s most resilient creatures—the butterfly—shedding light on the role that they play in our ecosystem and in our human lives.
A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
ISBN: 9781984801203
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - A sweeping, genre-bending "masterpiece" (Minneapolis Star Tribune) exploring Black art, music, and culture in all their glory and complexity--from Soul Train, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Whitney Houston, and Beyoncé
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
ISBN: 9781984820365
Publication Date: 2020-02-25
A ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged, and utterly original exploration of Asian American consciousness and the struggle to be human.
Miss Me with That by Rachel Lindsay
ISBN: 9780593357071
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
A candid, witty, and inspiring collection of essays from The Bachelor's first Black Bachelorette, exploring everything from relationships and love to politics and race,
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022.
A Most Beautiful Thing by Arshay Cooper
ISBN: 9781250754769
Publication Date: 2020-06-30
The moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago's West side who form the first all-Black high school rowing team in the nation, and in doing so not only transform a sport, but their lives.
On Top of Glass by Karina Manta
ISBN: 9780593308462
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
An insightful memoir from a figure skating champion about her life as a bisexual professional athlete, perfect for readers of Fierce by Aly Raisman and Forward by Abby Wambach.
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
ISBN: 9781616209131
Publication Date: 2019-10-29
In this searing memoir, Jaquira Díaz writes fiercely and eloquently of her challenging girlhood and triumphant coming of age.
The Other Talk by Brendan Kiely; Jason Reynolds (Introduction by)
ISBN: 9781534494046
Publication Date: 2021-09-21
Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Brendan Kiely starts a conversation with white kids about race in this "well-executed and long overdue" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) introduction to white privilege and why allyship is so vital.
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer; Jules Zuckerberg (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780063069497
Publication Date: 2022-05-24
This groundbreaking illustrated YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals.
Rolling Warrior by Judith Heumann; Kristen Joiner
ISBN: 9780807003596
Publication Date: 2021-06-15
As featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, one of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her story of fighting to belong.
The Shelter and the Fence by Norman H. Finkelstein
ISBN: 9781641603836
Publication Date: 2021-06-08
The story of Holocaust refugees who found shelter in the United States—with unique parallels to today's stories of asylum seekers.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds; Ibram X. Kendi
Call Number: 305.8 REY
ISBN: 9780316453691
Publication Date: 2020-03-10
(Available in SORA) A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America.
This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.
Star Child by Ibi Zoboi
ISBN: 9780399187384
Publication Date: 2022-01-25
From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler, author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred.
The Story of More (Adapted for Young Adults) by Hope Jahren
ISBN: 9780593381120
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
This young adult adaptation of acclaimed geochemist and geobiologist Hope Jahren's highly respected nonfiction work is the perfect book for those interested in learning about climate change and how they can contribute to creating a more sustainable future.
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
Call Number: 305.8 MCG
ISBN: 9780525509561
Publication Date: 2021-02-16
(Available on SORA) One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color.
Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Call Number: BIO CHO
ISBN: 9781984819215
Publication Date: 2021-02-09
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this thoughtful and revealing memoir, readers will accompany one of the world’s most recognizable women on her journey of self-discovery.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Call Number: 306.89 DOY
ISBN: 9781984801258
Publication Date: 2020-03-10
In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, bestselling author, and “patron saint of female empowerment” (People) explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.
Wolfpack (Young Readers Edition) by Abby Wambach
Call Number: 155.3 WAM
ISBN: 9781250766861
Publication Date: 2020-10-06
(Available on SORA) In this young readers adaptation of her #1 New York Times bestselling book, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion Abby Wambach inspires the next generation to find their voice, unite their pack, and change the world.
The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
ISBN: 9781492696728
Publication Date: 2021-06-22
1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened--by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So he makes a plan to put her in her place....
Young, Gifted, and Black by Sheila Wise Rowe
ISBN: 9781514003558
Publication Date: 2022-02-15
Young, Gifted, and Black gives voice to the real-life stories of Black millennials and younger adults. If life was a race, it's assumed that every runner has a fair shot at winning. However, it's not always the case for young, gifted, and Black folks. Sheila Wise Rowe goes beyond the common narrative that focuses solely on their success or struggle. Her stories of celebration and lament point toward hope, joy, and healing.

Graphic Novels

Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Kim; Ryan Estrada; Ko Ko (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781945820427
Publication Date: 2020-05-19
In BANNED BOOK CLUB, Hyun Sook shares a dramatic true story of political division, fear-mongering, anti-intellectualism, the death of democratic institutions, and the relentless rebellion of reading.
The Black Panther Party by David F. Walker; Marcus Kwame Anderson (Illustrator)
Call Number: 741.5 WAL
ISBN: 9781984857705
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the revolutionary Black Panther Party.
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
Call Number: 741.5 HUG
ISBN: 9781250193544
Publication Date: 2020-08-18
A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps in Displacement, a historical graphic novel from Kiku Hughes.
Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780593324318
Publication Date: 2021-11-23
This cheeky, hilarious, and honest graphic novel asks the question everyone has to figure out for themselves: Who are you? YA
The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone; Josh Neufeld
Call Number: 302.23 GLA
ISBN: 9780393541571
Publication Date: 2021-01-12
An invaluable introduction to how the media works from one of the acknowledged masters of the industry, this tenth anniversary edition brings the story up to date, with new illustrations and an afterword that offers a deep examination of the rise of social media and the public’s responsibility in a time of division and disinformation.
I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
ISBN: 9780525575115
Publication Date: 2019-04-30
“[A] high-spirited graphical memoir . . . Gharib’s wisdom about the power and limits of racial identity is evident in the way she draws.”—NPR
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Call Number: 741.5 TRU
ISBN: 9781984851598
Publication Date: 2020-10-13
Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?
My Body in Pieces by Marie-Noëlle Hébert; Shelley Tanaka (Translator)
Call Number: 741.5 HEB
ISBN: 9781773064840
Publication Date: 2021-04-06
A deeply emotional graphic memoir of a young woman's struggles with self-esteem and body image issues.
Nubia: Real One by L. L. McKinney; Robyn Smith (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781401296407
Publication Date: 2021-02-23
When Nubia's best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk it all--her safety, her home, and her crush on that cute kid in English class--to become the hero society tells her she isn't.
Passport by Sophia Glock
ISBN: 9780316459006
Publication Date: 2021-11-30
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her emotional struggles and discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA. YA
Photographic by Isabel Quintero; Zeke Peña (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781947440005
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
"Mixing original illustrations, first-person prose, and lyrical interludes with gorgeous reproductions of photographer Graciela Iturbide’s work, Quintero and Peña patiently reveal their subject’s many angles, producing a “kaleidoscopic unraveling” of the artists… Teens will come away with an evolved sense of how to look at a creator’s life and work and how to think critically about art as a process.
Radium Girls by Cy
ISBN: 9781945820991
Publication Date: 2022-07-05
It's 1918 in Orange, New Jersey, and everyone knows the "Ghost Girls." A stunning graphic novel retelling of the shocking and inspiring true story of radium poisoning.
Sugar Falls by David A. Robertson; Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator); Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator); Murray Sinclair (Foreword by); Betty Ross (Afterword by)
ISBN: 9781553799757
Publication Date: 2021-05-25
Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. Inspired by true events in her life, this story of strength, family, and culture shares the awe-inspiring resilience of Elder Betty Ross.
Wake by Rebecca Hall; Hugo Martínez (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781982115180
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
A Best Book of 2021 by NPR and The Washington Post
Part graphic novel, part memoir, Wake is an imaginative tour-de-force that tells the "powerful" (The New York Times Book Review) story of women-led slave revolts and chronicles scholar Rebecca Hall's efforts to uncover the truth about these women warriors who, until now, have been left out of the historical record.
We Hereby Refuse by Frank Abe; Tamiko Nimura; Matt Sasaki (Illustrator); Ross Ishikawa (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781634059763
Publication Date: 2021-05-18
Three voices. Three acts of defiance. One mass injustice.
The story of camp as you've never seen it before. Japanese Americans complied when evicted from their homes in World War II -- but many refused to submit to imprisonment in American concentration camps without a fight.
Whistle: a New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart; Manuel Preitano (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781401293222
Publication Date: 2021-09-07
Meet DC’s newest superhero: a Jewish social activist who loves dogs. Origin story 101: a difficult backstory (Willow’s mother has cancer and they can’t afford treatment); the onset of powers (a Killer Croc attack somehow makes Willow able to communicate with the stray dog she’s befriended); the moral quandary (Willow’s financial savior is her mother’s estranged friend E. Nigma, better known to DC fans as the Riddler); and finally, the decision to take on a secret identity (the titular Whistle).
Why She Wrote by Lauren Burke; Hannah K. Chapman; Kaley Bales (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781797202099
Publication Date: 2021-04-20
This compelling graphic collection features 18 women--including Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Anne Lister, and more--and asks a simple question: in a time when being a woman writer often meant being undervalued, overlooked, or pigeonholed, why did she write?
The Witch Owl Parliament by Raúl the Third; Stacey Robinson (Illustrator); Damian Duffy (Illustrator); David Bowles
ISBN: 9781620145920
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
In the Republic of Santander, non-Christian magic is frowned upon, if not outright prohibited. But when Cristina Franco, an apprentice shaman, is killed by witch owls, her brother Enrique cannot let her go. With forbidden alchemy and engineering, Enrique brings her back to life: part human, part machine. Though her very existence is an abomination to Santander's citizens, Cristina vows to use her new abilities to protect her country from attack...