Kindness, at its very essence, is "the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate." Of course, these are all qualities we should all strive to exhibit, but as much as we’d like to think that kindness is something inherent in our society, quite the opposite is true.
Many studies suggest human nature drives us to be competitive instead of kind. It makes sense, since ultimately our very existence is tied to one simple goal: survival based on competition for resources. Our planet has a finite number of these life-sustaining resources so it seems obvious that as a species we would do whatever was necessary to make sure we secure enough of those resources for our own survival.
Unfortunately, kindness is actually quite counterintuitive to that.
Because let’s face it, if there are only three apples but four hungry people, what would compel anyone to share with someone else?
The answer, of course, is empathy.
Those people who recognize their own hunger in others are more inclined to share than those who don’t.
Although we are driven to survive through competition, we are also wired to empathize with one another. Empathy is a learned behavior, though the capacity for it is inborn. Think about empathy as an innate capacity that needs to be developed. This quality is what ultimately gives us our humanity, but empathetic responses don’t just happen spontaneously. They need to be fostered, and because they aren’t necessarily our ‘go-to’ reaction, this is especially true for those of us who are wired for self-preservation.
Research shows people who value friendships as well as social connections and are embedded in their networks are more likely to display empathy than those who consider themselves outsiders. There’s a caveat to this, of course, and it’s that these empathetic people are inclined to reserve their kindness for the friends who are most like they are. While they show great consideration for the friends they understand, there’s often a limit when it comes to extending that kindness to those they see as “other.”
I believe, if we want to encourage empathy, the first step is to stop dwelling upon these differences and focus instead on those things in life which makes us the same. In essence, we need to embrace the common human experience.
Love, loss, friendship, fear… these are all things every human experiences in life. When we realize that regardless of age, color, religion, or socioeconomic status, we are all far more alike than we are different and begin to celebrate those things that bind us instead of belaboring the minutia tearing us apart, we’ll be able to achieve our purpose in life – which is to care for one another and to be kind.
This begins with feeling vested in the lives of other people. When we focus on our differences, it’s difficult to experience empathy. However, when we realize just how tethered to one another we truly are, we can begin to see through the veil which separates us and imagine other people’s lives as mirrors of our own.
I firmly believe that simple exposure to other people’s stories through literature will inevitably foster empathy and the capacity for kindness. Because let’s face it, we all tend to be kindest to people who are most like we are, but if we can see ourselves in people who are different from us and understand that most human experiences are largely universal, we’ll start choosing kindness over competitiveness in our everyday lives. Books are tremendous tools in our arsenal for fostering kindness among the diversity of our world.
Books give us the opportunity to experience life through other people’s stories which often promotes understanding. When we spend 300 pages getting to know a person and their story, we’re more inclined to imagine ourselves in their shoes and empathize with them.
The empathy we develop through reading will inevitably breed kindness in the real world. The connections established inside the stories make it easier to identify and honor the fundamental truths behind our differences.
And when we understand and embrace our differences, kindness becomes our default setting.
Below you will find a slideshow of many #ownvoices novels to share with your middle and high school students and two additional lists. Please note that many of these titles may explore more than one marginalization. I hope these lists will be useful to you as you work to encourage kindness in your classrooms.
Many studies suggest human nature drives us to be competitive instead of kind. It makes sense, since ultimately our very existence is tied to one simple goal: survival based on competition for resources. Our planet has a finite number of these life-sustaining resources so it seems obvious that as a species we would do whatever was necessary to make sure we secure enough of those resources for our own survival.
Unfortunately, kindness is actually quite counterintuitive to that.
Because let’s face it, if there are only three apples but four hungry people, what would compel anyone to share with someone else?
The answer, of course, is empathy.
Those people who recognize their own hunger in others are more inclined to share than those who don’t.
Although we are driven to survive through competition, we are also wired to empathize with one another. Empathy is a learned behavior, though the capacity for it is inborn. Think about empathy as an innate capacity that needs to be developed. This quality is what ultimately gives us our humanity, but empathetic responses don’t just happen spontaneously. They need to be fostered, and because they aren’t necessarily our ‘go-to’ reaction, this is especially true for those of us who are wired for self-preservation.
Research shows people who value friendships as well as social connections and are embedded in their networks are more likely to display empathy than those who consider themselves outsiders. There’s a caveat to this, of course, and it’s that these empathetic people are inclined to reserve their kindness for the friends who are most like they are. While they show great consideration for the friends they understand, there’s often a limit when it comes to extending that kindness to those they see as “other.”
I believe, if we want to encourage empathy, the first step is to stop dwelling upon these differences and focus instead on those things in life which makes us the same. In essence, we need to embrace the common human experience.
Love, loss, friendship, fear… these are all things every human experiences in life. When we realize that regardless of age, color, religion, or socioeconomic status, we are all far more alike than we are different and begin to celebrate those things that bind us instead of belaboring the minutia tearing us apart, we’ll be able to achieve our purpose in life – which is to care for one another and to be kind.
This begins with feeling vested in the lives of other people. When we focus on our differences, it’s difficult to experience empathy. However, when we realize just how tethered to one another we truly are, we can begin to see through the veil which separates us and imagine other people’s lives as mirrors of our own.
I firmly believe that simple exposure to other people’s stories through literature will inevitably foster empathy and the capacity for kindness. Because let’s face it, we all tend to be kindest to people who are most like we are, but if we can see ourselves in people who are different from us and understand that most human experiences are largely universal, we’ll start choosing kindness over competitiveness in our everyday lives. Books are tremendous tools in our arsenal for fostering kindness among the diversity of our world.
Books give us the opportunity to experience life through other people’s stories which often promotes understanding. When we spend 300 pages getting to know a person and their story, we’re more inclined to imagine ourselves in their shoes and empathize with them.
The empathy we develop through reading will inevitably breed kindness in the real world. The connections established inside the stories make it easier to identify and honor the fundamental truths behind our differences.
And when we understand and embrace our differences, kindness becomes our default setting.
Below you will find a slideshow of many #ownvoices novels to share with your middle and high school students and two additional lists. Please note that many of these titles may explore more than one marginalization. I hope these lists will be useful to you as you work to encourage kindness in your classrooms.
Picture books to foster empathy and kindness
Body Image
Brontorina – James Howe, Randy Cecil
I Like Myself! – Karen Beaumont, David Catrow
I Am Enough – Grace Byers, Keturah A. Bobo
Your Body is Awesome – Sigrun Danielsdottir, Bjork Bjarkadottir
Disfigurement
Stand Beautiful – Chloe Howard
Forced Relocation
Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School – David Mackintosh
The Yellow Suitcase – Meera Sriram, Meera Sethi
Gender Identity
I Am Jazz – Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, Shelagh McNicholas
Sparkle Boy – Lesléa Newman
Red: A Crayon's Story – Michael Hall
Julián Is a Mermaid – Jessica Love
LGBTQ+
Stella Brings the Family – Miriam B. Schiffer
They, She, He, Easy as ABC – Maya Christina Gonzalez, Matthew SG
In Our Mothers’ House – Patricia Polacco
Prince and Knight – Daniel Haack, Stevie Lewis
Neurodivergence
Leah’s Voice – Lori Demonia
A Friend for Henry – Jenn Bailey, Mika Song
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures – Julia Finley Mosca, Daniel Rieley
All My Stripes – Shaina Rudolph, Danielle Royer, Jennifer Zivoin
Hello, My Name Is Max and I Have Autism – Max Miller
Slug Days – Sara Leach, Rebecca Bender
Noah Chases the Wind – Michelle Worthington, Joseph Cowman
Adoption/Foster Care
What’s That Smell – Lauren McLaughlin, Debbie Ohi
Speranza’s Sweater – Marcy Pusey, Beatriz Mello
Maybe Days – Jennifer Wilgocki, Marcia Kahn Wright, Alissa Imre Geis
The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
And That’s Why She’s My Mama – Tiarra Nazario
Colorism
Sulwe – Lupita Nyong'o
The Colors of Us – Karen Katz
Not Quite Snow White – Ashley Franklin, Ebony Glenn
Immigration/ESL
Dear Juno – Soyung Pak
Sitti’s Secrets – Naomi Shihab Nye, Nancy Carpenter
Islandborn – Junot Díaz
I'm New Here – Anne Sibley O'Brien
Homelessness/Poverty
Last Stop on Market Street – Matt de la Peña
A Shelter in Our Car – Monica Gunning, Elaine Pedlar
Maddie’s Fridge – Lois Brandt, Vin Vogel.
Mental Health Issues
A Terrible Thing Happened – Margaret Holmes
Morris and the Bundle of Worries – Jill Seeney
Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival
The Red Tree – Shaun Tan
Physical Disabilities
El Deafo – Cece Bell
My Three Best Friends, and Me, Zulay – Cari Best,
Vanessa Brantley-Newton
The Patch – Justina Chen Headley, Mitch Vane
Noah the Narwhal – Judith Klausner, Sarah Gould
Religion
Yo Soy Muslim – Mark Gonzales and Mehrdokht Amini
Deep in the Sahara – Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi
Mommy's Khimar – Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam –
Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Chiara Fedele
Racism
Be Boy Buzz – Bell Hooks
My Hair is a Garden –
Skin Like Mine – LaTashia M. Perry
We're Different, We're the Same – Bobbi Kates, Joe Mathieu
All Are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman
Brontorina – James Howe, Randy Cecil
I Like Myself! – Karen Beaumont, David Catrow
I Am Enough – Grace Byers, Keturah A. Bobo
Your Body is Awesome – Sigrun Danielsdottir, Bjork Bjarkadottir
Disfigurement
Stand Beautiful – Chloe Howard
Forced Relocation
Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School – David Mackintosh
The Yellow Suitcase – Meera Sriram, Meera Sethi
Gender Identity
I Am Jazz – Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, Shelagh McNicholas
Sparkle Boy – Lesléa Newman
Red: A Crayon's Story – Michael Hall
Julián Is a Mermaid – Jessica Love
LGBTQ+
Stella Brings the Family – Miriam B. Schiffer
They, She, He, Easy as ABC – Maya Christina Gonzalez, Matthew SG
In Our Mothers’ House – Patricia Polacco
Prince and Knight – Daniel Haack, Stevie Lewis
Neurodivergence
Leah’s Voice – Lori Demonia
A Friend for Henry – Jenn Bailey, Mika Song
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures – Julia Finley Mosca, Daniel Rieley
All My Stripes – Shaina Rudolph, Danielle Royer, Jennifer Zivoin
Hello, My Name Is Max and I Have Autism – Max Miller
Slug Days – Sara Leach, Rebecca Bender
Noah Chases the Wind – Michelle Worthington, Joseph Cowman
Adoption/Foster Care
What’s That Smell – Lauren McLaughlin, Debbie Ohi
Speranza’s Sweater – Marcy Pusey, Beatriz Mello
Maybe Days – Jennifer Wilgocki, Marcia Kahn Wright, Alissa Imre Geis
The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
And That’s Why She’s My Mama – Tiarra Nazario
Colorism
Sulwe – Lupita Nyong'o
The Colors of Us – Karen Katz
Not Quite Snow White – Ashley Franklin, Ebony Glenn
Immigration/ESL
Dear Juno – Soyung Pak
Sitti’s Secrets – Naomi Shihab Nye, Nancy Carpenter
Islandborn – Junot Díaz
I'm New Here – Anne Sibley O'Brien
Homelessness/Poverty
Last Stop on Market Street – Matt de la Peña
A Shelter in Our Car – Monica Gunning, Elaine Pedlar
Maddie’s Fridge – Lois Brandt, Vin Vogel.
Mental Health Issues
A Terrible Thing Happened – Margaret Holmes
Morris and the Bundle of Worries – Jill Seeney
Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival
The Red Tree – Shaun Tan
Physical Disabilities
El Deafo – Cece Bell
My Three Best Friends, and Me, Zulay – Cari Best,
Vanessa Brantley-Newton
The Patch – Justina Chen Headley, Mitch Vane
Noah the Narwhal – Judith Klausner, Sarah Gould
Religion
Yo Soy Muslim – Mark Gonzales and Mehrdokht Amini
Deep in the Sahara – Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi
Mommy's Khimar – Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam –
Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Chiara Fedele
Racism
Be Boy Buzz – Bell Hooks
My Hair is a Garden –
Skin Like Mine – LaTashia M. Perry
We're Different, We're the Same – Bobbi Kates, Joe Mathieu
All Are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman
Middle Grade Books to Foster Empathy and Kindness
Body Image
All of Me – Chris Baron
Good Enough – Jen Petro-Roy
Homelessness
The Bridge Home – Padma Venkatraman
No Fixed Address – Susin Nielsen
Poverty
Genesis Begins Again – Alicia Williams
My Fate According to the Butterfly – Gail Dela Cruz Villanueva
Paper Things – Jennifer Richard Jacobson
The Benefits of Being an Octopus – Ann Braden
Disfigurement
Wonder – R.J. Palacio
A Monster Like Me – Wendy Stowe
LGBTQ+ / Gender Identity
The Whispers – Greg Howard
One True Way – Shannon Hitchcock
Hurricane Child – Kacen Callender
George – Alex Gino
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James – Ashley Herring Blake
Lily and Dunkin – Donna Gephart
Zenobia July – Lisa Bunker
Neurodivergence
The Other Half of Happy – Rebecca Balcarcel
Planet Earth is Blue – Nicole Panteleakos
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily – Laura Creedle
Superstar – Mandy Davis
Mockingbird – Kathryn Erskine
Adoption / Foster Care
Extraordinary Birds – Sandy Stark Mcginnis
Planet Earth is Blue – Nicole Panteleakos
For Black Girls Like Me – Mariama Lockington
Counting by 7s – Holly Goldberg Sloan
Racism
The Forgotten Girl – India Hill Brown
New Kid – Jerry Craft
It All Comes Down to This – Karen English
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel – Firoozeh Dumas
Colorism
Genesis Begins Again – Alicia Williams
A Good Kind of Trouble – Lisa Moore Ramée
Immigration/ESL
Lety Out Loud – Angela Cervantes
Pie in the Sky – Remy Lai
Ruby in the Sky - Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
Esperanza Rising – Pam Muñoz Ryan
Front Desk – Kelly Yang
Inside Out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai
Mental Health Issues
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine – Sally J. Pla
Where the Watermelons Grow – Cindy Baldwin
After Zero – Christina Collins
The Goldfish Boy – Lisa Thompson
OCDaniel – Wesley King
Guts – Raina Telgemeier
Addiction
My Fate According to the Butterfly – Gail Dela Cruz Villanueva
The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins – Gail Shepherd
Waiting for Normal – Leslie Connor
Easter Ann Peters' Operation Cool – Jody Lamb
Physical Disabilities
Braced – Alyson Gerber
Roll with It – Jamie Sumner
The Sky at Our Feet – Nadia Hashimi
Forced Relocation
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
Fish in a Tree – Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Other Words for Home – Jasmine Warga
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich – Ibi Zoboi
Forest World – Margarita Engle
Religion
The Weight of Our Sky – Hanna Alkaf
Other Words for Home – Jasmine Warga
Amal Unbound – Aisha Saeed
All of Me – Chris Baron
Good Enough – Jen Petro-Roy
Homelessness
The Bridge Home – Padma Venkatraman
No Fixed Address – Susin Nielsen
Poverty
Genesis Begins Again – Alicia Williams
My Fate According to the Butterfly – Gail Dela Cruz Villanueva
Paper Things – Jennifer Richard Jacobson
The Benefits of Being an Octopus – Ann Braden
Disfigurement
Wonder – R.J. Palacio
A Monster Like Me – Wendy Stowe
LGBTQ+ / Gender Identity
The Whispers – Greg Howard
One True Way – Shannon Hitchcock
Hurricane Child – Kacen Callender
George – Alex Gino
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James – Ashley Herring Blake
Lily and Dunkin – Donna Gephart
Zenobia July – Lisa Bunker
Neurodivergence
The Other Half of Happy – Rebecca Balcarcel
Planet Earth is Blue – Nicole Panteleakos
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily – Laura Creedle
Superstar – Mandy Davis
Mockingbird – Kathryn Erskine
Adoption / Foster Care
Extraordinary Birds – Sandy Stark Mcginnis
Planet Earth is Blue – Nicole Panteleakos
For Black Girls Like Me – Mariama Lockington
Counting by 7s – Holly Goldberg Sloan
Racism
The Forgotten Girl – India Hill Brown
New Kid – Jerry Craft
It All Comes Down to This – Karen English
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel – Firoozeh Dumas
Colorism
Genesis Begins Again – Alicia Williams
A Good Kind of Trouble – Lisa Moore Ramée
Immigration/ESL
Lety Out Loud – Angela Cervantes
Pie in the Sky – Remy Lai
Ruby in the Sky - Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
Esperanza Rising – Pam Muñoz Ryan
Front Desk – Kelly Yang
Inside Out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai
Mental Health Issues
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine – Sally J. Pla
Where the Watermelons Grow – Cindy Baldwin
After Zero – Christina Collins
The Goldfish Boy – Lisa Thompson
OCDaniel – Wesley King
Guts – Raina Telgemeier
Addiction
My Fate According to the Butterfly – Gail Dela Cruz Villanueva
The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins – Gail Shepherd
Waiting for Normal – Leslie Connor
Easter Ann Peters' Operation Cool – Jody Lamb
Physical Disabilities
Braced – Alyson Gerber
Roll with It – Jamie Sumner
The Sky at Our Feet – Nadia Hashimi
Forced Relocation
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
Fish in a Tree – Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Other Words for Home – Jasmine Warga
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich – Ibi Zoboi
Forest World – Margarita Engle
Religion
The Weight of Our Sky – Hanna Alkaf
Other Words for Home – Jasmine Warga
Amal Unbound – Aisha Saeed
Young Adult Books to Foster Empathy and Kindness
Rape/Sexual Abuse
The Way I Used to Be – Amber Smith
Within and Without – Deborah Maroulis
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
Body Image
Wintergirls – Laurie Halse Anderson
The Year I Didn’t Eat – Samuel Pollen
Fat Girl on a Plane – Kelly deVos
Homelessness/Poverty
Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
Roam – C.H. Armstrong
Where I Live – Brenda Rufener
Gem & Dixie – Sara Zarr
Abuse
Last to Let Go – Amber Smith
Paper Butterflies – Lisa Heathfield
Dreamland – Sarah Dessen
The Girl Who Fell – S.M. Parker
LGBTQ+ / Gender Identity
More Happy Than Not – Adam Silvera
The Past & Other Things that Should Stay Buried – Shaun David Hutchins
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Sáenz
I'll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali – Sabina Khan
Like a Love Story – Abdi Nazemian
The Meaning of Birds – Jaye Robin Brown
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Adoption/Foster Care
Extraordinary Birds – Sandy Stark Mcginnis
The Quiet You Carry – Nikki Barthelomess
One for the Murphys – Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Physical Disabilities
How We Roll – Natasha Friend
The Thing with Feathers – McCall Hoyle
Religion
You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone – Rachel Lynn Solomon
Love, Hate, & Other Filters – Samira Ahmed
Love from A to Z – S.K. Ali
The Gauntlet – Karuna Riazi
We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faizal
Colorism
Color Me In – Natasha Diaz
The Skin I’m In – Sharon G. Flake
Immigration/ESL
I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sánchez
Girl in Translation – Jean Kwok
The Grief Keeper – Alexandra Villasante
The Astonishing Color of After – Emily X.R. Pan
When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon
Mental Health Issues
All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven
Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
Brave Face: A Memoir – Shaun David Hutchinson
I Was Here – Gayle Forman
When the Truth Unravels – RuthAnne Snow
Darius the Great is Not Okay – Adib Khorram
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter – Erika L. Sánchez
Disfigurement
Scars Like Wings – Erin Stewart
Addiction
Heroine – Mindy McGinnis
The Art of Losing – Lizzy Mason
Twelve Steps to Normal – Farrah Penn
Go Ask Alice – Anonymous
Forced Relocation
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager – Ben Philippe
The Next to Last Mistake – Amalie Jahn
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
The Names They Gave Us – Emery Lord
Neurodivergence
The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time – Mark Haddon
The State of Grace – Rachel Lucas
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily – Laura Creedle
Racism
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
Dear Martin – Nic Stone
All American Boys – Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
Piecing Me Together – Renée Watson
Love, Hate & Other Filters – Samira Ahmed
Tyler Johnson Was Here – Jay Coles
The Way I Used to Be – Amber Smith
Within and Without – Deborah Maroulis
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
Body Image
Wintergirls – Laurie Halse Anderson
The Year I Didn’t Eat – Samuel Pollen
Fat Girl on a Plane – Kelly deVos
Homelessness/Poverty
Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
Roam – C.H. Armstrong
Where I Live – Brenda Rufener
Gem & Dixie – Sara Zarr
Abuse
Last to Let Go – Amber Smith
Paper Butterflies – Lisa Heathfield
Dreamland – Sarah Dessen
The Girl Who Fell – S.M. Parker
LGBTQ+ / Gender Identity
More Happy Than Not – Adam Silvera
The Past & Other Things that Should Stay Buried – Shaun David Hutchins
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Sáenz
I'll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali – Sabina Khan
Like a Love Story – Abdi Nazemian
The Meaning of Birds – Jaye Robin Brown
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Adoption/Foster Care
Extraordinary Birds – Sandy Stark Mcginnis
The Quiet You Carry – Nikki Barthelomess
One for the Murphys – Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Physical Disabilities
How We Roll – Natasha Friend
The Thing with Feathers – McCall Hoyle
Religion
You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone – Rachel Lynn Solomon
Love, Hate, & Other Filters – Samira Ahmed
Love from A to Z – S.K. Ali
The Gauntlet – Karuna Riazi
We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faizal
Colorism
Color Me In – Natasha Diaz
The Skin I’m In – Sharon G. Flake
Immigration/ESL
I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sánchez
Girl in Translation – Jean Kwok
The Grief Keeper – Alexandra Villasante
The Astonishing Color of After – Emily X.R. Pan
When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon
Mental Health Issues
All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven
Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
Brave Face: A Memoir – Shaun David Hutchinson
I Was Here – Gayle Forman
When the Truth Unravels – RuthAnne Snow
Darius the Great is Not Okay – Adib Khorram
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter – Erika L. Sánchez
Disfigurement
Scars Like Wings – Erin Stewart
Addiction
Heroine – Mindy McGinnis
The Art of Losing – Lizzy Mason
Twelve Steps to Normal – Farrah Penn
Go Ask Alice – Anonymous
Forced Relocation
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager – Ben Philippe
The Next to Last Mistake – Amalie Jahn
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
The Names They Gave Us – Emery Lord
Neurodivergence
The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time – Mark Haddon
The State of Grace – Rachel Lucas
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily – Laura Creedle
Racism
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
Dear Martin – Nic Stone
All American Boys – Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
Piecing Me Together – Renée Watson
Love, Hate & Other Filters – Samira Ahmed
Tyler Johnson Was Here – Jay Coles