We enjoy recommending a top-notch memoir or biography to the young adult readers we are familiar with. There isn’t a better approach to enable children to relate to the history and see life from another person’s perspective. Here are our top picks for recent teen memoirs and biographies.
Heiligman details the extraordinary and bizarre lives of the Van Gogh brothers, their interactions with one another, and their creative output.
Nellie Bly, well-known for her breakthrough work documenting the abuse of asylum patients, defied the stereotypes of female reporters and became a trailblazing columist.
In a poem, Engle describes the stress of juggling two worlds, Cuba and LA.
Lowery talks about her experience participating in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights march as the youngest marcher.
Simone Biles, an Olympic gold champion gymnast, describes her path from foster care to success.
Sandra Uwiringiyimana fled a refugee camp in the Congo and went to America after seeing her mother and younger sister killed. Through action and creativity, she overcame and recovered.
Abdul-Jabbar discusses how he overcomes obstacles and challenges to establish himself as a leader.
The story of Knud Pedersen and his friends is chronicled in The Boys Who Challenged Hitler. Their attempts to destroy Hitler led to the Danish resistance.
Brierley tells the tale of how he spent years questioning his existence, looking for his home, and ultimately finding it after being abandoned on a train at the age of five, becoming homeless, and then being placed in an orphanage.
Tim Howard, who was just diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome, describes his inspiring upbringing, lengthy soccer career, and unexpected success.
Saedi recalls her childhood in America as an undocumented Iranian.
A terrible crime forever alters the lives of two teenagers from very different areas and brings them together.
