RECOMMENDED READS Facing Facing Racism Racism KNEEL Candace Buford When his best friend is unfairly arrested and kicked off the team, Russell Boudreaux kneels during the national anthem and, in an instant, falls from local stardom to become a target of hatred.
HERE TO STAY Sara Farizan When a cyberbully sends the entire high school a picture of Bijan Majidi, photo-shopped to look like a terrorist, the school administration promises to punish the culprit, but Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened and move on.
THE COST OF KNOWING Brittney Morris
ANGER IS A GIFT
Alex Rufus's curse of seeing the future distracts him from being and doing his best, but when he sees his little brother Isaiah's imminent death, he races against time and circumstances to save him.
Mark Oshiro Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks. Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals in their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration. When tensions hit a fever pitch and a protest escalates to violence, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
ON THE COME UP Angie Thomas Sixteen-year-old Bri hopes to become a great rapper, and after her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, must decide whether to sell out or face eviction with her widowed mother.
A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA Tahereh Mafi It's 2002, a year after 9/11. It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments--even the physical violence--she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her--they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds--and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not sure she'll ever be able to let it down.