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Young adult nonfiction

  • Author:
    Graziani, E.
    Summary:

    Bruna is the youngest of seven children, living an idyllic life in a small Italian village in northern Tuscany. Though the Second World War has been raging in Europe for some time, the dangers haven’t seemed to reach her, and the Italian leader Mussolini’s allegiance with Hitler and the distant reports of fighting seem far away. But before long, Bruna's brothers are called to fight and by 1943 food rationing and shortages begin to take a toll on her family. Soon the Italian people turn against their fascist regime and war comes to the region. When the retreating Nazis occupy her village, Bruna struggles to cope and help her mother and sisters stand up to the soldiers. Her peaceful life is shattered when her beloved village and its occupants find themselves in the centre of the fighting between the Nazis and the Allied forces pursuing them - the final front defended by the Nazis in Europe.

  • Author:
    Conkling, Winifred
    Summary:

    On August 18, 1920, American women finally won the right to vote. Ratification of the 19th Amendment was the culmination of an almost eighty-year fight in which some of the fiercest, most passionate women in history marched, protested, and sometimes broke the law in to achieve this huge leap toward equal rights. In this expansive yet personal volume, author Winifred Conkling covers not only the suffragists' achievements and politics but also the private journeys that fueled their passion and led them to become women's champions. From Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who founded the suffrage movement at the 1848 Seneca Falls convention; to Victoria Woodhull, the first female candidate for president; to Sojourner Truth and her famous speech, "Ain't I a Woman'"; to Alice Paul, who was arrested and force-fed in prison, Conkling combines thorough research with page-turning storytelling to bring the battle for the right to vote to vivid life. Votes for Women! also explores the movement's often powerful, sometimes difficult relationship with the temperance and abolition movements, and takes unflinching look at some of the uglier moments in the fight for the women's vote. Votes for Women! is a mesmerizing read perfect for fans of propulsive narrative nonfiction stories like Most Dangerous and The Family Romanov. Author bio: Winifred Conkling is the award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for young readers, including Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World', Passenger on the Pearl: The True Story of Emily Edmonson's Flight from Slavery and the middle-grade novel Sylvia and Aki, winner of the Jane Addams Children's Literature Award and the Tomas Rivera Award. She studied journalism at Northwestern University and received an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

  • Author:
    Marrin, Albert
    Summary:

    From National Book Award finalist Albert Marrin comes a fascinating look at the history and science of the deadly 1918 flu pandemic-and its chilling and timely resemblance to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. In spring of 1918, World War I was underway, and troops at Fort Riley, Kansas, found themselves felled by influenza. By the summer of 1918, the second wave struck as a highly contagious and lethal epidemic and within weeks exploded into a pandemic, an illness that travels rapidly from one continent to another. It would impact the course of the war, and kill many millions more soldiers than warfare itself. Of all diseases, the 1918 flu was by far the worst that has ever afflicted humankind; not even the Black Death of the Middle Ages comes close in terms of the number of lives it took. No war, no natural disaster, no famine has claimed so many. In the space of eighteen months in 1918-1919, about 500 million people-one-third of the global population at the time-came down with influenza. The exact total of lives lost will never be known, but the best estimate is between 50 and 100 million. In this powerful book, filled with black and white photographs, nonfiction master Albert Marrin examines the history, science, and impact of this great scourge-and the possibility for another worldwide pandemic today. A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year!

  • Author:
    Behnke, Alison Marie
    Summary:

    "Trafficking thrives in the shadows. And it can be easy to dismiss it as something that happens to someone else, somewhere else. But that is not the case. Trafficking is a crime that involves every nation on earth, and that includes our own."-US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2009 Human trafficking is as old as slavery and continues to be practiced in the modern world. Victims of human traffickers include workers in restaurants and in garment factories, maids and nannies in the homes of wealthy families, child sex workers, beggars on the street, boy soldiers, even infants kidnapped for foreign adoptions. Women and children are more likely to be coerced or seized than men and boys, especially if they are poor and uneducated. Traffickers sell their victims for their bodies or for their labor and reap an enormous profit. Human trafficking is estimated to be a $30 to $45 billion industry on an annual basis, rivaling weapons and drug trafficking as one of the most profitable criminal undertakings in the world. Up for Sale takes a hard look at human trafficking, identifying perpetrators and telling the stories of victims through their own words. You'll discover why some people become vulnerable to trafficking and you'll read about what their lives are like on a daily basis. You'll also meet some of the courageous individuals and organizations working to free people from lives in bondage so that, in the words of US president Barack Obama, each person can "forge a life equal to [their] talents and worthy of [their] dreams."

  • Author:
    Rauch, Georg
    Summary:

    Young Georg Rauch helped his mother hide dozens of Jews from the Nazis, but then came the day he was shipped out to fight on the Eastern front as part of the German infantry--in spite of his own Jewish ancestry. This is the story of his struggle to stay alive and find his way back home.

  • Author:
    Collins, Lily
    Summary:

    As young women, there are many topics we just don't talk about: our bodies, our relationships, our greatest fears. Actress Lily Collins wants to put an end to that. She wants open, honest conversation about the things we all struggle with--beginning now, with herself. For the first time, Lily shares her own deepest secrets, proving that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. Her essays will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel, to claim your voice and live your life unfiltered.

  • Author:
    Keyser, Amber J.
    Summary:

    For most of human history, the garments women wore under their clothes were hidden. The earliest underwear provided warmth and protection. But eventually, women's undergarments became complex structures designed to shape their bodies to fit the fashion ideals of the time. In the modern era, undergarments are out in the open, from the designer corsets Madonna wore on stage to BeyoncE's pregnancy announcement on Instagram. This feminist exploration of women's underwear reveals the intimate role lingerie plays in defining women's bodies, sexuality, gender identity, and body image. It is a story of control and restraint but also female empowerment and self-expression. You will never look at underwear the same way again.

  • Author:
    Glenn, Joshua, Larsen, Elizabeth Foy
    Summary:

    Unbored Games has all the smarts, creativity, and DIY spirit of the original Unbored ("It's a book! It's a guide! It's a way of life!" - Los Angeles Magazine), but with a laser-like focus on the activities we do for pure fun: to while away a rainy day, to test our skills and stretch our imaginations-games. There are more than seventy games here, 50 of them all new, plus many more recommendations, and they cover the full gambit, from old-fashioned favorites to today's high-tech games. The book offers a gold mine of creative, constructive fun: intricate clapping games, bike rodeo, Google Earth challenges, croquet golf, capture the flag, and the best ever apps to play with Grandma, to name only a handful. Gaming is a whole culture for kids to explore, and the book will be complete with gaming history and interviews with awesome game designers. The lessons here: all games can be self-customized, or hacked. You can even make up your own games. Some could even change the world. The original Unbored has taken its place as a much beloved, distinctly contemporary family brand. Unbored Games extends the franchise — also including Unbored Adventure — in a new handy flexibound format, illustrated in full color throughout. This is a whole shelf of serious fun the whole family can enjoy indoors, outdoors, online and offline.

  • Author:
    Keyser, Amber J.
    Summary:

    For thousands of years, marriage was a business transaction between two families. Fathers chose husbands for their daughters to build power, wealth, and social status. Rules about acceptable spouses were strict. Interfaith and interracial marriages were often forbidden. Over the centuries, laws and traditions governing marriage have changed dramatically. In the United States, interfaith and interracial marriages are common. Same-sex marriages are legal there and in many nations. In some places, however, centuries-old customs are still firmly in place. Modern matrimony has its ugly sides, such as rape, forced marriages, and bitter divorces. Learn about the good and the bad, with people from around the world discussing the complexities and the joys of marriage.

  • Author:
    Matthews, Carolyn
    Summary:

    A crab boat off Newfoundland catches fire, and a rescue is undertaken by helicopter. A child goes missing in a New Brunswick forest, and a desperate hunt is mounted. A climber falls on a British Columbia mountain, and a helicopter rescue is attempted. A civilian chopper crashes in Nunavut, and a search-and-rescue team braves a savage snowstorm to find survivors. True Stories of Rescue and Survival features the above true stories and many more from across the country, past and present. Its heroes are to be found in the RCMP, city police forces, the Canadian military, and among all the rescue workers and specialists of the Canadian Coast Guard. Volunteers, too, risk injury and even death to help others. Sidebars spotlight the equipment search-and-rescue teams use, how search dogs are trained, how long-line rescues work, how navy divers are making a difference in the deserts of Afghanistan, and much more.

  • Author:
    Kallen, Stuart A.
    Summary:

    On a global scale, humans create around 2.6 trillion pounds of waste every year. None of this trash is harmless-landfills and dumps leak toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater, while incinerators release toxic gases and particles into the air. What can we do to keep garbage from swallowing up Earth' Reducing, reusing, recycling, and upcycling are some of the answers. Learn more about the work of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Ocean Cleanup Array, the zero waste movement, and the many other government, business, research, and youth efforts working to solve our planet's garbage crisis.

  • Author:
    Bertie, Alex
    Summary:

    A brave first-hand account of online personality Alex Bertie's life, struggles, and victories as a transgender teen, as well as a groundbreaking guide for transitioning teen. Long before he became known for his YouTube videos, Alex Bertie was an isolated, often-afraid transgender teenager looking for answers. In this revolutionary memoir and valuable resource, Alex recounts his life, struggles, and victories as a young trans man. Along the way, he provides readers with accessible, highly researched explanations of gender, sexuality, and transitions. He explores without judgment how complicated all these things can be, and how many equally authentic ways there are to live as yourself and find happiness. It can be hard for questioning teens to believe in a brighter future, let alone find any sense of community. Here, with clarity and compassion, Alex writes as a supportive older brother for transitioning teens, their allies, their parents, and anyone looking to better understand others - and themselves.

  • Author:
    Prince, Liz.
    Summary:

    Growing up, Liz Prince wasn't a girly girl, dressing in pink tutus or playing Pretty Pretty Princess like the other girls in her neighborhood. But she wasn't exactly one of the guys either, as she quickly learned when her Little League baseball coach exiled her to the outfield instead of letting her take the pitcher's mound. Liz was somewhere in the middle, and Tomboy is the story of her struggle to find the place where she belonged. Tomboy is a graphic novel about refusing gender boundaries, yet unwittingly embracing gender stereotypes at the same time, and realizing later in life that you can be just as much of a girl in jeans and a T-shirt as you can in a pink tutu.

  • Author:
    Pitt, Steve
    Summary:

    In 1812, a 67-year-old black United Empire Loyalist named Richard Pierpoint helped raise "a corps of Coloured Men to stand and fight together" against the Americans who were threatening to invade the tiny British colony of Upper Canada. Pierpoint’s unique fighting unit would not only see service throughout the War of 1812, it would also be the first colonial military unit reactiviated to quash the Rebellion of 1837. It would go on to serve as a police force, keeping the peace among the competing Irish immigrant gangs during the construction of the Welland Canal. Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps are the central focus, but the sidebars featuring fascinating facts about the rise and fall of slavery in North America and the state of African-Canadians in early Canada provide an entertaining and informative supplement. Among other tidbits, readers will find out why "Good Queen Bess" launched the British slave industry and how Scottish pineapples are connected to the American Declaration of Independence.

  • Author:
    Kacer, Kathy, Lebowitz, Jordana
    Summary:

    The true story of nineteen-year-old Jordana Lebowitz’s time at the trial of Oskar Groening, known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz", a man charged with being complicit in the deaths of more than 300,000 Jews. A granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Jordana was still not prepared for what she would see and hear. Listening to Groening’s testimony and to the Holocaust survivors who came to testify against him, Jordana felt the weight of being witness to history – a history that we need to remember now more than ever.

  • Author:
    Rhodes-Courter, Ashley
    Summary:

    Ashley reveals the nuances of life after foster care: college, marriage, and having kids--from fostering children and the heartbreak of watching them return to destructive environments, to the miraculous joy of blending biological and adopted offspring.

  • Author:
    Ignotofsky, Rachel
    Summary:

    A fascinating tour of the planet exploring ecosystems large and small, from reefs, deserts, and rainforests to a single drop of water-from the New York Times bestselling author of Women in Science Making earth science accessible and entertaining, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth explains how our planet works-and how we can protect it-from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants, to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the cycles of nature, and more. Science- and nature-loving listeners of all ages will delight in this utterly charming guide to our amazing home.

  • Author:
    De Witte, Christina
    Summary:

    Addressing the struggles of young girls everywhere, this hilariously relatable comic guide to life provides real advice and encourages a new generation of teen girls to find confidence and embrace individuality. With friends, love, social media, body image, and more—navigating young adulthood can seem impossible. The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl provides humorous and highly relatable guidelines for all of the struggles young girls face, presented in author Christina De Witte's signature comic style and told from the point of view of her lovable Instagram and Internet character, Chrostin. A Hyperbole and a Half for the young adult audience, the book includes comics and hands-on advice about serious issues like mental health and self-care, and also deals with questions on every young girl's mind, like "Can you survive on pizza alone?" Quirky, hilarious, and sincere, The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl empowers young women to challenge society's unrealistic standards of beauty and embrace their individuality. This is sure to be a favorite for teen girls.

  • Author:
    McKee, Jonathan
    Summary:

    Ever regret something you've posted'Honestly' How smart are you being when it comes to streaming, messaging, gaming, commenting...' The Teen's Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices will help you navigate the digital world with 21 refreshingly honest and humorous tips that will not only inform, but that also just might change the way you think about your social media interaction. 21 real-life tips including... -Know the app before you snap. -Don't post anything you wouldn't want Grandma, your boss, and Jesus seeing! (Jesus is on Insta, you know!) -Peek at your privacy settings...so you know who's peeking at you. -Take more "selflessies." -Press pause before you post... .and many more will provide just the information you need to post wisely in an insecure world.

  • Author:
    Duffy, Claire
    Summary:

    Everything students, parents, and teachers need to know about debating and public speaking. Welcome to the world of school debating and public speaking, the best training ground for developing self-esteem and learning to look critically at big issues. Speaking well builds confidence and opens up a world of opportunity, in education, leadership, careers, and community and political engagement. In an increasingly competitive world, being a convincing, passionate, and persuasive speaker is essential to standing out from the crowd. Claire Duffy not only demystifies the process but makes it fun. Learn all about the best ways to prepare for a debate or speech, the persuasive power of reason, the art of argument and rebuttal, and, when worse comes to worst, how to be gracious in defeat. Including practical tips from the pros and helpful step-by-step examples, this is the essential handbook for making every spoken word count.

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