The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult Nonfiction

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin

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I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin
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Strangely enough, I just watched this on Netflix, and it was definitely telling of the time we are going through now. A very talented painter is captured by the OSS and sent to an insane asylum, given meds to make him compliant, and eventually gets force-fed. Eventually, he is released and tries to marry as a way of getting out of his country. He finds his way through his traumatic enslavement and manages to regain some of his humanity. Fabulous story.

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin, (List Price: $22.99, Candlewick, 9781536215533, September 2025)

Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Halfway There by Christine Mari

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Halfway There by Christine Mari
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This had me SOBBING. For someone who is not mixed race, this was really eye-opening about the struggles that mixed-race children and adults face in their daily lives. I’m assuming this book would be very comforting for someone who also understands what the MC goes through. This really highlights the microaggressions that are often spoken. Really eye-opening and a very emotional ride. Beautiful story 10/10

Halfway There by Christine Mari, (List Price: $17.99, Little, Brown Ink, 9780316416726, October 2024)

Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith, Jr.

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How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith, Jr.
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A truer than most story written in verse like it should be. Tony relates how he became the first person in his family to become openly gay and a university graduate. It is a moving story of his trials and tribulations.

How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith, Jr., (List Price: $19.99, Katherine Tegen Books, 9780063296008, February 2024)

Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

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Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
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The title’s topic immediately sets this book apart, but it’s the 6 first-person narratives and the stunning photography that will bring you and your teen(s) together in your understanding of individuality and humanity. One of the most important books published this year.

Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin, (List Price: $14.99, Candlewick, 9780763673680, March 2015)

Reviewed by Jenesse Evertson, Bbgb in Richmond, Virginia

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
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WOW! Everyone should read this book. No matter what you think you know, you probably don’t know enough. Clear and accessible non-history book with history in it. As a former teacher, I wish more content was available in this well-thought-out and clear package. There isn’t room to get bored or lost for readers. There are built-in moments to breathe, reflect, and even chuckle. a great strategy for tough material. No matter what lens you view America through, this book will have an impact on your focus. It’s not enough to not be racist, be actively anti-racist.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi, (List Price: 18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316453691, March 2020)

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M. Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick

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Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick
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Change the Game follows a young Colin Kaepernick as he navigates late high school, and his lack of offers to play college football. He confronts the societal obstacles in his way head on and continues to fight for and believe in himself. Great for young athletes who are looking for an inspiring story of overcoming challenges, both in the outside world and in their own heads.

Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick, (List Price: 24.99, Graphix, 9781338789669, May 2023)

Reviewed by Alex Einhorn, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Akim Aliu: Dreamer (Original Graphic Memoir) by Akim Aliu

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Akim Aliu: Dreamer by Akim Aliu
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The gripping story of a boy who fell in love with a sport to only experience systemic racism while succeeding on the ice, this graphic novel is a must-read. Told in a conversational tone with rich illustrations, Aliu’s story is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Akim Aliu: Dreamer by Akim Aliu, (List Price: $14.99, Graphix, 9781338787603, February 2023)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague

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Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague
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This graphic memoir should be put into every middle and high school library in the country! As kids we are often told to do what we love, but there’s so much pressure on kids to succeed before they get a chance to figure out what success may look like for them. In this book Liz Montague documents the stress of trying to become something she wasn’t and how she eventually acknowledged and achieved her dreams of becoming an artist. I loved her illustration style — it is so simple and so effective!

Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague, (List Price: $17.99, Random House Studio, 9780593307823, October 2022)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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My Name Is Jason. Mine Too by Jason Reynolds

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My Name Is Jason. Mine Too by Jason Reynolds
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Calling this the coolest most creative young adult book I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, just wow! Powerhouse Jason Reynolds teams up with longtime best friend and artist Jason Griffin to bring the most interesting memoir I’ve ever read. Originally published in 2009 as Reynolds’s first book, this tiny but mighty memoir follows the two as they chase huge aspirations in New York City. Worlds, collages, and paint splatters cover the pages rather than paragraphs and it works so perfectly. Almost like a zine nonfiction novella, and if that wasn’t a thing it is now and I want more!

My Name Is Jason. Mine Too by Jason Reynolds, (List Price: $10.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781534478220, June 2022)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed by Saraciea J. Fennell

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Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed
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These are the voices. The voices we need to hear, to represent the voices that need to be heard. This collection from fifteen influential Young Adult writers from the Latinx diaspora is the perfect launch pad for conversations and the perfect door to new ideas.

Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed by Saraciea J. Fennell, (List Price: $18.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250763426, November 2021)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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Passport by Sophia Glock

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Passport by Sophia Glock
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As though growing up wasn’t tough enough on its own. Let’s add a sink-or-swim Spanish immersion school that you transfer to years after your classmates start learning Spanish, even if your parents yank you out after their great experiment (you) fails. Add constantly moving house from country to country, AND your parents don’t even tell you what it is they do (because it’s <redacted>). This memoir told in graphic novel is for young people looking for their people, trying to avoid the watchful eye of their parents, and trying to (depending on the sibs) live up to or escape the shadow of the older sibs. Oh and maybe get a first kiss out of the deal. The art conveys much depth to an already affecting story, particularly in the opening chapters where the sense of place is established.

Passport by Sophia Glock, (List Price: 17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316459006, November 2021)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina


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