Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, July 2023
Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can’t Touch My Hail. An Anthology
-Olivia V. G. Clarke, editor
-Kindle $3.99
-paperback $9.99
-122 pages
-2020
-description: Black girls experience wonderful opportunities and many challenging experiences when attending predominantly White institutions. The short stories in this collection seek to provide help for those in these situations with discussions regarding hair, dating, friendship, racism, and much more.
Clarke, O. V. G. (Ed.). (2020). Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No,You Can’t Touch My Hair. An Anthology. Lifeslice Media.
all about love
-bell hooks
-hardcover $45.00
-paperback $9.99
-272 pages
-William Morrow Paperbacks
-2018
-description: bell hooks was an author, educator, and theorist, and known for her writings on race, sexuality, feminism, capitalism, and love. A native of Hopkinsville, KY, she taught at Oberlin College, University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale before joining the faculty at Berea College as a Distinguished Professor in Residence and later founded the bell hooks institute at the College. A writer of numerous books, poems, and essays, she wrote all about love, an affirmation of how her revelations can spark change in our hearts and minds for a better society. Her path to love is not only sacred and redemptive, but also healing.
hooks, b. (2018). all about love. William Morrow Paperbacks.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, June 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Never Ever Getting Back Together
-Sophie Gonzales
-Kindle $10.99
-hardcover $12.90
-paperback $15.83
-384 pages
-ages: 16 and up
-Wednesday Books
-2022
-description: Two girls are asked by their ex-boyfriend to participate in a teen reality show. One of the girls wants revenge and the other wants to rekindle the romance, but a twist happens when they fall for each other instead.
Gonzales, S. (2022). Never Ever Getting Back Together. Wednesday Books.
Queer Heroes: Meet 53 LGBTQ Heroes from Past and Present!
-Arabelle Sicardi
-Sarah Tanat-Jones, illustrator
-Kindle $11.99
-hardcover $12.64
-64 pages
-Wide Eyed Editions
-2019
-description: This beautifully, illustrated book celebrates LGBTQ+ achievement from around the world. Oscar Wilde, Audre Lorde, Alvin Ailey, Josephine Baker, Tchaikovsky, and Harvey Milk are just a few in this book featuring fifty-three role modes highlighted.
Sicardi, A. (2019). Queer Heroes: Meet 53 LGBTQ Heroes from Past and Present! Wide Eyed Editions.
Y
oung Queer America: Real Stories and Faces of LGBTQ+ Youth
-Maxwell Poth
-Kindle $9.99
-paperback $22.13
-288 pages
-Chronicle Books
-2023
-description: This is a perfect book for queer, trans kids and teens needing to see their lives reflected in print, and it is helpful for families of LGBTQ+ youth who are eager to show them much-needed support.
Poth, M. (2023). Young Queer America: Real Stories and Faces of LGBTQ+ Youth. Chronicle Books.
Podcast
Psych Hub. (2020, January 7). LGBTQ Youth [Video]. You Tube.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, May 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
American Panda
-Gloria Chao
-Kindle $8.99
-hardcover $17.99
-paperback $10.99
-336 pages
-ages: 12 years up
-S&S Books for Young Readers
-2019
-description: Following her parents’ master plan of doing well in school, becoming a doctor, attending MIT, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them that she hates germs, falls asleep in class, and has a crush on another boy who isn’t Taiwanese. The Wall Street Journal states this book is “weepingly funny.”
Chao, G. (2019). American Panda. S&S Books for Young Readers.
The Astonishing Color of After
-Emily X. R. Pan
-Kindle $8.99
-paperback $7.69
-480 pages
-ages: 12 years up
-Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
-2019
-description: After Leigh’s mother dies by suicide, she is certain that she turned into a bird after deathe. This story of hope, despair, developing new relationships, and uncovering family secrets, is about finding oneself through family history, art, and love.
Pan, E. X. R. (2019). The Astonishing Color of After. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, April 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
-Ibtisam Barakat
-Kindle $9.99
-hardcover $11.89
-paperback $9.99
-208 pages
-ages 11-15
-Square Fish
-2016
-description: This memoir is set in Ramallah after the Six-Day War in 1967. The author tells what it is like to be a child whose life has been altered by war. We learn about her fear of hearing bombs and being separated from her family; being a refugee; and her first connection to the Arabic alphabet and becoming passionate about words.
Barakat, I. (2016). Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood. Square Fish.
The Arab Americans (The New Americans)
-Randa A. Kayyali
-hardcover $54.63
-216 pages
-ages 15-18
-Greenwood
-2005
-description: People of Arab heritage have been making contributions to U. S. society since the first wave of Arab immigrants, mostly Christian, between 1880 and 1925. With its useful glossary, statistical tables, and photos, this book is inclusive of the different groups classified as Arab, and is broad in its political and social history.
Kayyali, R. A. (2005). The Arab Americans (The New Americans). Greenwood.
A Maze Me: Poems for Girls
-Naomi Shihab Nye
-Terre Maher, illustrator
-Kindle $9.49
-hardcover $27.69
-paperback $10.99
-128 pages
-Greenwillow Books
-2014
-description: Here are seventy-two poems written for girls ages thirteen years and up. It promises to be a lasting companion for young writers as they speak of first love, sense of self, body image, hopes, friendship, school, and family relationships.
Nye, N. S. (2014). A Maze Me: Poems for Girls. Greenwillow Books.
Podcast
Wisdom Ways. (2017, April 27). Naomi Shihab Nye and Ibtisam Barakat Read Poems. https://youtu.be/sLUjhIK9510
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, March 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs of items may vary depending on where they are purchased. Also, check with the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
We Deserve Monuments
-Jas Hammonds
-Kindle $10.99
-hardcover $10.63
-384 pages
-ages: 14-18
-Roaring Brook Press
-2022
-description: Avery Anderson is uprooted during her senior year in Washington, DC, when she and her mom go to live with her terminally ill grandmother. Due to their past, there is tension between her mom and grandmother from the start, and when tempers flare, Avery develops comfortable friendships with two girls. This must- read is a story of friendship that blossoms into romance, in addition to a racist family history rooted in a southern town.
Hammonds, J. (2022). We Deserve Monuments. Roaring Brook Press.
A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome
-Ariel Henley
-Kindle $10.99
-hardcover $15.99
-400 pages
-ages: 13 years plus
-Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
-2021
-description: This Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teen is about twin sisters who were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome, a rare condition that affects the bones in the head, which caused painful procedures and emotional toll due to facial disfigurement. Readers will learn about identity, beauty, resilience, and sisterhood from this memoir.
Henley, A. (2021). A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
-Rebecca Skloot
-Kindle $13.99
-hardcover $17.67
-paperback $8.88
-381 pages
-ages: 13 plus
-Crown
-2011
-description: This #1 New York Times bestseller is a true story regarding the intersection of modern medicine, bioethics, and race relations. Henrietta Lacks, a tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors, became one of the most important tools in medical science. Her cells grown in culture helped lead to advances in cancer research, gene mapping, the polio vaccine, and more. This experimentation has been bought and sold for billions, yet she was never consulted, remained poor, unknown, and buried in an unmarked grave.
Skloot, R. (2011). The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Crown.
Podcast
The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah. (2021, February 23). Sharon
McMahon-The Important Distinction Between Bias and Lies [Video]. YouTube.
https://youtu.be/sZOh-As5mOQ
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, February 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Maya Angelou: Diversity Makes for a Rich Tapestry
-Donna Brown Agins
-library binding, $4.94
-128 pages
-ages 10 years and up
-Enslow Pub Inc
-2006
-description: This biography series features contemporary African Americans who are important role models for young people.
Agins, D. B. (2006). Maya Angelou: Diversity Makes for a Rich Tapestry. Enslow Pub Inc.
A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People, During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia, in the Year 1793: And a Refutation of Some Censures, Thrown Upon Them in Some Late Publications
-Richard Allen
-Absalom Jones
-$2.99
-S12.00
-29 pages
-On Kindle Scribe
-2012
-description: Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and Absalom Jones, the first Black priest in The Episcopal Church, were partners in their fight for racial equality in Philadelphia, particularly during a severe yellow fever epidemic. Philadelphia’s Mayor Clarkson asked Allen and Jones to organize the African American community to assist in caring for those stricken as mostly White citizens were dying from the disease.
Allen, R. & Jones, A. (2012). A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People, During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia, in the Year 1793: And a Refutation of Some Censures, Thrown Upon Them in Some Late Publications. On Kindle Scribe.
A Thanksgiving Sermon
-Absalom Jones
-Kindle, $0.99
-22 pages
-On Kindle Scribe
-2010
-description: This sermon was preached on January 1, 1808, in St. Thomas African Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, by The Reverend Absalom Jones on account of the abolition of the African slave trade.
Jones, A. (2010). A Thanksgiving Sermon. On Kindle Scribe.
Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life
-Jerry Pinkney
-hardcover, $17.99
-160 pages
-late elementary to early middle grades
-Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
-2023
-description: This is a memoir of an award-winning artist and children’s literature legend, Jerry Pinkney. Pinkney, creator of The Lion & the Mouse and The Little Mermaid, drew constantly, which enabled him to make sense of the world. It also served as a coping mechanism for his learning disability, and the normal life of segregation for Black Americans. His works have been featured in The New York Times, American Artists Magazine, and more.
Pickney, J. (2023). Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Articles
The Archives of the Episcopal Church. (n.d.). Leadership Gallery: The Reverend Absalom Jones, 1746-1818. The Church Awakens: African Americans and the Struggle for Justice. https://episcopalarchives.org/church-awakens/exhibits/show/leadership/clergy/jones
The Archives of the Episcopal Church. (n.d.). Legacy: The Free African Society. The Church Awakens: African Americans and the Struggle for Justice. https://episcopalarchives.org/church-awakens/exhibits/show/legacy/free-african-society
Podcast
Kester-McCabe, D. (2016, January 22). Absalom Jones & Richard Allen [Video]. YouTube.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, January 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased. Also, check with the Children’s Diversity and Justice Library at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN for books that circulate.
The Little Book of LGBTQ+: An A-Z of Gender and Sexual Identities
-Harriet Dyer
-paperback, $19.95
-Kindle, $15.99
-136 pages
-MIT Press
-2022
-description: Language is central to awareness and understanding the communities that make up the world we live in, but evolving terminology makes it a little tricky to keep up with correct terminology. Dyer has provided us with this useful, easy-to-use dictionary regarding LGBTQ+ family and friends.
Dyer, H. (2022). The Little Book of LGBTQ+: An A-Z of Gender and Sexual Identities. MIT Press.
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
-Robin Wall Kimmerer
-Monique Gray Smith
-Nicole Neidhardt, illustrator
-Kindle, $13.49
-paperback, $16.19
-408 pages
-Zest Books
-2022
-description: Kimmerer and Smith demonstrate in this resource adapted for young adults how all living things provide us with gifts and lessons each day. This new edition reinforces ecological understanding—plants, and includes reflection questions and art by Nicole Neidhardt, illustrator.
Kimmerer, R. W. & Smith, M. G. (2022). Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants. Zest Books.
Undercover Latina (The Factory)
-Aya de León
-Kindle, $9.50
-hardcover, $17.99
-320 pages
-ages 10-14
-Candlewick
-2022
-description: A writer of contemporary crime fiction, León tells the story of a Latina teen spy who goes undercover as a White girl to stop a white supremacist plot.
de León, A. (2022). Undercover Latina (The Factory). Candlewick.
A Young People’s History of the United States
-Howard Zinn
-Rebecca Stefoff
-paperback, $12.99
-Kindle, $13.99
-464 pages
-ages 10-15
-Triangle Square
-2009
-description: Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, Zinn presents the viewpoints of Native Americans, slaves, immigrants, women’s rights, worker’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Zinn, H. & Stefoff, R. (2009). A Young People’s History of the United States. Triangle Square.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth for December 2022
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
Also, check with the Children’s Diversity and Justice Library at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN, for materials that circulate.
New Kid: A Graphic Novel
-Jerry Craft
-Kindle, $11.49
-hardcover, $11.89
-paperback, $8.64
-256 pages
-ages 9-12; grades 3-7
-Quill Tree Books
-2019
-description: A winner of three prizes including the Coretta Scott King Author Award, New Kid is a graphic novel about Jordan Banks, a person of color, who is starting life over at a new school where it is difficult to fit in and diversity is low.
Craft, J. (2019). New Kid: A Graphic Novel. Quill Tree Book.
Class Act: A Graphic Novel
-Jerry Craft, author, illustrator
-Kindle, $10.99
-hardcover, $17.99
-paperback, $10.87
-256 pages
-ages 9-12; grades 3-7
-Quill Tree Books
-2020
-description: This New York Times bestseller is a companion to New Kid and a winner of the Newbery Medal and Kirkus Prize. Eighth grader Drew Ellis is reminded by his grandmother how much harder he must work to be just as good as others at his school. What’s challenging for Drew is even after working so hard he might not be privy to the same opportunities as the more privileged kids and possibly, his good friend Liam who also attends Riverdale Academy Day School.
Craft, J. (2020). Class Act: A Graphic Novel. Quill Tree Books.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race
-Beverly Daniel Tatum
-Kindle, $12.99
-hardcover, $20.58
-paperback, $9.48
-464 pages
-high school age, college and up
-Basic Books
-2017, Revised Ed.
-description: This is a New York Times bestseller regarding the psychology of racism that shows how to get past a reluctance to discuss racial issues. Daniel Tatum received the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. She serves as Interim President of Mount Holyoke College and is President Emerita of Spelman College.
Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race. Basic Books.
The Voting Booth
–Brandy Colbert
-Kindle, $10.99
-hardcover, $14.43
-paperback, $9.99
-320 pages
-Disney-Hyperion
-2021
-ages: 12-18
-description: This is a timely resource regarding voting and voter suppression and an entertaining story about teen relationships and activism.
Colbert, B. (2021). The Voting Booth. Disney-Hyperion.
Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson
-Sharon Rudahl
-Kindle, $22.75
-hardcover, $44.08
-paperback, $23.95
-142 pages
-Rutgers University Press
-2020
-description: This first-ever graphic biography tells the story of Robeson’s global career as a singer, actor, athlete, and activist. He was a symbol of a multiracial American democracy and a campaigner for internationalism and human rights.
Rudahl, S. (2020). Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson. Rutgers University Press.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, November 2022
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
Also, check with the Children’s Diversity and Justice Library at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville, TN,
2931 Kingston Pike, for resources that can be circulated.
A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America
-Ronald Takaki
-Kindle, $14.99
-paperback, $10.99
-hardcover, $94.77
-384 pages
-Audible Studios
-2016
-description: The author of this book is an ethnic studies professor and a scholar of American ethnic history and diversity. A Different Mirror for Young People comes alive through the words of young people by way of letters, diaries, and poems.
Takaki, R. (2016). A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America. Audible Studios.
Love Your Body: Your body can do amazing things…
-Jessica Sanders
-Carol Rossetti, illustrator
-Kindle, $9.78
-hardcover, $10.29
-40 pages
-Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
-2020
-description: Love Your Body introduces self-love, self-care, and encourages readers to admire and celebrate their bodies and to appreciate its uniqueness as all bodies have different forms, abilities, and are amazing!
Sanders, J. (2020). Love Your Body: Your body can do amazing things… Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.
Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration
-Sheila Wise Rowe
-Kindle $7.99
-paperback, $15.79
-192 pages
-IVP
-2022
-description: Rowe gives voice to the real-life stories of Black millennials and young adults by drawing from her experience in counseling abuse survivors. Young, Gifted, and Black provides stories, reflections, and tools that can help explore, reflect, and journey toward healing from barriers that affect lives and even communities.
Rowe, S. (2022). Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration. IVP.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
-Erika L. Sánchez
-Kindle, $9.99
-hardcover, $10.89
-paperback, $5.91
-368 pages
-Ember
-2019
-description: this New York Times bestseller is a young adult novel about a teenage girl who experiences the pressures of living in a Mexican American home while also living with brokenness following her sister’s tragic death.
Sánchez, E. (2019). I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Ember.
An African American and Latinx History of the United States
-Paul Ortiz
-Kindle, $12.99
-$27.95
-$24.99
-298 pages
-Beacon Press
-2018
-description: Ortiz draws from the experiences of African American and Latinx people to show their shared struggle for civil rights in a span of over two hundred years, and places them front and center in the transformation of US history. A timely resource as the two demographics face issues that plague their respective diasporas today!
Ortiz, P. (2018). An African American and Latinx History of the United States. Beacon Press.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, October 2022
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Costs of items may vary depending on where items are purchased.
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
-Naoki Higashida
-hardcover, $15.89
-Kindle, $14.99
-paperback, $13.29
-Audio CD, $16.24
-208 pages
-Random House Publishing Group
-2016
-description: In The Reason Why I Jump, Higashida demonstrates how his autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds. From his heart and with honesty, he shares his point of view and answers questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” This New York Times bestseller has been lauded by Jon Stewart, Whoopie Goldberg, Kirkus Reviews, and others.
Higashida, N. (2016). The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism. Random House Publishing Group.
The Way Between: A Young Orphan, An Old Warrior Great Adventure
-Rivera Sun
-hardcover, $29.99
-296 pages
-Rising Sun Press Works
-2019
-theme: resolving conflict
-ages: 13-18
-description: Challenging war cultures, this resource introduces the reader to skills of non-violence and anti-bullying.
Sun, R. (2019). The Way Between: A Young Orphan, An Old Warrior Great Adventure. Rising Sun Press Works.
Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace
-Ashley Bryan
-hardcover, $11.49
-112 pages
-Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
-2019
-ages 10 and up
-description: Celebrated author illustrator produces this moving picture book and memoir about serving during WWII in a segregated army. He found sustenance during this time in his pursuit of art.
Bryan, A. (2019). Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
Antiracism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Youth
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
September 2022
Costs of items may vary depending on where they are purchased.
Watch Us Rise
-Renée Watson
-Ellen Hagan
-hardcover, $18.99
-paperback, $9.99
-Kindle, $5.54
-368 pages
-Bloomsbury YA
-2019
-description: Two girls risk everything to be heard at a NYC high school by starting a club to focus on women’s rights because they are so tired of the way women are treated, even at their progressive school. Their online platform consists of poems, essays, and videos of their poetry readings and responses to negative experiences. They receive support, but they also receive online trolls, and the principal shuts the club down.
Watson, R. & Hagan, E. (2019). Watch Us Rise. Bloomsbury YA.
The Little Book of Youth Engagement in Restorative Justice
-Evelin Aquin
-Heather Manchester
-Anita Wadhwa
-paperback, $5.99
-Kindle, $5.99
-144 pages
-Good Books
-2021
-description: This book’s purpose is to promote youth engagement in restorative justice. The reader will be treated to stories regarding the varied racial identities of the authors that sparked interest in this work (White, Black, Latinx, and South Asian), and case studies from different parts of the country of youth led justice programs.
Aquino, E., Wadhwa, A., & Manchester, H. (2021). The Little Book of Youth Engagement in Restorative Justice. Good Books.
How To Be a Social Justice Advocate: Create Positive Change in Your Home, Community, and World
-A. Rahema Mooltrey
-paperback, $14.99
-160 pages
-Rockridge Press
-2021
-description: This is a practical guide to uplifting and empowering marginalized communities who have been impacted by generations of oppression. Readers will be encouraged to get involved, see justice in action, and engage family, friends, and others in the community to do the same.
Mooltrey, R. (2021). How To Be a Social Justice Advocate: Create Positive Change in Your Home, Community, and World. Rockridge Press.
Social Justice Advocacy 101: How to Become a Social Justice Advocate from A to Z
-Selys Rivera
-hardcover, $39.21
-paperback, $19.99
-Kindle, $9.99
-135 pages
-Hot Methods
-2019
-description: This book is a handy guide to help readers get started on a journey to social justice advocacy. It gives an overview of how our government works, types of social justice events, and a glossary.
Rivera, S. (2019). Social Justice Advocacy 101: How to Become a Social Justice Advocate from A to Z. Hot Methods.
Antiracism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Youth
Prepared by Alvin R. Blount for August 2022
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
Welcome To St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure
-Hancox, Lewis, author-illustrator
-Kindle, $9.53
-paperback, $13.49
-hardcover, $25.19
-304 pages
-Scholastic Non-Fiction and Media
-2022
-description: Hancox takes the reader on a hilarious, heartbreaking, and healing journey of past trauma, confusion, and hurt in this graphic memoir.
Hancox, L. (2022). Welcome To St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure. Graphix.
This Place is Still Beautiful
-XiXi Tian
-Kindle, $12.99
-paperback, $11.96
-hardcover, $17.09
-368 pages
-Balzer + Bray
-2022
-ages 13-17
-description: Two sisters of mixed race are tasked with dealing with the aftermath of a racist attack on their home. The girls share a lot of experiences in their home headed by of single mother of Chinese ancestry, but both are very different in personality and appearance. One wants to blend in, while the other wants to right many wrongs. They grapple with living in a predominantly White town, and they also struggle within their relationship with each other. This quiet yet powerful work of fiction not only tackles racism toward Chinese Americans, but also experiences that can occur near the end of high school and the beginning of college.
Tian, X. (2022). This Place is Still Beautiful. Balzer + Bray
Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens
-Marke Bieschke
-Kathy Belge
-Kindle, $9.99
-paperback, $14.99
-208 pages
-Zest Books
-2019
-description: Life for teens who identify as LGBTQ can be very difficult when faced with the possibilities of coming out, dating, and the challenges of being accepted by family and friends. Belge and Bieschke have written this humorous but honest guide to assist teens with coming out and navigating their social lives, in addition to help with the challenges of homophobia.
Belge, K. & Bieschke, M. (2019). Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens, Zest Books.
All American Boys
-Jason Reynolds
-Brendan Kiely
-paperback, $5.07
-hardcover, $15.28
-Kindle, $9.99
-336 pages
-Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
-2015
-description: A winner of the Coretta Scott King and Walter Dean Myers book awards, this novel tells the story of two teens from different ethnic backgrounds whose lives are changed drastically after a violent event causes racial divisions in their school, community, and ultimately, the country.
Reynolds, J. & Kiely, B. (2015). All American Boys. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
Anti-racism and Social Justice Sources for Youth and Youth Ministry Leaders
Diocese of East Tennessee
Prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Costs for the following sources can vary depending on where they are purchased.
Making It Right: Building Peace, Settling Conflict
-Marilee Peters
-hardcover, $24.94
-paperback, $19.95
-136 pages
-Annick Press
-2016
-reading age: 14 years and up
-description: This source discusses injustices from bullying to wars and provides the reader with stories of young people who are working to further peaceful resolution to heal past wounds. Restorative justice is not a “quick fix,” but it is a way to get teens engaged in building peace among our communities.
Peters, M. (2016). Making It Right: Building Peace, Settling Conflict. Annick Press.
The Dating Games #1: First Date
-Melody Carlson
-paperback, $12.99
-226 pages
-Revell
-2013
-reading age: 14-17 years
-description: Five girls who are good friends have never been on a date and they are anxiously awaiting homecoming and hoping that they will all have dates for the dance. They form a secret club with the intentions of helping each other find dates. Through this process, these friends learn important lessons about love, purity, and dating. The author of this novel is a bestselling author and favorite of teens who tackles topics favorite topics among girls—friendships and boys.
Carlson, M. (2013). The Dating Games #1: First Date. Revell.
Just Ask: Kim: Book 1 (Diary of a Teenage Girl)
-Melody Carlson
-paperback, $9.95; Kindle, $9.99
-256 pages
-2005
-Multnomah
-reading ages 12-17
-grade level 7-12
-description: Kim receives a speeding ticket, and her father says that she can retain her driving privileges if she writes a column for his newspaper under a pseudonym, “Just Ask Jamie.” She thinks that giving teens advice about parents, dating, drugs, depression, piercings, etc., should be easy until a classmate is killed, and letters begin to come in about life and death. Kim finds herself at a crossroads and is not sure who to “just ask.” Should she rely on the Christian heritage of her adoptive family or the Buddhism of her Korean heritage?
Carlson, M. (2005). Just Ask: Kim: Book 1 (Diary of a Teenage Girl). Multnomah.
Youth Ministry as Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence
-Elizabeth Corrie
-paperback, $24.00; Kindle, $9.99
-199 pages
-2021
-Fortress Press
-description: Emory University’s Candler Theology School faculty member, Elizabeth Corrie, explains how young people can address the root causes of hatred and how to build more peaceful communities as they are already leading movements in many places to change policy and culture for the common good, yet churches can at times be absent in mentoring and supporting these young leaders. This source by Corrie offers clergy, students, and youth ministry practitioners a new approach to youth ministry by helping them to transform violence, injustice, and to overcome silence.
Corrie, E. (2021). Youth Ministry as Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence. Fortress Press.
Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens
(Queefully and Wonderfully Made Guides, 1)
-Leigh Finke
-paperback, $14.60; Kindle, $10.49
-260 pages
-Beaming Books
-2020
-description: Understanding sexuality or questioning one’s sexuality or gender identity can be confusing, especially if you’re a Christian. One can wonder if something is wrong with them, or will they be accepted by friends and family. This source will provide the needed answers from LGBTQ+ professionals and testimonies from young adult queer Christians who have been on very similar journeys. The good news is knowing that God loves us exactly the way we are.
Finke, L. (2020). Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGTBQ+ Christian Teens (Queerfully and Wonderfully Made Guides, 1). Beaming Books.
Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People
-Jennifer Gamber
-paperback, $16.61
-Kindle, $11.99
-126 pages
-2012
-Morehouse Publishing
-description: This source is divided into four parts with topics regarding faith, milestones, friends, family, school, work, and community. One can find prayers of thanksgiving for graduation, a driver’s license, blessing a relationship, courage, a job, for help, a sports event, an exam, graduation, starting high school or college, etc. In addition to our youth, camp, youth, and retreat leaders will find this source useful, as well as those searching for a perfect gift for a young person.
Gamber, J. (2012). Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People. Morehouse Publishing.
Bad Things, Good People, and God: A Guide for Teens
-Bryan Bliss
-paperback, $16.40
-Kindle, $12.99
-132 pages
-2022
-Morehouse Publishing
-description: Teenagers are left to ask why bad things happen as they witness increasing violence in schools, shopping malls, etc., and a country so heavily divided politically. Through honest talk about sin and suffering, this source gives readers the opportunity to explore and find a sense of peace around the question of evil. Bliss is an award-winning author with training in theology and has worked as a curriculum designer and youth pastor.
Bryan, B. (2022). Bad Things, Good People, and God. Morehouse Publishing.
New Directions for Holy Questions: Progressive Christian Theology for Families
-Claire Brown
-Anita Peebles
-Perry Hodgkins Jones, illustrator
-paperback, $14.54
-Kindle, $11.99
-128 pages
-Morehouse Publishing
-2022
-ages 6-12
-description: This source regarding Biblical stories with accessible language is oriented towards anti-racism, gender equality, affirmation of LGBTQ+ people, and social and economic justice for all with questions for reflection in each chapter. The Rev. Claire Brown is one of the authors of this must-have book, and she serves as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Athens, TN, in the Diocese of East Tennessee.
Brown, C. & Peebles, A. (2022). New Directions for Holy Questions: Progressive Christian Theology for Families. Morehouse Publishing.