Category Archives: Biography/Memoir

Communist Rule in South Vietnam: Behind the Red Curtain

Posted on February 25, 2020 by

The Fall of Saigon Behind the Red Curtain by Hong-My Basrai details the life of a Vietnamese family during and after the 1975 fall of Saigon. As the book opens, Hong-My is a thirteen-year-old girl with typical concerns about puberty. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memoir: Educated

Posted on January 3, 2019 by

Tara Westover, the author of Educated, grew up in the country, in view of Buck’s Peak, in Idaho. Previous books I’ve read about the ‘heartland’ and its ‘real American’ inhabitants—whatever that is supposed to mean to those that use the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide

Posted on November 25, 2017 by

I was excited to learn that Isabel Quintero wrote a new YA book because my students had enjoyed Gabi: A Girl in Pieces so much. (I only use the past tense because I retired; they are most likely still enjoying it.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nonfiction: “Code Talker”

Posted on June 7, 2016 by

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WW II by Chester Nez with Judith S. Avila Chester Nez was one of the original 32 (some say 29, but Nez informs the … Continue reading →

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Adult Books for Teens: “Between the World and Me”

Posted on March 15, 2016 by

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates   “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” Often books have an opening sentence–or … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adult Books: Memoir: “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”

Posted on July 13, 2015 by

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson   Jenny Lawson grew up in Wall, Texas, a small rural town that it was her goal to escape. Just as in many such tales, we find that in adulthood, the author … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Mature Readers, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Common Core: Nonfiction: “A Curious Mind”

Posted on May 24, 2015 by

A Curious Mind: the Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman Brian Grazer is the producer of many well-known films (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Grinch, Splash) and  some TV series (24 is the best known). … Continue reading →

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