Category Archives: Biography/Memoir

Happy Book Birthday: Dogs and Humans

In her chapbook memoir, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans, Victoria Waddle explores her (our) relationship with dogs, the joy and comfort of their companionship, and the lessons they can teach us about being better humans. Continue reading

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Grief, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tales of an Inland Empire Girl

It’s the story of loving but dysfunctional parents, of being one of a pair of ‘Wonder Twins’ who use their superpowers to defeat the forces of disruption and poverty. Continue reading

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Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail

Three Young Women on the John Muir Trail As a college graduation gift to themselves, the author, Suzanne Roberts, and her friend Erika decide to hike the John Muir Trail. They cover the 211 miles from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite, … Continue reading

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Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender: How I Became a Punk Rock Lawyer

This little book is full of hope for teens who are not succeeding in high school. It’s a reminder that their futures are not set yet. Continue reading

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A Face for Picasso

Ariel looks less and less like herself, a circumstance that makes her feel her identity is being stripped. Eventually, she describes her face as a mask she can’t remove. Continue reading

Posted in Biography/Memoir, bullying, Human Rights Issues, Over 375 pages | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Girlz ’n the Hood

Girlz ‘n the Hood: A Memoir of Mama in South Central Los Angeles by Mary Hill-Wagner Hill-Wagner is one of eleven children who grew up with an often single mother in South Central LA. Though her mother worked as a … Continue reading

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Sidelined: Sports Culture and Women

Working in sports talk radio is “like working in a frat house” Continue reading

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Time to Support the Local Literary Scene

Note: I have this up on my VictoriaWaddle.com blog, but am adding here because several of the books recommended below would be great for teen reads and in high school libraries. As shut down orders were put in place to … Continue reading

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Multicultural, Non-fiction, Short Stories | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Communist Rule in South Vietnam: Behind the Red Curtain

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 , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Memoir: Educated

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