Category Archives: Human Rights Issues

Censoring Empathy: Let’s Challenge Erasure

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Book censorship is far more threatening than it was ten years ago because it erases anyone who doesn’t look or think like the censor. Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", Controversial Issue/Debate, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Serious Summer Reading

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Want beach reads but summer is your only chance to read intellectually stimulating books? The solution: A ‘Serious Summer Reading’ list. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Human Rights Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Face for Picasso

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sidelined: Sports Culture and Women

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

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

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Human Rights Issues, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Acts of Contrition: Short Stories on Pre-Sale Now

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

I Have a Book! My book of short fiction Acts of Contrition: Short Stories is now available on pre-sale from Los Nietos Press. The official publication date is March 15, 2021. Yeah, the Ides of March! Thankfully, I’m not superstitious. … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Short Stories | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Great Storytelling: The Perfectly Constructed YA Novel

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn is an example of great storytelling. This didn’t surprise me as I’d loved Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. I’d recommend Burn to any teen looking for a good read. I’d also recommend … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Teen Voices and The Poet X: Keep a Journal

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Note: This is a YA book review as well as a comment on teen writing, so I added it here from my personal blog A recent experience with a teen writer had me going back to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Time to Support the Local Literary Scene

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

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