Positive: Surviving My Bullies,
Finding Hope, and Living to
Change the World
Paige Rawl
921 R198P
A teenager's memoir of bullying,
being HIV positive, and surviving
the experiences to become a
force for positive change.
The Upstairs Room
Johanna Reiss
+ 940.5318 R278U
Reiss, a Jewish girl, recounts her
time hiding from the Nazis during
World War II.
The Pregnancy Project
Gaby Rodriguez
306.8743 R618P
Gaby tells her story about
fighting stereotypes and how she
found the strength to come out
from the shadow of low
expectations.
The Burn Journals
Brent Runyon
921 R876R
Brent describes his suicide
attempt and his painful recovery.
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi
GRAPHIC BOOK 921 SA83S
The daughter of ardent Marxists
describes growing up in Tehran
in a country plagued by political
upheaval.
Knucklehead :
Tall Tales & Mostly True
Stories of Growing Up Scieszka
Jon Scieszka
+ 813.54 SCI27YS
Jon grew up as one of six brothers
with lots of comic books, lazy
summers at the lake, babysitting
misadventures, TV shows, and
jokes told at family dinner.
Autobiographies
Upon the Head of a Goat
Aranka Siegal
921 SI15S
Siegel, a Jewish child during World
War II, recounts her terrifying ordeal
and her struggle to survive.
And memoirs
for teens
Ghosts of War:
The True Story
of a 19-year-old GI
Ryan Smithson
956.70443 SM69G
Smithson writes about his
experiences during 9/11 and
his time serving in the Iraq War.
Some Assembly Required:
The Not-So-Secret Life of a
Transgender Teen
Arin Andrews
921 AN26S
Arin shares all the hilarious,
painful, and poignant details of
undergoing gender reassignment
as a high school student.
The Invisible Thread:
An Autobiography
Yoshiko Uchida
+ 813.54 UC4YU
A Japanese American recalls being sent
to an internment camp during WWII.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
818.54 AN43YI
Memoirs from African American
poet and prose writer Maya Angelou.
I am Malala:
The Girl Who Stood Up For
Education and Was Shot By
the Taliban
Malala Yousafzai
921 Y882Y
When the Taliban took control of
the Swat Valley, one girl spoke
out, and refused to be silenced
as she fought for her right to an
education.
Tasting the Sky:
A Palestinian Childhood
Ibtisam Barakat
956.94053 B231T
A Palestinian woman recalls her
childhood under military occupation
in the Middle East during the Six
Day War in 1967.
Warriors Don’t Cry
Melba Pattillo Beals
379.263 B368W
In 1957, Melba faced abuse
and harassment as one of the first
nine African American students
to attend Central High School in
Arkansas.
When I Was a Soldier:
A Memoir
Valérie Zenatti
921 Z42W
The author describes her life in
the Israeli army, where she
participated in secret missions.
Waukesha Public Library
321 Wisconsin Ave.
Waukesha, WI 53186
(262) 524-3682
www.waukeshapubliclibrary.org
www.facebook.com/WPLTeenZone
1/17 cr
Courage to Soar
Simone Biles
796.44092 B492B
Simone takes you through the events,
challenges, and trials that carried her to
a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympics.
Laughing at My Nightmare
Shane Burcaw
921 B892B
Twenty-one-year-old Shane
describes the challenges he
faces with spinal muscular
atrophy.
King of the Mild Frontier:
An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Chris Crutcher
813.54 C889YC
Crutcher, author of young adult
novels such as Ironman and
Whale Talk, tells of growing up
in Cascade, Idaho, with a strict
father and an alcoholic mother.
Enchanted Air:
Two Cultures, Two Wings
Margarita Engle
+ 811.54 EN35YE
Margarita Engle, the first
Latina woman to receive a
Newbery Honor, tells of
growing up as a child of two
cultures during the Cold War.
Anne Frank:
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
921 F851F
A Jewish girl writes about her
life while in hiding during
World War II.
Hole in My Life
Jack Gantos
813.54 G158YG
As a young adult, Jack became
a drug user and smuggler, was
arrested, and did time in prison,
all while hoping to become a
writer.
Eleanor’s Story
Eleanor Ramrath Garner
921 G1866G
Eleanor describes her life as
an American trapped in Germany
during World War II.
Growing Up Latino
813.01 G919H
Memoirs and stories of life in
the U.S. by Julia Alvarez, Oscar
Hijuelos, Sandra Cisneros, and
many other Latino authors.
Rocket Boys:
A Memoir
Homer Hickam
921 H524H
NASA engineer, Hickman, recounts
his childhood as a teen growing up
in the ‘60s.
The Reason I Jump:
The Inner Voice of a ThirteenYear-Old Boy With Autism
Naoki Higashida
616.85882 H533R
This memoir demonstrates how an
autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives,
and responds in ways few of us can
imagine.
Breaking Through
Francisco Jiménez
921 J564JB (also +)
Having come from Mexico to
California ten years before,
Francisco is still working in the
fields while fighting to improve his
life and complete his education.
What’s That Pig Outdoors?
A Memoir of Deafness
Henry Kisor
921 K642W
Henry Kisor writes of the pitfalls
and challenges of his hearing loss
at a young age.
Amazing Fantastic Incredible:
A Marvelous Memoir
Stan Lee
GRAPHIC BOOK
741.5092 L515A
In this graphic memoir, Stan Lee,
comic book legend, shares his
iconic legacy and the story of
how modern comics came to be.
Chinese Cinderella:
The True Story of an
Unwanted Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
921 M2775MC
A girl describes the misery of her
life under a cruel stepmother and
an uncaring father.
Angela’s Ashes:
A Memoir
Frank McCourt
921 M1377M
Born in New York and growing
up in Ireland, the author describes
his struggles with poverty, family
troubles, and survival.
Bad Boy:
A Memoir
Walter Dean Myers
813.54 M992YM
Myers tells of his early years as
he grew up in 1940’s Harlem.
The Lost Childhood:
A World War II Memoir
Yehuda Nir
940.5318 N629L
As a Jewish teenage boy in Poland
during World War II, Yehuda’s life
was a nightmare of evading capture.
Rascal:
A Memoir of a Better Era
Sterling North
599.7632 N811R (also +)
Sterling tells of his life in rural
Wisconsin as he grows up with
a pet raccoon.
Tomboy:
A Graphic Memoir
Liz Prince
YA GRAPHIC BOOK
921 P935P
Eschewing female stereotypes and
failing to gain acceptance on the
boys' baseball team, Liz learns to
embrace her own views on
gender as she comes of age.