Finding My Voice by Marie Myung-Ok Lee focuses on17-year-old Ellen Sung, the only Korean girl in her small, all-white school in a small, all-white town. While grappling with her parents’ high academic expectations, Ellen also experiences blatant and implicit racism. Time and time again, she catches hissed remarks or sly smirks from other students, yet she doesn’t seem able to speak up against them.
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, is a realistic fiction novel about a teenager who is charged with felony murder. The main character, Steve, is abruptly put into prison because he is accused of being part of a plan that went wrong and accidentally killed a store owner. Steve continuously tries to explain to the judge and the jury that he wasn't present at the time of the crime, but because of racial injustice and the people he hangs out with, they find it nearly impossible that he is innocent. This book shows the entire process of the case in much detail with some plot twists.
Bang! Bang! POW! Normal 16-year-old Starr Carter’s world is turned upside down after witnessing the traumatic shooting of her best friend, Khalil Harris. The incident quickly becomes the talk of the town and it is later revealed to the public that Starr was the witness of the shooting. Will Starr be able to speak out and uncover the truth behind Khalil’s death? Will Khalil be served justice?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography by Maya Angelou. The story revolves around a young girl named Marguerite, who is also known as Maya Angelou, the author. Marguerite lives in Stamps, Arkansas. She is a black girl, living with her Uncle Willie and her grandmother, who she soon calls Momma. Marguerite has one brother named Bailey.
