True Stories - Non-Fiction - TeensLike this list

20 items

• Flowers in the Gutter

  the True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis

  Gaddy, K. R.

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  A well-researched, compelling graphic biography, "Flowers in the Gutter" tells the real-life story of Gertrude, Fritz, and Jean, three young people involved in a youth resistance group known as the Edelweiss Pirate. This hard-hitting and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• "I Will Not Be Erased"

  Our Stories About Growing Up as People of Colour

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  Funny and life-affirming essays from the award-winning magazine created by young women and non-binary people of colour. The authors invite the reader to empathize and learn from their experiences, proving that whatever life throws at you, it will be…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Diary of a Young Girl

  the Definitive Edition

  Frank, Anne, 1929-1945

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  The must-read memoir of a teenage girl during the Holocaust in Germany. Anne Frank’s diary gives a haunting insight into a family's struggle to endure one of the worst horrors the world has ever seen - the systematic mass murder of European Jews…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What Cancer Taught Me

  Bailey, Jake, 1997-

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  Jake Bailey’s end-of-year speech at Christchurch Boys High School, given only a week after he was diagnosed with cancer, propelled him into the international spotlight. In his biography he shares his experiences with the reader and how he overcome…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mao's Last Dancer

  Li, Cunxin, 1961-

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  From a desperately poor village in northeast China, at age eleven, Li Cunxin was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to Beijing, where he would study ballet. What followed became history. An…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Failing Up

  How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning

  Odom, Leslie, Jr., 1981-

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  This biography is about being a creative soul and a survivor of the harsh rejection that inevitably hits upon anyone who wants to do creative pursuits, whether that be singing, acting, visual arts, or writing. Odom’s witty narrative on his own life…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brave Face

  a Memoir

  Hutchinson, Shaun David

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  Shaun Hutchinson wasn’t depressed because he was gay. He was depressed and gay. His surreal and in depth reflection on his life as someone who struggled with fitting into a society which chastised who he was. This compelling memoir will be hard to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Over the Top

  My Story

  Van Ness, Jonathan, 1987-

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  This autobiography uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. Before he fabulously strutted onto our screens as a part of the hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dare to Disappoint

  Growing Up in Turkey

  Samancı, Özge, 1975-

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  A humorous and moving portrayal of coming-of-age in Turkey in the turbulent 1980s. Growing up on the Aegean Coast, Ozge loved the sea and imagined a life of adventure while her parents and society demanded predictability. She dared to disappoint…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Idiot

  Life Stories From the Creator of Help Helen Smash

  Clery, Laura, 1986-

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  A candid look into the life of an internet celebrity and how Laura Clery went from rock-bottom, to making a living out of filming homemade comedy sketches. In this book, Clery is able to be honest and vulnerable about her past, while being utterly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lion

  a Long Way Home

  Brierley, Saroo, 1981-

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  As a child, Saroo was accidentally separated from his mother and landed in a place where he could not speak the language to find his way home. Growing up after being adopted by an Australian family, Saroo decided to search for his biological family.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Don't Want to Be Crazy

  a Memoir

  Schutz, Samantha

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  A poetic memoir about the one woman’s psychological disorder which surfaced when she began college. Readers accompany the author from the summer after high school, through college, to a semester abroad in Paris, and into her first job after…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Know Your Place

  Ghahraman, Golriz, 1981-

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  Golriz Ghahraman writes about her life and the path that led her to becoming an MP in the New Zealand Government. It is filled with stuff to make you think - how refugees are treated and racism in New Zealand. Passionate and unflinching, "Know Your…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Free Lunch

  Ogle, Rex

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  Unsparing and realistic, "Free Lunch" is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Ogle's story of hunger and poverty has many parallels to our own issues in New Zealand, where children are sent to school hungry with no food at…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Young Queen

  the Story of a Girl Who Conquered the World

  Goebel, Parris, 1991-

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  A true #girlboss, Parris Goebel is changing the game. She dropped out of school at 15 to pursue her dreams of dance and now choreographs for the biggest celebrities in the world. Parris reveals the challenges, fears and obstacles she’s faced on her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Face to Face

  Conversations With Remarkable New Zealanders

  Moon, Paul, 1968-

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  Follow Moon’s conversations with 12 remarkable New Zealanders from a multitude of cultural and professional backgrounds, tell their story of how their life experiences have shaped them. A refreshing take on the meaning of success.

• Every Falling Star

  the True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

  Lee, Sungju

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  As a young boy, Sungju Lee found himself on the streets of North Korea, fighting for his survival by almost any means necessary and living with the constant fear of arrest and imprisonment. This educational and riveting memoir is a window into the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How Dare the Sun Rise

  Memoirs of a War Child

  Uwiringiyimana, Sandra

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  Great storytellers connect with their readers through universal truths, and Uwiringiyimana tells her own profound story with clarity and honesty. Beginning as a child living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she tells the incredible true…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Cave in the Clouds

  a Young Woman's Escape From ISIS

  Ahmed, Badeeah Hassan

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  A well-written account of the atrocities faced by women in war zones. Life for these women is based on hope. Badeeah sheds some light on the crimes committed by ISIS in the name of religion and faith. She gives hope and courage to the countless…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All Boys Aren't Blue

  a Memoir-manifesto

  Johnson, George M. (George Matthew), 1985-

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  A wonderful memoir that is perfect for LGBT+ teens and allies who are seeking to learn more about gender identity, toxic masculinity, and themselves. Johnson’s topics explore the black, queer body with a critical eye while filling the pages with…Read moreRead more of this annotation