Did you know September 22 is National Dear Diary Day? Autobiographies and memoirs are more than just diaries or journals, but a lot of them started that way. Just outside the sound studio, we have plenty of non-fiction books for teens, including an area dedicated to just biographies (including autobiographies and memoirs). Are you already keeping a diary or journal or interested in starting one? Feel free to check out this area for inspiration.
SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this memoir, Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of the acclaimed novel Speak, mixes poems that are calls to action and reflections with personal stories from her own life.
Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD by Allison Britz. Allison Britz was a sophomore in high school living a comfortable life, before her belief in a nightmare about brain cancer makes her fear how everyday objects will affect her brain. After struggling, she is eventually diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and works to find ways to live with it.
This Star Won’t Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl. The compiled diaries, letters and sketches of Esther Earl- who passed away at 16 from cancer. Esther developed a friendship with author John Green and she served as one of his inspirations for Hazel Grace’s character in the Fault in our Stars.
Every Falling Star The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee. By age 12, Sungju Lee is living on the streets. There aren’t many opportunities for him in North Korea, so he joins a gang and begins stealing, begging and doing whatever he can to survive before he is eventually able to leave for a better life.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. Former child and teen star Jennette McCurdy writes about her past struggles with eating disorders, addiction and most of her complicated relationship with her abusive mother. Using dark humor and unflinching details, she reckons with her past and her complex feelings about her mother’s illness and death.
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. When Trevor Noah was born, the relationship between his Black mother and white father was illegal under South Africa’s racist apartheid government. This memoir shows he used intelligence, humor and his mother’s love to face the struggles and overcome obstacles of a childhood spent in a place that didn’t want him to exist.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Through a series of poems, award-winning writer Jacqueline Woodson describes coming of age as a Black girl in the ‘60s and ‘70s and her different experiences as her family moved between Ohio, South Carolina and New York City.
You can find physical copies of these books and more in our Teen Lounge area. Some of them are also available as e-books which are downloadable right from your phone or tablet using your free DKPL library card. Your friendly Teen Services Staff is always happy to help you find your next book. If you’re interested in more information feel free to contact Teen Services Staff in the Teen Room at 815-756-9568 (ext. 2450) or by e-mail at [email protected].