Categories
2010-2019 English Non-fiction Poetry

Brown Girl Dreaming

Summary:

In her poignant poems, Jacqueline Woodson shares her experience of growing up as an African American during the 1960s and 1970s in both South Carolina and New York. Despite feeling like she was only halfway at home in each place, Woodson’s emotionally charged writing vividly portrays the impact of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement on her life. Despite struggling with reading as a child, Woodson found solace in writing stories and discovered her passion for storytelling, which ultimately led her to become a gifted writer.

Year of Release: 2014

Author(s): Jacqueline Woodson

Preview:

Further information (link):

ISBN: 9780399252518

ebook URL:

Audiobook URL:

Online text:

Extract and usage suggestions for teaching:

Further comments for teachers:

Categories
2010-2019 English LGBTQI* Non-fiction

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

Summary:

“How to Write an Autobiographical Novel” is a collection of essays where the author explores the intersection of life, literature, and politics, and how reading and writing fiction have impacted him. Through the essays, he reflects on his journey from being a student to a teacher, a reader to a writer, and grapples with his multiple identities as a gay man, a Korean American, an artist, an activist, a son, a lover, and a friend. The essays cover significant events in his life, including his father’s death, the AIDS crisis, 9/11, and the election of Donald Trump, as well as his work experiences that supported his writing.

Year of Release: 2018

Author(s): Alexander Chee

Preview:

Further information (link):

ISBN: 9781328764522

ebook URL:

Audiobook URL:

Online text:

Extract and usage suggestions for teaching:

Further comments for teachers:

Categories
2020-today English LGBTQI* Non-fiction

High-Risk Homosexual: A Memoir

Summary:

The first-ever memoir by Edgar Gomez explores his journey as a gay, Latinx man growing up. The book, called High-Risk Homosexual, begins in a highly anti-gay environment: his uncle’s cockfighting ring in Nicaragua, where he was sent at the young age of thirteen to learn how to be a man. The memoir chronicles Gomez’s experiences in the queer communities that helped him embrace his gay and Latinx identities, including the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, a drag queen convention in Los Angeles, and the medical facility where he was diagnosed as a “high-risk homosexual.”

With candor, wit, and shrewd observations about issues of racial, sexual, familial, and professional power dynamics, Gomez takes readers on a hard-won journey towards accepting and celebrating the parts of himself that he was taught to keep hidden. This memoir is an uplifting and inspiring reminder of the importance of carving out space for joy.

Year of Release: 2022

Author(s): Edgar Gomez

Preview:

Further information (link):

ISBN: 9781593767051

ebook URL:

Audiobook URL:

Online text:

Extract and usage suggestions for teaching:

Further comments for teachers:

Categories
2000-2009 All CEFR B1 Extracts - Well Suited for Teaching With Extracts High school (grades 9+) Medium Length (up to 8 hrs) Novel Print

Just a Little Run Around the World: 5 Years, 3 Packs of Wolves and 53 Pairs of Shoes

Categories
2010-2019 All Audiobook CEFR B1 eBook Extracts - Well Suited for Teaching With Extracts High school (grades 9+) Medium Length (up to 8 hrs) Novel Print

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom