Black Lives Matter YA Set
Black Lives Matter YA Set
This collection of books includes voices of young, Black authors talking about topics that are important to them, including those at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement: elevating Black voices and stories, police brutality, and the U.S.’s broken justice system. While these books are designed for readers ages 12 and up, their messages are valuable for people of all ages. We encourage readers, leaders, and educators to use these teen-authored books to spark critical discussions about injustice. For inspiration, check out our curriculum page for discussion questions and writing activities to use alongside each of these titles.
Books In This Set
By the Teen Writers of Beacon House
2017 INDIES Winner for Young Author (17 and Under)
2018 Top Fiction Winner - In the Margins Book Awards
Named "10 Books to Read After The Hate U Give" by School Library Journal.
Meet Tajon.
Tajon is sixteen and black. He's tall and skinny, and he has dreadlocks. Tajon works hard and tries his best to be good. He does O.K. in school. He has plans. He's determined.
Tajon is the kind of son who cares about his family. He's the kind of brother who stands up for his sister. He's the kind of kid who dreams big dreams to get himself and those he loves up and out of the hood.
Tajon is the one who gets shot.
ISBN: 978-0996927451
Age: 12+
Lexile: HL600L
Page Count: 230
Published: 2017
Honorable Mention for the 2016 'In the Margins' Nonfiction award.
“The pieces showcased here are moving and real.”
— George Pelecanos, novelist and writer/producer of The Wire
The Untold Story of the Real Me is a collection of poems written by young people who were charged and incarcerated as adults at the age of 16 or 17. All poets are members of the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop; many are currently incarcerated in the DC Jail or federal prison. Their work explores themes of parenthood, love, pain, identity, race, and freedom in voices both raw and powerful. This collection also features individual profiles of Free Minds members who are home from prison and serving as Poet Ambassadors in the violence prevention initiative, “On the Same Page.” Already being used in classrooms across the country to start conversations around youth violence and the justice system, The Untold Story of the Real Me provides a new take on the power of one voice to speak truth to pain, to seek redemption and healing.
ISBN: 978-0996927444
Age: 12+
Lexile: NP
Page Count: 159
Published: 2015
2015 INDIEFAB Finalist: YA Nonfiction Book of the Year
2015 INDIEFAB Finalist: Child Author Book of the Year
Proceeds from book sales go to a Ballou HS scholarship fund and to empower new authors.
Through the course of a historic year of civil unrest and the emergence of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement, thirty teen writers from Frank W. Ballou High School in Washington, DC came together to take part in this national conversation about race, inequality, violence, and justice. Through their powerful, personal stories these writers intend to Change the Narrative about youth of color. We are not thugs, they say. We are not victims. We are big sisters and sports stars, academic strivers and everyday heroes. We speak out for justice. We dream big dreams. These writers want more for themselves, more for their community, more for their generation. And they are challenging their readers to listen, and to recognize in each story a common humanity worthy of dignity, support, and respect. This riot of voices must be heard.
ISBN: 978-0692455388
Age: 12+
Lexile: 820L
Page Count: 88
Published: 2015
