The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot; Crown Publishers

“Documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling discoveries in such areas as cancer research, in vitro fertilization, and gene mapping.”
Robin’s Note: This is a gripping bestseller for a reason: while the summary here emphasizes the scientific side of the story, the engaging part is the story of Henrietta Lacks herself.  The complications of scientific research, racial prejudice, medical ethics, and a personal relationship with the Lacks family drove Skloot to write an astounding, affecting work.

On The Road To Freedom: A Guided Tour Of The Civil Rights Trail, Charles Cobb Jr.; Algonquin Books

“An award-winning black journalist takes a pilgrimage through the sites and landmarks of the civil rights movement as he journeys to key locales that served as a backdrop to important events of the 1960s, journeying around the country to pay tribute to the people, organizations, and events that transformed America.”
Robin’s Note: For anyone interested in the 1960s and the struggle for civil rights, this personal view of history illuminates.  Cobb was a part of these events and has a vast memory for the people, places, and situations, and the narrative presented as a travelogue is an engaging and different way to present recent history.  If you’re curious for more, you might also try Freedom Riders by Raymond Arsenault.

Kendra, Coe Booth; PUSH

“High schooler Kendra longs to live with her mother who, unprepared for motherhood at age fourteen, left Kendra in the care of her grandmother.”
Robin’s Note: Coe Booth burst onto the teen novel scene with her first book, Tyrell, which is excellent, and this book follows Kendra’s life as she deals with boys, sex, an overprotective mom, and trying to make her imperfect family be more what she needs.  It can get gritty and is not a fairy-tale type story, but it definitely offers hope by the end.  Booth is another author for those who like Jacqueline Woodson and Sharon Draper.

Make Lemonade, Virginia Euwer Wolff; H. Holt

“In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother.”
Robin’s Note: Virginia Euwer-Wolff writes prose poetry novels (so, they are poetry, but the stories are novel-length), and her sense of character and voice are engaging and honest.  Make Lemonade is the beginning of a trilogy, followed by True Believer and This Full House, and each takes place during one year (so by the finish, LaVaughan is 16.)  Other similar authors to check out in terms of voice, realism, and setting,  include Angela Johnson (First Part Last), Rita Garcia-Williams (Jumped), and Nikki Grimes (Bronx Masquerade).