National Network for Equitable Library Service

Living in El Paso, just a mile from the Rio Grande, Octavio is a skinny brown kid on the border, riding his bike out into the desert, growing up among those who live there and those passing through on their way north. Rituals of childhood and rites of passage are remembered as singular, dramatic events, moments of trauma and transformation with life-changing reverberations.

Karen Karbo presents an ode to bold and charismatic women of modern history, spotlighting spirited rule breakers who charted their way with little regard for expectations.

Award-winning author Karen Blumenthal devoted months to tracing the footsteps of Bonnie and Clyde, unearthing new information and debunking many persistent myths. The result is an impeccably researched nonfiction tale of love, car chases, kidnappings, and murder set against the backdrop of the Great Depression.

Insights on life's greatest challenges and how to meet them with love, from a survivor who writes with one-of-a-kind wit and wisdom.

Educated meets The Vow in this story of liberation and self-empowerment-an inspiring and stranger-than-fiction memoir of growing up in and breaking free from the Children of God, an oppressive, extremist religious cult. Faith Jones was raised to be part of an elite army preparing for the End Times. Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau, she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather, the founder of the Children of God. Tens of thousands of members strong, the cult followers looked to Faith's grandfather as their guiding light.

Rickson Gracie shares the full story of how his father and uncles came to develop Jiu-Jitsu, what it was like to grow up among generations of world-renowned fighters from the Gracie clan, and the principles and skills that guided him to his undefeated record.

When Grammy-nominated musician Allison Moorer's son, John Henry, developed nonverbal autism, she was devastated. Allison shares their story.

When her parents died, and Nice and her sister Soila were taken in by their uncle, who had little interest in the girls. Fearing "the cut" (female genital mutilation), which was the fate of all Maasai women, Nice and Soila climbed a tree to hide. After Soila chose to undergo the surgery, sacrificing herself to save Nice, their lives diverged. Soila married, dropped out of school, and had children--all in her teenage years--while Nice became the first in her family to attend college, and used her visits home to set an example for what an uncut Maasai woman can achieve.

This is the vibrant story of George, Garrett, Rall, and Rasul--four children raised by Nanny, their fiercely devoted grandmother. George M. Johnson captures the unique experience of growing up as a Black boy in America, and their rich family stories--exploring themes of vulnerability, sacrifice, and culture--are interspersed with touching letters from the grandchildren to their beloved matriarch.

Vice reporter Gabrielle Bluestone delves into the irresistible hype that fuels our social media ecosystem and pulls back the curtain on the manipulation game behind the never-ending scam season.