National Network for Equitable Library Service

After her brother died unexpectedly and her mother moved into a dementia-care facility, spiritual travel writer and Episcopal deacon Lori Erickson felt called to a new quest: to face death head-on, with the eye of a tourist and the heart of a pastor. Blending memoir, spirituality, and travel, Near the Exit examines how cultures confront and have confronted death by investigating Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Mayan temples, Colorado cremation pyres, Day of the Dead celebrations, Maori settlements, and tourist-destination graveyards.

As a parent, you want the best for your child, and one of your greatest hopes is that your child will grow up to be a good person. So, what makes a good person? Generally, we think about good people as being kind: compassionate, empathetic, generous. However, it seems that, in our fast-paced, individual-driven society, kindness is fading and the pressure on parents to raise socially conscious, empathetic, and caring children can seem overwhelming at times.

For this striking, stripped-down account of youth immigration, Villalobos interviewed teens at various stages of the immigration process to illustrate their stories-the physical and emotional difficulties of their travels. He then changed certain elements of these stories in order to protect the children's identities. Each chapter brings forth the voice of one young immigrant's experience, from crossing the Mexican desert to gang violence to the freezers at ICE detention centers.

What is it like to be a refugee? It is a question many of us do not give much thought to, and yet there are more than twenty-five million refugees in the world. Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel-turned-refugee camp. Eventually, she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University.

As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives. In a compelling narrative that introduces historical and contemporary research on self-directed education, Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order to learn.

As a child he was taught to respect nature by an Apache elder he called Grandfather, now as a bestselling author and master tracker Tom Brown, Jr., shares his secrets for nurturing and saving our planet. Tom Brown, Jr., is America's most acclaimed outdoorsman, tracker, and teacher. When he was eight he met Stalking Wolf, an Apache elder who taught the young man how to survive in the wild, and more importantly, how to value our place in the natural order. For more than three decades, Tom Brown, Jr., has shared these insights with the world through teaching, writing, and film.

Many have tried to silence her, but Mozhdah Jamalzadah remains the most powerful female voice of her generation in Afghanistan, boldly speaking out about women's rights. This book charts her incredible journey - from arriving in Canada as a child refugee to being invited to host her own show in Afghanistan. The Mozhdah Show earned her the nickname "The Oprah of Afghanistan" and tackled taboo subjects like divorce and domestic violence for the first time in the country's history. This is the first-ever biography of Mozhdah Jamalzadah: refugee, pop singer, and champion of women's rights.

An eye-opening exploration of race in America In this deeply inspiring book, Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi recount their experiences talking to people from all walks of life about race and identity on a cross-country tour of America. Spurred by the realization that they had nearly completed high school without hearing any substantive discussion about racism in school, the two young women deferred college admission for a year to collect first-person accounts of how racism plays out in this country every day-and often in unexpected ways.

Emmy and Peabody Award-nominated health reporter Cleo Stiller's fun(ny) and informative collection of advice and perspectives about what it means to be a good guy in the era of "toxic masculinity" and MeToo. Here are a couple of self-evident truths: The Harvey Weinsteins of the world need to go, sexual assault is wrong, and women and men should be equal. If you're a man and disagree with any of the aforementioned, then this book isn't for you.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, share the stories of the gutsy women who have inspired them-women with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. "Go ahead, ask your question," her father urged, nudging her forward. She smiled shyly and said, "You're my hero. Who's yours'" Many people-especially girls-have asked us that same question over the years. It's one of our favorite topics. Hillary: Growing up, I knew hardly any women who worked outside the home.