Some Assembly Required:

The Not-So-Secret Life of a

Transgender Teen

Arin Andrews

921 AN26S

Arin shares all the hilarious,

painful, and poignant details of

undergoing gender reassignment

as a high school student.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

818.54 AN43YI

Memoirs from African American

poet and prose writer Maya Angelou.

Tasting the Sky:

A Palestinian Childhood

Ibtisam Barakat

956.94053 B231T

A Palestinian woman recalls her

childhood under military occupation

in the Middle East during the Six

Day War in 1967.

Warriors Don’t Cry

Melba Pattillo Beals

379.263 B368W

In 1957, Melba faced abuse

and harassment as one of the first

nine African American students

to attend Central High School in

Arkansas.

Courage to Soar Simone Biles

796.44092 B492B Simone takes you through the events,

challenges, and trials that carried her to

a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympics.

Waukesha Public Library

Upon the Head of a Goat

Aranka Siegal

921 SI15S

Siegel, a Jewish child during World

War II, recounts her terrifying ordeal

and her struggle to survive.

Ghosts of War:

The True Story

of a 19-year-old GI

Ryan Smithson

956.70443 SM69G

Smithson writes about his

experiences during 9/11 and

his time serving in the Iraq War.

The Invisible Thread:

An Autobiography

Yoshiko Uchida

+ 813.54 UC4YU

A Japanese American recalls being sent

to an internment camp during WWII.

I am Malala:

The Girl Who Stood Up For

Education and Was Shot By

the Taliban

Malala Yousafzai

921 Y882Y

When the Taliban took control of

the Swat Valley, one girl spoke

out, and refused to be silenced

as she fought for her right to an

education.

When I Was a Soldier:

A Memoir

Valérie Zenatti

921 Z42W

The author describes her life in

the Israeli army, where she

participated in secret missions.

1/17 cr

for teens

Autobiographies And memoirs

321 Wisconsin Ave.

Waukesha, WI 53186

(262) 524-3682

www.waukeshapubliclibrary.org

www.facebook.com/WPLTeenZone

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

GRAPHIC BOOK 921 SA83S

The daughter of ardent Marxists

describes growing up in Tehran

in a country plagued by political

upheaval.

Positive: Surviving My Bullies,

Finding Hope, and Living to

Change the World

Paige Rawl

921 R198P

A teenager's memoir of bullying,

being HIV positive, and surviving

the experiences to become a

force for positive change.

The Upstairs Room

Johanna Reiss

+ 940.5318 R278U

Reiss, a Jewish girl, recounts her

time hiding from the Nazis during

World War II.

The Pregnancy Project

Gaby Rodriguez

306.8743 R618P

Gaby tells her story about

fighting stereotypes and how she

found the strength to come out

from the shadow of low

expectations.

The Burn Journals

Brent Runyon

921 R876R

Brent describes his suicide

attempt and his painful recovery.

Knucklehead :

Tall Tales & Mostly True

Stories of Growing Up Scieszka

Jon Scieszka

+ 813.54 SCI27YS

Jon grew up as one of six brothers

with lots of comic books, lazy

summers at the lake, babysitting

misadventures, TV shows, and

jokes told at family dinner.

Growing Up Latino

813.01 G919H

Memoirs and stories of life in

the U.S. by Julia Alvarez, Oscar

Hijuelos, Sandra Cisneros, and

many other Latino authors.

Rocket Boys:

A Memoir

Homer Hickam

921 H524H

NASA engineer, Hickman, recounts

his childhood as a teen growing up

in the ‘60s.

The Reason I Jump:

The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-

Year-Old Boy With Autism

Naoki Higashida

616.85882 H533R

This memoir demonstrates how an

autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives,

and responds in ways few of us can

imagine.

Breaking Through

Francisco Jiménez

921 J564JB (also +)

Having come from Mexico to

California ten years before,

Francisco is still working in the

fields while fighting to improve his

life and complete his education.

What’s That Pig Outdoors?

A Memoir of Deafness

Henry Kisor

921 K642W

Henry Kisor writes of the pitfalls

and challenges of his hearing loss

at a young age.

Amazing Fantastic Incredible:

A Marvelous Memoir

Stan Lee

GRAPHIC BOOK

741.5092 L515A

In this graphic memoir, Stan Lee,

comic book legend, shares his

iconic legacy and the story of

how modern comics came to be.

Laughing at My Nightmare

Shane Burcaw

921 B892B

Twenty-one-year-old Shane

describes the challenges he

faces with spinal muscular

atrophy.

King of the Mild Frontier:

An Ill-Advised Autobiography

Chris Crutcher

813.54 C889YC

Crutcher, author of young adult

novels such as Ironman and

Whale Talk, tells of growing up

in Cascade, Idaho, with a strict

father and an alcoholic mother.

Enchanted Air:

Two Cultures, Two Wings

Margarita Engle

+ 811.54 EN35YE

Margarita Engle, the first

Latina woman to receive a

Newbery Honor, tells of

growing up as a child of two

cultures during the Cold War.

Anne Frank:

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank

921 F851F

A Jewish girl writes about her

life while in hiding during

World War II.

Hole in My Life

Jack Gantos

813.54 G158YG

As a young adult, Jack became

a drug user and smuggler, was

arrested, and did time in prison,

all while hoping to become a

writer.

Eleanor’s Story

Eleanor Ramrath Garner

921 G1866G

Eleanor describes her life as

an American trapped in Germany

during World War II.

Chinese Cinderella:

The True Story of an

Unwanted Daughter

Adeline Yen Mah

921 M2775MC

A girl describes the misery of her

life under a cruel stepmother and

an uncaring father.

Angela’s Ashes:

A Memoir

Frank McCourt

921 M1377M

Born in New York and growing

up in Ireland, the author describes

his struggles with poverty, family

troubles, and survival.

Bad Boy:

A Memoir

Walter Dean Myers

813.54 M992YM

Myers tells of his early years as

he grew up in 1940’s Harlem.

The Lost Childhood:

A World War II Memoir

Yehuda Nir

940.5318 N629L

As a Jewish teenage boy in Poland

during World War II, Yehuda’s life

was a nightmare of evading capture.

Rascal:

A Memoir of a Better Era

Sterling North

599.7632 N811R (also +)

Sterling tells of his life in rural

Wisconsin as he grows up with

a pet raccoon.

Tomboy:

A Graphic Memoir

Liz Prince

YA GRAPHIC BOOK

921 P935P

Eschewing female stereotypes and

failing to gain acceptance on the

boys' baseball team, Liz learns to

embrace her own views on

gender as she comes of age.