It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller 306.7660835 IT

In September of 2010, in response to several stories of teen suicides in response to bullying and harassment made national news, author Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, uploaded a video to YouTube called "It Gets Better." It was their personal story of how they were bullied and how coming out and surviving eventually allowed them to make their dreams come true. They called for other people to upload their stories of how life got better. In 24 hours, someone uploaded a second video. In less than 3 days, there were several hundred videos. By the end of one week, there were 1,000. In less than a month, the White House called with a request to add a video from President Obama. This book is a collection of messages from people of all walks of life and touches all aspects of growing up gay, bi, or trans. Everything from faith, family, romance, friendship, jobs, dreams, and anything and everything in between. It shows that as long as someone doesn’t give in to despair it really does get better.

This is an absolute must read. Not just for teens that deal with issues of sexuality and gender, but their families, anyone that has friends that deal with these issues, anyone that feels like an outsider, anyone that knows what is like to be an outsider, or just anyone that wants to be inspired by stories of overcoming pain, hatred, intolerance, bigotry, loneliness, and confusion to achieve dreams they once thought impossible. This is a truly powerful book and wonderful companion the Youtube channel’s videos. Definitely take a look at both, because they really do complement each other very well. You can find the Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti 322.420973 BARTOLET

In 1866 six men decided to form a club to terrorize and harass blacks in the small town of Pulaski, Tennessee. In almost no time at all this group began to grow until it was the largest terrorist group to operate on American soil. Susan Campbell Bartoletti takes a chilling look at the rise of the most notorious hate group in America and how they used terrorism, violence, and murder to try and keep a race of people subjugated for decades.

The principal idea that the KKK were not just a hate group but actually terrorists is a compelling one and Bartoletti does a great job of providing evidence for her argument. This is a easy to read and hard to forget history of how such a racist and violent group could form while law enforcement turned a blind eye. It is important to remember the true history of the KKK because groups like them have always tried to lie about their own history. This book is filled with horrifying and heart wrenching firsthand accounts of what it was like to live as a secondhand citizen in a society that was ruled over by terrorists.

IraqiGirl: diary of a teenage girl in Iraq

The United States’ involvement in Iraq is regularly reported on the news. Lately the news has reported on the approaching elections, bombings and killings, and the United States’ exit strategy. For a young adult these matters may be of little interest, unless you have family and friends who are somehow involved or based in Iraq.
The United States’ occupation of Iraq began in 2003. In 2004 a 15 year-old girl, Hadiya, began blogging about her life in the city of Mosul, Iraq. Her blog was known as IraqiGirl. Recently a collection of her earlier blog posts were collected and published as IraqiGirl: diary of s teen age girl in Iraq (call number 956.704431 Iraqigir). Her firsthand accounts and reflection of the situation occurring in her country provides a unique perspective to everyone living outside this situation, especially young adults.
Hadiya is just like most teenagers. She worries about school, watches television when there is electricity, and discusses her relationships with family and friends. However, her experience is unique because she is constantly surrounded by war and the effects it has on her country. Her blog is an honest recollection of loss, grief, and a determined survival. She loses family members. Friends and family are forced to flee their homes. She is open about her choice to be a Muslim and responds to criticism from comments made by her readership. She also discusses U.S. and Iraqi military enforcements, such as curfew.
Hadiya is still contributing to the IraqiGirl blog. Once you finish this collection of earlier blog posts, I recommend continuing to read her unique firsthand account of the ever-changing political spectrum in Iraq.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters to arrive at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, the day Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire on fellow students and their teachers. He has spent the last ten years researching the infamous Columbine shooting to create the first complete account, Columbine, which is available at the library.

Cullen’s intentions in writing this book were to dispel myths propagated by the media after this tragedy occurred. A number of stereotypes, such as the “Trench Coat Mafia” and Goths shooting jocks, were circulated by the media, including Cullen. As an act of apology and from a desire to report the facts, Cullen poured over hundreds of interviews, investigative files, FBI psychologists, and evidence left by the shooters to recreate the series of events that led to Klebold and Harris’ decision to launch an attack on their school. Cullen depicts a very different picture than that portrayed by the media. These boys weren’t outcasts ridiculed at school. In fact, Harris was relatively popular and noted for his charm. Both boys desired to go to their high prom, and Klebold regularly wrote about love in his journal. This tragedy is no longer based on stereotypes, and the media-inspired caricature has been torn away to reveal the killers’ thoughts and motivations.

Although this blog primarily features Young Adult fiction, there is relevance in featuring Columbine, which is a non-fiction book. Cullen’s determination to demonstrate the complexity and depth of the Columbine shooting warrants examination by both teens and adults. The author delivers an important message to be critical of the media and the news they report. As well, Cullen reminds us those tragedies such as Columbine are often more complex than what is reported. As teens (and adults) it is important to remember life and the choices we make are more complicated than where you fit in within the high school ranks.

The Photographer: into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier (Translated by

Graphic novels are a unique format of storytelling, where image and text are used to communicate. Often times mistaken for comic books featuring superheroes, graphic novels feature a variety of characters and portray fictional and real life situations. The Photographer: into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders is based on the real life experiences of a team of mostly French doctors and journalists, who were on mission in 1986 in Northern Afghanistan. During this time Afghanistan was a hotbed of violence between the Soviet Union and the Afghan Mujahideen. Using illustrations drawn by Emmanuel Guibert and the photographs and text of international photojournalist Didier Lefevre, The Photographer demonstrates the hardships of the Afghani people and the doctors determined to help them.

This graphic novel is unlike the typical illustrated story because of its use of Lefevre’s raw photographs- many of which are viewed from their original contact sheets. The drawings and text expand upon the photos and provide the narrative of this difficult journey. At times graphic, the reader encounters the same victims as the doctors, including children with fatal injuries. The cultural differences and political turmoil of the area travelled by the doctors is also communicated. The graphic novel easily expresses the physical and mental exhaustion experienced by all of those involved and visualizes the hardships of war. The story also dispels certain myths about the Afghani people, who have been misrepresented in the media. This story is relevant today because of the current democratization of Afghanistan and United States’ military involvement.

Currently the book is located in the New Books section at the front of the library. Once the book is added to the regular collection it will not located in the Young Adult collection. Instead it will be located in the Non-fiction section toward the back of the library. The call number for the book is: 070.4909581 Guibert.

Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? Edited by Marissa Walsh

Body image is an issue many people struggle with, but teens can be especially afflicted because of peer pressure and an over saturation of celebrity-focused media. It seems that at least once a week some celebrity, like Lindsay Lohan or Jennifer Love Hewitt, is being attacked for being “too fat” or “too skinny.” Society’s influence on what is beautiful has caused both teen boys and girls to go to extreme lengths to fit into an unrealistic mold.


Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? stories about loving – and loathing- your body, edited by Marissa Walsh, is a collection of short fiction and non-fiction writings addressing body issues. The book features the work of Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Impulse, & Identical), Sarra Manning (Guitar Girl, Pretty Things, & Let’s Get Lost), Matt de la Pena (Mexican Whiteboy & Ball Don’t Lie), Megan McCafferty (Perfect Fifths, Fourth Comings, & Charming Thirds), and many other young adult writers. Much of the writing focuses on the issues young girls may face, but Barry Lyga (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl & Hero-Type) and Daniel Pinkwater provide a male perspective.

This collection demonstrates the common and often silent struggle teens go through and the effects it can have on their physical and emotion health. The book has a personal touch to it based on honest autobiographical contributions of some of the writers, which relays to the reader that they are not alone. Certain works are stronger than others, but overall the collection brings the message home that we are not alone with the struggle to feel “normal” and accepted.

In addition to appearing in this book, several of these authors are featured in the Moore Memorial Public Library Young Adult collection.

Poetry Month

Interested in poetry, but not sure what's good? April is National Poetry Month, and fortunately, there are many wonderful books to introduce a newbie to the very old world of poetry.

The Making of a Poem: A Northon Anthology of Poetic Forms

by Mark Strand & Eavan Boland

(821.008 MAKING)

Ever wondered if anyone still writes sonnets, or why sonnets were so popular with Shakespeare? This book focuses on different poetic forms such as the sonnet, the villanelle, the ballad, and blank verse to name a few.

What makes this book so cool is how it breaks down the explanation of each form. Each form is described at a glance: basic traits, meters, and rules. Then a history of the form's use and how it came to be is given, and finally, the contemporary context, or how poets today use the form, is given along with plenty of poetry examples.

Going over the forms like this made them so much more assessible for me. For example, the villanelle has been really popular in the twentieth century. Villanelles, because of the repetitive structure, are known to be ideal for expressing grief and pain. For a century that began with not one, but two World Wars and moved on to the Cold War and other acts of personal and global violence, the villanelle makes sense as a popular poetic form.

Poet's Choice

by Edward Hirsch

(808.81 HIRSCH)

Poet's choice is a collection of essays from Hirsch's weekly Washington Post column about poetry. Hirsch deals with a variety of topics and poets, including Reading, W. B. Yeats, Christmas Poems, Pablo Neruda, Protest Poetry, William Carlos Williams, and prose poetry. The book is divided into two sections: international poetry and American poetry. Each chapter is only two-three pages long, so these are just quick introductions to each topic and poet. This is a book to dip into, flip some pages and dip again. It's a great way to learn about new poets and poetry at the same time.

Get a Hobby!

Get a Hobby!

by Tina Barseghian

(790.13 BARSEGHI)

Get a Hobby is a cool book that surveys over 100 different common hobbies. Ideas are diverse from athletic hobbies like caving, cooking hobbies like candy making or oil infusing, to nature hobbies like bonsai tree shaping. A forward explains the possible health benefits of hobbying--sorry, video gaming doesn't count as a hobby for a very simple reason.

Each hobby is presented in a two-page spread. Information about the hobby includes a summary of the activity itself, materials needed to get started, a history of the activity, directions for getting started, and resources for additional information. In many cases a personality profile, a list of similar hobbies, or a beginning project are also included. The idea of the two-page spread is to give readers enough information to sample a hobby and see if it really does suit them. To really delve into any of these hobbies, most people would need to gather much more information.

Barseghian has made picking a hobby that suits you much easier. First, readers can take a short quiz. The thing to know about this quiz is that it is asking about extremes. For example, the question about pets that includes an answer with snakes isn't trying to find out whether or not you like snakes. Rather, the question is trying to determine how extreme your devotion is to the animal kingdom. The quiz helps you identify your own personality traits which is useful when you start flipping through the hobbies. Personality traits are listed at the top of each hobby two-page spread. The traits that would be useful for the hobby on that page are in bold. The introduction to the quiz explains that hobbies with two or more of your selected personality traits in bold print would likely be a good match for you.

If none of the 101 hobbies appeals to you there are additional ideas for hobbies at the back of the book including alturistic hobbies, cerebral hobbies, and travel related hobbies.

At first I was disappointed that the author didn't include a spreadsheet of the personality traits identified with each hobby. However flipping through each hobby one-by-one and considering the suggested personality traits was interesting in and of itself. After reading this book, I can't say that I'm ready to go out and take up a whole new hobby, but it did open my mind up to a few new possiblities. Also, reading this reminded me of past hobbying efforts that for one reason or another I had put aside. I'm thinking that now would be a good time to take them up again. I really hope that Barseghian will follow this up with either a second book or a website. Reading this has made me curious about a few things, and I'd love to hear about other people's experiences beginning a new hobby.

The Blitz: London's Longest Night (DVD)

On the night of December 29, 1940 the Germans dropped tens of thousands of bombs on the city of London. This movie is complete with reenactments, actual footage and survivor stories. Of course you probably know the ending of that night, but it is riveting to learn which historic buildings survived as well as stories of some survivors. This PBS Production is not just another boring documentary, it had me gripping the sofa cushions in suspense. DVD 940.54 BLITZ

Devil's Playground (DVD)

What a shocking look into Amish teens' lives! During a time called Rumspringa (the Devil's Playground), a period when Amish teens turn 16, they are allowed to live outside the Amish community. They experience all kinds of sins in order to decide if they want to leave the Amish lifestyle or stay in it for good. This documentary follows a few teens as they stumble around in the outside world getting drunk, smoking, and making out. The Amish lifestyle and their ideologies are explained by the teens. I came away from this film with strong feelings...how can the teens think about leaving the Amish community with a chance of success in the outside world with only an 8th grade education? Watch the movie, see what happens to the teens, draw your own conclusions. 392.15 DEVILS

Tupac Shakur Legacy by Jamal Joseph

Very, very cool book...even if you are not interested in Tupac. The book includes all kinds of reproductions that are associated with Tupac such as Tupac's grocery lists, inmate identification card, and poems that he wrote to his mom. The book also includes a CD with three interviews that he did which spanned about seven years. The author of the book happens to be a friend of the family so some of the things written tend to sound a little on the bias side when it comes to Tupac's various spats and scuffles. Overall this is a good book for anyone wanting to know more about Tupac and the 'Thug's Life' mindset. Found in the non-fiction section 782.421649 JOSEPH

Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back On the Board by Bethany Hamilton

Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton gets her arm bit off by a Tiger Shark while surfing in Hawaii. She writes about her accident, recovering, and getting back to the sport she loves- surfing. This easy to read book is uplifting but does have strong religious overtones. One chapter is dedicated to her relationship with God. I thought this book was going to be depressing but it was pretty uplifting instead. Of course, since it is a true story you can find it in the non-fiction section- 797.32092 HAMILTON