Autobiographies
In Their Own Words
YALSA's Ultimate YA Bookshelf
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
This book is the first in a seven volume series that tell her life story. This first volume details Angelou's childhood in Arkansas. and her experiences from childhood to teen years. Angelou tells her story in a unique poetic prose.
YALSA's Outstanding Biography Selection
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave, Written by Himself by Frederick Douglas
This autobiography traces Frederick Douglas' years of horrify enslavement and eventual escape to freedom. This book was published in 1845, when very few slaves could read or write.
YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults
Eleanor's Story: an American Girl in Hitler's Germany by Eleanor Ramrath Garner
Eleanor and her family moved from America to Germany during the Great Depression when her father obtained a new job. After war breaks out Eleanor and her family after forced to stay in Germany, where Eleanor struggles to keep her American identity.
Amazon Best Seller
Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to get back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton lived to surf. One Halloween morning, while swimming in the ocean, she lost her arm in a shark attack. Refusing to give up on her love of faith, family, and surfing, Hamilton persevered to defy the odds and pick up her life to earn a top spot in the World Surfing Championships.
YALSA Outstanding Biography Selection
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Helen Keller was rendered deaf and blind at nineteen months. This autobiography tells the story of her early years with her tutor Annie Sullivan, who assisted Keller in learning how to read and write. Her book is dedicated to Alexander Graham Bell.
Amazon Best Seller
Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur
Sanyika Shakur was originally named Cody Scott and was only 12 years old when he was initiated into the LA Gang called The Crips. He earned the nickname 'Monster' for his intense acts of violence, which eventually landed him in a maximum security cell. While in prison, he changed his identity to Sanyika Shankur and became a black nationalist who fought against the causes of gangsterism.
Half Price Books Best Seller
Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela.
Winner of a Nobel Peace Prize and a beloved political leader, Mandela has fought tirelessly against racial oppression in South Africa and was head of the antiapartheid movement. He never stopped in his fight for human rights and equality for all. This book details his struggles and successes in his own words.
2002 Alex Award
Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self by Rebecca Walker
Rebecca Walker grew up with two racial identities: a Jewish father and an African American mother. When her parents divorced, Walker alternated between both homes every two years and struggled to fit in. Walker's text explores her exploration of herself as an individual in a world that struggled to accept her.
YALSA Outstanding Biography Selection
The Autobiography of Malcolm X. by Malcolm X. and Alex Haley
Considered by many to one of the most controversial leaders of his time, Malcolm X. fought for social and economic equality for African Americans. Journalist Alex Haley worked with Malcolm X. for nearly two years in to create this autobiography.
Amazon Best Seller
2015 YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults
I am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize, She became an advocate for women's education after being shot in the head on the bus coming home from school. Yousafzai survived her injuries when many thought she wouldn't and became a global symbol of peaceful protest.