Staff Picks
Issue-Driven Teen Titles of 2022
- Kei G.
- Thursday, December 01, 2022
Collection
Issue-driven and thought-provoking topics have become mainstays within contemporary teen books. Check out these selections that tackle subjects like race, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and environmentalism for titles that will inspire you to take action and stay conscious.
Access even more information on these topics and other perspectives using the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database.
The Chosen One
A First-generation Odyssey
Published in 2022
"A YA coming-of-age novel about a first-year, first-generation Black student at Dartmouth College."-- Provided by publisher.
The Truth About White Lies
Published in 2022
"An unflinching story about Shania, a white girl who, after moving to a gentrifying city, reckons with her role in racism there, the historical and present day effects of white supremacy, and the danger in silence"-- Provided by publisher.
TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
Published in 2022
High school debater TJ Powar, after she and her cousin become the subject of an ugly meme, makes a resolution to stop shaving, plucking, and waxing, and prove that she can be her hairy self and still be beautiful... but soon finds this may be her most difficult debate yet.
Rima's Rebellion
Courage in a Time of Tyranny
Published in 2022
In 1920s Cuba, Rima is bullied and shunned for her illegitimacy, but finds solace in riding her horse and forges unexpected friendships with others who share her dreams of freedom and suffrage. Includes historical note.
Urgent Message from a Hot Planet
Navigating the Climate Crisis
Published in 2022
"This nonfiction book for teens outlines the science behind global heating and its root causes, provides ways to take action and honors the efforts of the millions of people from around the world working tirelessly to help the planet."-- Provided by publisher.
Seeing Gender
An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression
Published in 2022
"Gender is an intensely personal, yet universal, facet of humanity. In this vibrant book, queer author and artist Iris Gottlieb visually explores gender in all of its complexities, answering questions and providing guidance while also mining history and pop culture for the stories and people who have shaped the conversation on gender"-- Provided by publisher.
Better Than We Found It
Conversations to Help Save the World
Published in 2022
Every generation inherits the problems created by the ones before them, but no generation will inherit as many problems--as many crises--as the current generation of young people. From the devastations of climate change to the horrors of gun violence, from rampant transphobia to the widening wealth gap, from the lack of health care to the lack of housing, the challenges facing the next generation can feel insurmountable. But change, even revolution, is possible; you just have to know where to start. Covering sixteen topics and featuring more than two dozen interviews with prominent activists, authors, actors, and politicians, this is the essential resource for those who want to make the world better than we found it. Featuring interviews with: Mehcad Brooks, Keah Brown, Julian Castro, Sonja Cherry-Paul, Chelsea Clinton, Charlotte Clymer, Mari Copeny aka Little Miss Flint, Greg D'Amato, Jesse Katz, Amed Khan, Daniel Alejandro Leon-Davis, Willy and Jo Lorenz, Ben O'Keefe, Brittany Packnett-Cunningham, Anna Paquin, Robert Reich, Brandon T. Snider, Nic Stone, Anton Treuer, Andrea Tulee, David Villalpando, Elizabeth Warren, Shannon Watts, Natalie Weaver, Brandon Wolf.
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Published in 2022
Upon arriving at the prestigious Wooddale University, seventeen-year-old Savannah Howard comes face-to-face with microaggressions and outright racism--but if she stands up for justice, will she endanger her future?
We Are the Scribes
Published in 2022
Ruth Fitz, a black teenager surrounded by activism in a family rocked by tragedy, discovers that she has begun to receive parchment letters from Harriet Jacobs, the author of the autobiography and 1861 American classic, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and sets out to use her own voice to make history.
White Fragility
Why Understanding Racism Can Be So Hard for White People
Published in 2022
"Anti-racist educators Toni Graves Williamson and Ali Michael explain the concept of systemic racism to young adult readers and how to recognize it in themselves and the world around them. Along the way, Williamson and Michael provide tools for taking action to challenge systems of inequity and racism as they move into adulthood"-- Provided by publisher.