Biographies
Middle and high school students are frequently assigned biographies to read, but biographies can also be popular leisure reading choices for adolescents, as they often feature people who have overcome adversity—a theme teens are drawn to again and again. This list features biographies of the famous, infamous, and not-so-famous!
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Age Level: 16-18
As a 12-year-old growing up in Sierra Leone, our narrator lived a life not unlike a typical American pre-teen, listening to hip hop and hanging out with friends. When civil war comes to his country, however, he is surrounded by death and is forced to survive by becoming a soldier, plied with cocaine and sent on killing sprees. The violence is frequent and not for the squeamish — the book was published for the Adult market — but teens love a tale of overcoming great odds, and this book delivers.
Greatest Stars of the NBA Series
Age Level: 9-12
In comic-book format, biographical and statistical information is presented about some of today's hottest basketball stars, including Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan. The comic format conveys the action, while also making this series highly appealing to reluctant readers.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Age Level: 14-16
Satrapi tells her story of growing up in Iran in the years before and after the 1979 revolution in this spare yet distinctive graphic novel. She beautifully conveys her ordinary childhood, as well as her growing political awareness.
This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Age Level: 14-16
Though today's teens might be more familiar with the title song than with Guthrie himself, this readable biography brings the legendary artist and activist to life (warts and all), and has the power to motivate teens to explore more of his music.
Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop
Age Level: 14-16
For students unfamiliar with Warhol's impact on popular culture, this book connects him to today's art world while functioning as a traditional biography. The authors detail his Pittsburgh childhood and do not shy away from some of the more sordid details of life at the Factory.
A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson
Age Level: 9-12
In the 1950's, current Marylander Mamie Johnson became one of only a handful of women to play professional baseball when she signed for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues. Sports fans and those who like stories about strong young women will find this equally appealing.
Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth
Age Level: 12-14
Though many students will know of John Wilkes Booth as Abraham Lincoln's assassin, few are aware that before he committed this infamous crime, he was a member of a family of accomplished actors, including his well-known brother, Edwin.
Hole in My Life
Age Level: 14-16
The emotional honesty of Gantos' fiction for tweens and teens is evident in this nonfiction memoir for older, more sophisticated readers. Here, he shares his low self-esteem as a young person who gets caught up in dealing drugs. This book makes for tough but powerful reading — especially since Gantos is now on the other side of those early, difficult years.
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini
Age Level: 12-14
An illustrated biography portraying how a poor Jewish boy named Erich Weiss grew up to become one of the most famous magicians of all time.
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science
Age Level: 12-14
As much a study of brain science as it is a biography, this fascinating books tells the story of Phineas Gage, a railroad worker who miraculously survived an accident in which his brain was pierced by an iron rod in 1848.
