Recommendations based on The Story of Ruby Bridgesby Robert Coles

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    by Doreen Rappaport
    Biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting his powerful words & vision for a better future.

    This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the most ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. Snowflake Bentley

    by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
    A heartwarming story of a man's dedication to snowflake photography and his passion for understanding nature.

    "Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied." — Wilson Bentley (1865–1931) Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt. Why ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

    by Shane Claiborne
    A call to action to live a life of radical love and compassion, challenging the status quo.

    Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we’ve made a ... (Goodreads)

  4. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    by Eric Schlosser
    An exploration of the industrial food system and its effects on U.S. society.

    Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list ... (Goodreads)

  5. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

    by Mordicai Gerstein
    A heroic story of a tightrope walker who successfully crossed the Twin Towers in 1974.

    From a highly-respected picture book author/illustrator comes a lyrical evocation of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers. ... (Goodreads)

  7. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

    by Michelle Alexander
    Exploring the roots and reality of systemic racism in the U.S. criminal justice system.

    "Jarvious Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting ... (Goodreads)

  8. She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall

    by Misty Bernall
    The story of Cassie Bernall, a victim of the Columbine High School shooting, and her unwavering faith in the face of tragedy.

    In a perverse celebration of Hitler's birthday, two heavily armed students stormed through a Colorado school on April 20, 1999, killing as many people as they could. Confronting 17-year-old Cassie ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less

    by Terry Ryan
    A mother's determination to keep her family afloat through creative writing competitions.

    The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is based on the true story of housewife Evelyn Ryan, who helped support her husband, Kelly, and their 10 children by winning jingle-writing contests. Kelly failed ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal

    by Conor Grennan
    An inspiring account of a man's journey to reunite lost Nepalese children with their families.

    “Funny, touching, tragic….A remarkable tale of corruption, child trafficking and civil war in a far away land—and one man’s extraordinary quest to reunite lost Nepalese children with their parents.” ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

    by Jen Hatmaker
    A spiritual and practical journey to live with less, finding freedom and contentment.

    Why do we pursue, more, when we'd be happier with, less,? This is the story of how, New York Times, bestselling author Jen Hatmaker and her family tried to combat overindulgence—and what they learned ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. My Own Country: A Doctor's Story

    by Abraham Verghese
    A doctor's journey of medical care given to AIDS patients in small-town America.

    My Own Country traces the story of a young infectious-disease physician in the mid-80s in Johnson City, Tennessee , who began to treat patients with a then unknown disease. Because of the seemingly ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands

    by Laura Schlessinger
    A guide for wives to improve their marriages by understanding and meeting their husband's needs.

    In her most provocative book yet, Dr. Laura urgently reminds women that to take proper care of their husbands is to ensure themselves the happiness and satisfaction they yearn for in marriage. Women ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

    by William Kamkwamba
    An inspiring tale of a young boy from Malawi who, against all odds, invents a windmill to power his village.

    Now a Netflix Film, Starring and Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men

    by Shaunti Feldhahn
    A study of the inner emotional lives of men, providing insight into how they think and feel.

    Discover the Truth He Wants You to Know... The man in your life carries important feelings so deep inside he barely knows they’re there, much less how to talk about them. Yet your man genuinely wants ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up

    by Richard Lloyd Parry
    A gripping account of a young woman's disappearance and the twisted journey to find her.

    An incisive and compelling account of the case of 21-year-old Lucie Blackman, who stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000 and disappeared forever. The following winter, her ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Freedom Writers Diary

    by Erin Gruwell
    A true story of gritty inner-city teens who use writing to overcome obstacles and find a brighter future.

    As an idealistic 23-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of "unteachable, at-risk" students. One day she intercepted a note with a ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Lincoln: A Photobiography

    by Russell Freedman
    A visual biography of Abraham Lincoln, featuring photographs and historical context of his life and presidency.

    Abraham Lincoln stood out in a crowd as much for his wit and rollicking humor as for his height. This Newbery Medal-winning biography of our Civil War president is warm, appealing, and illustrated ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Boy on the Wooden Box

    by Leon Leyson
    A Holocaust survivor's account of his childhood, living in fear and struggling for survival.

    Even in the darkest of times— especially in the darkest of times—there is room for strength and bravery. A remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on ... (Goodreads)

  20. Desert Flower

    by Waris Dirie
    A harrowing autobiographical account of a young Somali girl's journey from oppression to freedom.

    Waris Dirie ran away from her oppressive life in the African desert when she was barely in her teens, illiterate and impoverished, with nothing to her name but a tattered shawl. She traveled alone ... (Goodreads)

  21. When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself

    by Steve Corbett
    A guide for those who want to help alleviate poverty without causing harm, emphasizing the importance of relationships and community development.

    Churches and individual Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty, resulting in the use of strategies that do considerable harm to poor people and themselves. Don't let ... (Goodreads)

  22. Through Gates of Splendor

    by Elisabeth Elliot
    The true story of five American missionaries who were killed while trying to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador.

    In 1956, five young men, including Elliot's husband, Jim, traveled into the jungles of Ecuador to establish communication with the fierce Huaorani Tribe, a people whose only previous response to the ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Miracle of Forgiveness

    by Spencer W. Kimball
    A spiritual guide to understanding the power of forgiveness and achieving peace.

    During his earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles, including healing numerous diseased and disabled bodies. But perhaps his greatest miracle was the healing of people's souls, - the ... (Goodreads)

  24. Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan

    by Bill O'Reilly
    A narrative of the U.S. in final days of WWII, and the strategies used to end the war in the Pacific.

    The powerful and riveting new book in the multimillion-selling, Killing, series by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard Autumn 1944. World War II is nearly over in Europe but is escalating in the Pacific, ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Vagina Monologues

    by Eve Ensler
    A collection of stories and monologues celebrating the power and complexity of female sexuality.

    The Vagina Monologues is made up of various personal monologues read by a diverse group of women. Originally, Eve Ensler performed every monologue herself, with subsequent performances featuring ... (Wikipedia)

  26. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

    by Paul E. Miller
    A guide to developing a deeper, more meaningful prayer life in the midst of the distractions of modern life.

    Author Paul Miller shares his insights and conclusions about how to connect the broken pieces of your life and allow prayer—even poorly delivered—to fill the gaps with meaning and substance. Miller’s ... (Goodreads)

  27. Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail

    by Ben Montgomery
    The true story of Emma Gatewood's record-breaking hike of the entire Appalachian Trail.

    2014 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in History / Biography Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. The Blind Side

    by Michael Lewis
    Story of an underprivileged African-American teen who is rescued and mentored by a wealthy white family.

    The #1 New York Times Bestseller "Lewis has such a gift for storytelling…he writes as lucidly for sports fans as for those who read him for other reasons." —Janet Maslin, New York Times When we first ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. Teacher Man

    by Frank McCourt
    A memoir of the author's 30-year career as an English teacher in New York City.

    McCourt's long-awaited book about how his thirty-year teaching career shaped his second act as a writer. Nearly a decade ago Frank McCourt became an unlikely star when, at the age of sixty-six, he ... (Goodreads)

  30. Kisses from Katie

    by Katie Davis
    A young woman's journey of faith, service, and love in the slums of Uganda.

    What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s ... (Goodreads)