The novel follows the story of a teenage girl who witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer. Living in a poor neighborhood but attending a predominantly white, wealthy private school, she must navigate the dichotomy of these two very different worlds while grappling with the trauma of her friend's death. As she becomes more involved in activism and advocacy, she must confront the reality of racism, police brutality, and societal injustice.

"Demon Copperhead" is a short story by Barbara Kingsolver about a young woman named Codi who returns to her small hometown in Arizona to care for her father, who is dying of Alzheimer's disease. As she reconnects with her past and the people in her community, Codi discovers a dark secret about her family's history and must come to terms with the truth. The story explores themes of family, identity, and the impact of the past on the present.

"Invisible Child" is a non-fiction book by journalist Andrea Elliott that tells the story of Dasani, a young girl living in poverty in New York City. The book follows Dasani and her family as they struggle to survive in a city that seems to have forgotten them. Despite the challenges they face, the family never loses hope, and their resilience and determination are a testament to the power of the human spirit. Through Dasani's story, Elliott sheds light on the systemic issues that perpetuate poverty in America and the urgent need for change.

The novel delves into the life of a young woman serving two consecutive life sentences plus six years at Stanville Women's Correctional Facility in California. Through her eyes, the narrative explores the harsh realities of the American prison system and the interwoven lives of inmates, shedding light on themes of poverty, violence, and the struggle for survival within a society that often overlooks the marginalized. The protagonist's past unfolds alongside her present incarceration, revealing the circumstances that led to her imprisonment and her attempts to maintain a connection with the outside world, particularly with her son. The story is a gritty and unflinching examination of the consequences of systemic injustice and the human capacity for resilience in the face of a life confined by bars.

In this gritty and evocative novel, readers are introduced to a young Black woman living in Oakland who, struggling to keep her family afloat after being abandoned by her mother and incarcerated by her brother, turns to sex work to survive. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she becomes entangled with a corrupt police department, exposing systemic abuse and sparking a complex journey through the criminal justice system. The protagonist's resilience and the poetic exploration of her inner world offer a raw and powerful examination of race, poverty, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of institutional betrayal and personal adversity.

Set in the 1960s, this book follows the story of two African-American boys, Elwood and Turner, who are sent to a brutal reform school, the Nickel Academy, in Florida. The narrative explores their struggle to maintain their humanity in the face of physical and emotional abuse, systemic racism, and injustice. The book is a searing indictment of the horrific realities of racism and the long-lasting effects of trauma and dehumanization, based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children.