America is a beautiful kaleidoscope of people from many cultures and backgrounds. No two experiences of being American are exactly alike. As we reflect on the past 250 years of the United States of America, pick up one of these YA historical fiction novels focused on periods and events in our nation's history from a variety of different perspectives.
The novel in verse, African Town, takes place in 1860 following the group of Africans brought to Mobile, Alabama on the last illegal slave ship, the Clotilda. Inspired by true events and told from many different perspectives, we follow their stories as they are sold into slavery, gain their freedom and save their money to buy land next to each other, creating African Town in the 1870s.
In 1924, 16-year-old Ruby Chen lives in LA's Chinatown. When her parents find out about her secret relationship to a white boy, she runs away before they can arrange a marriage for her. The Red Car to Hollywood follows Ruby as she makes friends with real-life Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong and the two deal with navigating American life during the period of Chinese Exclusion.
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee takes place in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor when Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes and brough to Internment Camps around the country. Based on Chee's family history, this book follows the stories of 14 interconnected teens and their paths over the three year period of internment.
In this Romeo and Juliet retelling, Rosa by Any Other Name tells the story of Mexican-American Rosa Capistrano in 1955 Civil Rights Era Arizona. Rosa is light skinned and enrolls in a segregated school as a white passing student. Her world collide when her friend from home, Ramón, meets her classmate, Julianne, the daughter of the sheriff. The two fall in love instantly. After their love story turns to tragedy, Rosa joins Ramón's brother Marco to fight for justice.
It's 1989 and the middle of the AIDS epidemic. Like A Love Story shows how three different teens are differently affected. Reza, an Iranian immigrant is afraid to acknowledge that he's gay in a world where all he hears about are how gay men are dying of AIDS. He starts dating Judy in an effort to appear straight. Judy's uncle is a gay man with AIDS who is active with the ACT UP organization. Art is Judy's best friend, and the only out gay kid at their school. When Reza starts to fall for Art, he has to grapple with hurting Judy, or hurting himself by staying in the closet.
What's your favorite historical fiction taking place in the United States?
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