“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”

In a land where rights are blatantly disregarded, a brave young girl named Malala is a voice that cannot be held back. “I Am Malala” is a fearless and sensational memoir that speaks about the fight for female education in a country stricken by global terrorism, the struggles of women and equality, the battle of Malala, and families affected by mass inequity. Nobel Peace Prize youngest laureate, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head on October 9, 2012 after defying the Taliban and fighting for her right to education. Malala’s story is an inspiration and a constant reminder to speak your voice even when you are silenced, even more at the face of death.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Maya Angelou’s coming-of-age story circulates about the author’s experiences from a traumatic childhood and her transformation into becoming a dignified and powerful young woman. Her autobiography— beginning with the three-year-old Maya struggling with racism and rape up to her challenges as a young mother of sixteen, highlights everything about the prejudices and racial discrimination inflicted upon black people; the search for independence and identity; the plaguing issues on sexuality and rape; the questions, realizations, answers, and battles as a woman of strength and kindness. Written in an extremely honest, poetic and eloquent delivery, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is remembered not only as a powerful book, but also as a door in awakening society’s disturbing yet raw and alive issues through poetry.

My Bondage and My Freedom

“There is not, beneath the sky, an enemy to filial affection so destructive as slavery. It had made my brothers and sisters strangers to me; it converted the mother that bore me, into a myth; it shrouded my father in mystery, and left me without an intelligible beginning in the world.”

Born as slave in Maryland, Frederick Douglas became a prominent human rights leader, author, abolitionist and speaker after escaping exploitation at the age of 20. Published in 1855, My Bondage and Freedom is a slave-narrative autobiography exploring the bondages of slavery and the long fight for liberty. His work remains a legacy in the social, political and intellectual society, emerging as a powerful depiction of human rights movement and social justice.

Memoirs of a Mongol without a Pony

“You have to expose yourself fully in a memoir or so I am told.”

One of the most hilarious, remarkable and moving memoirs as seen through the eyes of a boy named Shane Stern— a humorous and positive individual with Down Syndrome, as written by his very own father. Save your tears and watch the world through his unique, sharp-witted and touching perspective made to uplift readers from all walks of life. Penned in a nonchalant, funny, sincere, and gleeful manner while illustrating life through Shane’s experiences and interests, Memoirs of a Mongol without a Pony is a book envisioned to warm every hearts.

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child

“It was light out when we found them, the sun rising slowly in a pale blue sky, casting a warm glow over the fields of sorrow and grief. I remember thinking: How dare the sun rise, as if it were any other day, after such a gruesome night.”

An emotional awakening of the sufferings faced by people on war-torn countries and a real testimony of a child who survived, this amazing memoir written by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta is a real eye-opener. “How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child” is a detailed tale about Sandra’s tough and traumatic life in The Democratic Republic of the Congo up until her anxious immigration to America. In this courageous memoir, a heartrending narrative on how she survived a massacre as her mother and sister were gunned down will be revealed; the struggles of refugee camps and ethnic disconnection; and the new hope that lies within every sunrise after a painful sunset.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past.

The effect of war upon people, especially towards children is beyond words. A baffling estimation of 300,000 child soldiers are being brainwashed and forced to do terrible acts by rebels worldwide. During the Civil War in Sierra Leone, Ishmael Beah is one of the many child soldiers affected by the nightmares and tragedy of war. At the fresh age of innocence, he experienced the horrors of crime and addiction. Now twenty-six years old, Ishmael brings back his haunting past through this stirring memoir with the hopes to prevent such terrors from occurring to other children. Told in a stirring and unfiltered literary feat, Ismael’s memoir is a story of redemption, and a bright possibility of a peaceful future despite a dark and violent past.

A Stolen Life

“Ask yourself, "what would you do to survive?”

Simple and painfully direct, Jaycee Dugard’s memoir is a heart-breaking and enduring story that needs to be heard. After a long and traumatic captivity from the hands of her abusers, “A Stolen Life” serves as Dugard’s refuge to redeem her voice and finally share her story. For 18 years, she experienced the repetitive psychological and sexual abuse inflicted by her kidnappers since the day of her abduction, June 10, 1991 at a school bus stop. Living in isolation and abuse at the age of eleven, she was repeatedly raped and bore two daughters, fed scarcely, stayed in a dark, secluded backyard, and was consumed by fear and domination. While suffering an unimaginably tormenting condition, Jaycee’s resilient spirit is shown in this poignant yet hopeful memoir— a living proof of a girl who prevailed despite a stolen life.