11 YA Books For Bronx Week
In honor of Bronx Week, celebrated this year from May 9 to 19, here are 11 books from our YA collection that focus on this borough, including novels and stories set in the Bronx, and nonfiction books about notable Bronxites.
Fiction Books for Bronx Week 2019
The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin
Fatima is an African refugee who came to New York City so she could see the Statue of Liberty. Jimmi is a drug addict and war veteran. Tamika is a deaf girl who turns off her hearing aids when she wants to escape the world. Their three lives intersect at the apartment buildings called the Orange Houses, with results that none of them could have expected.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
When Wesley shares a poem instead of an essay in Mr. Ward’s English class, it inspires the rest of the students to start sharing their poetry, too. They take inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance they were studying in class, as well as the challenges they face in their own lives.
El Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Stories by Nicholasa Mohr
Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans came to NYC after World War II, settling in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the South Bronx. This collection of stories is set in the decade of 1946-1956, when these new New Yorkers were torn between their old and new lives, trying to find their own American Dream.
Efrain’s Secret by Sofia Quintero
Efrain Rodriguez is a high school senior who wants to get out of the Bronx and go to an Ivy League college, but he can’t afford the tuition. He can’t even afford to buy a class ring! However, there is one way he can earn money quickly, but it’s a dangerous choice that’s going to have dangerous consequences.
Chulito by Charles Rice-Gonzalez
Chulito and Carlos used to be best friends, before Carlos went to a different school and started dressing and acting like a new person. Chulito knew that Carlos was gay, but tries not to think about it too much—if he did, he would have to confront his own feelings, and he’s not ready to do that yet.
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
Margot’s family is upset because she used her father’s credit card to try impressing her rich friends. As punishment, her parents are making her work in their supermarket over the summer. Using that credit card was one of Margot’s worst decisions so far, but she’s also got some more bad decisions in her future.
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Aaron Soto lives in the Bronx, some time in the near future. His world is very similar to ours, with one important difference: In Aaron’s world, the Leteo Institute has the ability to erase someone’s bad memories. Aaron never thought he’d need a service like that; but then, several things happen he wishes he could forget.
Nonfiction Books for Bronx Week 2019
Sonia Sotomayor: A Biography by Meg Greene
Sonia Sotomayor was the third woman and first Hispanic person to become a Justice of the Supreme Court. But her journey began in the Bronxdale Houses, in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx.
Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore
The Wes Moore who wrote this book started his life in the Bronx. When his father died, his life fell apart, but he eventually grew up to become a Rhodes Scholar, an army captain, and a business leader. One day, he learned about another man named Wes Moore, a man whose life had gone in a much more tragic direction. This book tells the true story of both men, and their unlikely friendship.
Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano
The "love and chaos" of the title refers to Sonia Manzano’s childhood, as she experienced fear, bewilderment, and anger because her alcoholic father kept terrorizing the family and her mother kept taking him back. But Sonia was a survivor, and going to school and performing on stage helped her create a new future for herself, eventually becoming famous by playing Maria on Sesame Street.
American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats by Nathan Sacks
Even before The Sugarhill Gang had a hit with their groundbreaking song "Rapper’s Delight," the roots of hip-hop music began with a group of DJs in the Bronx. This book covers the evolution of hip-hop, from DJ Kool Herc’s block party on Sedgwick Avenue to modern-day hip-hop, from records and mixtapes to MP3s.