Books of the Month

By Jordyn Stahl

Every month, The Riverside Gazette will nominate some of our favorite books from a couple of different genres and tell you a bit about them and whether you should read them! For the month of February, we recommend several books including heritage and health awareness. For April, we have nominated titles for Deaf History Month, World Autism Awareness Month, and National Poetry Month!

Does this author's name ring any bells? Yes, we are talking about Nyle DiMarco, from America's Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars. Dive into this memoir about the prides and struggles of being born and raised Deaf. Readers can delve below the surface of the world of Deaf culture through family, school, and beyond through DiMarco's experiences. From family to stereotypes to Hollywood, DiMarco overcomes multiple external and internal obstacles. Follow him in his schooling, attending Gallaudet University, and what launched him into his career of dancing and acting, while advocating for the Deaf and LGBTQ+ communities. From family to stereotypes to Hollywood, he overcomes multiple external and internal obstacles.

For World Autism Awareness Month, read Naoki Higashida's autobiography about growing up with autism. Readers can peer into the mind, sensations, and experiences of the author, and gain insight into what it is like to grow up while being nonverbal and having limited ability to communicate at 13 years old. As some people with autism may lack the ability for certain skills, such as fully communicating their thoughts and emotions, they turn to other methods to cope. In Higashida's case, his repetitive behavior is jumping. Reading this book is an opportunity to explore a different world, one that a person out of every hundred experiences being on the autism spectrum. Higashida has also written another autobiography, Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man's Voice from the Silence of Autism about growing up as a young adult with autism. 

In yet another coming-of-age story, Thanhha Lai writes about a girl growing up in Vietnam during and after the Vietnam War. Written in free verse poetry, this story is based on the author's experiences in similar circumstances to Hà, the story's protagonist. Hà and her family escape from the outskirts of Saigon to America. With her two brothers and mother, they settle in the South and adjust to American life, struggling to understand the differences in culture and customs. In Inside Out and Back Again, explore the struggles many face as they immigrate to new places and learn languages different from their mother tongue. Try this and check out Thanhha Lai's other books written in free verse for National Poetry Month!