Through My Eyes
Book — Non-fiction. By Ruby Bridges. 1999. 64 pages.
Biography of Ruby Bridges for middle school.
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Biography of Ruby Bridges for middle school.
Resource Type: Books: Non-Fiction
Below is a collection of our recommended non-fiction books for readers at middle school level and above.
You can find non-fiction illustrated books for children in our Picture Books collection.
History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History
Book — Non-fiction. By Dana Lindaman and Kyle Ward. 2004. 404 pages.
How U.S. history is portrayed in textbooks from around the world.
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How U.S. history is portrayed in textbooks from around the world.
Not Written in Stone: Learning and Unlearning American History Through 200 Years of Textbooks
Book — Non-fiction. By Kyle Ward. 2010. 368 pages.
A critique of the representation of history in textbooks.
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A critique of the representation of history in textbooks.
“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II
Book — Non-fiction. By Studs Terkel. 2004. 608 pages.
Interviews with over 120 people about WWII.
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Interviews with over 120 people about WWII.
The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord
Book — Non-fiction. By Ray Raphael. 2003. 288 pages.
The events leading up to the American Revolution.
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The events leading up to the American Revolution.
Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South
Book — Non-fiction (with CD). Edited by William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins and Robert Korstad. 2008. 346 pages.
Extensive oral history of African American life under segregation.
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Extensive oral history of African American life under segregation.
Keeping the Promise?: The Debate Over Charter Schools
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Leigh Dingerson, Barbara Miner, Bob Peterson, and Stephanie Walters. Rethinking Schools. 2008. 240 pages.
Essays examines the charter school movement's founding visions, on-the-ground realities, and untapped potential.
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Essays examines the charter school movement's founding visions, on-the-ground realities, and untapped potential.
To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Robin D. G. Kelley and Earl Lewis. 2005. 320 pages.
Comprehensive history of African Americans.
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Comprehensive history of African Americans.
Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America’s Struggle for Equality
Book — Non-fiction. By Richard Kluger. 2004. 880 pages.
One of the first texts, now a classic, on Brown v. Board of Education.
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One of the first texts, now a classic, on Brown v. Board of Education.
Refusing Racism: White Allies and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Book — Non-fiction. By Cynthia Stokes Brown. 2002. 192 pages.
Four short biographies of white people who've fought against racism in U.S. history.
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Four short biographies of white people who've fought against racism in U.S. history.
The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words, 1750-1800
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Milton Meltzer. 1987. 224 pages.
First hand accounts and primary documents on the American Revolution.
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First hand accounts and primary documents on the American Revolution.
From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend: A Short, Illustrated History of Labor in the United States
Book — Non-fiction. By Priscilla Murolo and A. B. Chitty. Illustrations by Joe Sacco. 2002. 384 pages.
Labor history of the United States.
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Labor history of the United States.
Why Unions Matter
Book — Non-fiction. By Michael D. Yates. 2009. 240 pages.
An introduction to the history and role of unions in the United States.
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An introduction to the history and role of unions in the United States.
The Butterfly’s Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Edwidge Danticat. 2001. 280 pages.
Thirty-three essays and poems describing the Haitian Émigré experience.
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Thirty-three essays and poems describing the Haitian Émigré experience.
African Americans and the Haitian Revolution: Selected Essays and Historical Documents
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Maurice Jackson and Jacqueline Bacon. 2009. 259 pages.
This anthology connects the experience of African Americans and the Haitian revolution.
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This anthology connects the experience of African Americans and the Haitian revolution.
A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2006. 293 pages.
A collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference.
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A collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself: A New Critical Edition by Angela Y. Davis
Book — Non-fiction. By Frederick Douglass and essays by Angela Davis. 2009. 254 pages.
The classic biography of Frederick Douglass with an introduction and critical analysis by Angela Davis.
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The classic biography of Frederick Douglass with an introduction and critical analysis by Angela Davis.
Freedom’s Teacher: The Life of Septima Clark
Book — Non-fiction. By Katherine Mellen Charron. 2009. 480 pages.
Biography of Septima Clark who played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement through education.
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Biography of Septima Clark who played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement through education.
Silver Rights: The Story of the Carter Family’s Brave Decision to Send Their Children to an All-White Schools and Claim Their Civil Rights
Book — Non-fiction. By Constance Curry. Introduction by Marian Wright Edelman. 1996. 288 pages.
The story of the Carter family's decision to send their children to an all-white school in Drew, Mississippi.
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The story of the Carter family's decision to send their children to an all-white school in Drew, Mississippi.
The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement
Book — Non-fiction. By Bob Zellner with Constance Curry. Foreword by Julian Bond. 2008. 351 pages.
Zellner tells how one white Alabamian joined ranks with the Black students who were sitting-in, marching, fighting, and sometimes dying to challenge the Southern "way of life."
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Zellner tells how one white Alabamian joined ranks with the Black students who were sitting-in, marching, fighting, and sometimes dying to challenge the Southern "way of life."
SNCC: The New Abolitionists
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn, with a new foreword by Anthony Arnove and a new afterword by the Barbara Ransby. 1964; updated third edition published in 2026. 304 pages.
A detailed history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
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A detailed history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
We Shall Overcome: A Song That Changed the World
Book — Non-fiction. By Stuart Stotts. Illustrated by Terrance Cummings. 2010. and a CD. 64 pages.
History of the song from the Civil Rights Movement and other struggles, "We Shall Overcome."
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History of the song from the Civil Rights Movement and other struggles, "We Shall Overcome."
Robeson in Spain
Book — Non-fiction. By The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. 2009. 25 pages.
Booklet in graphic novel format on Paul Robeson's involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
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Booklet in graphic novel format on Paul Robeson's involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder
Book — Non-fiction. By Thomas Locker and Joseph Bruchac. 2009. 32 pages.
The life of environmental activist Rachel Carson for upper elementary.
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The life of environmental activist Rachel Carson for upper elementary.
It’s Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference
Book — Non-fiction. By Phillip Hoose with foreword by Pete Seeger. 2002. 176 pages.
Guide to making a difference for young people.
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Guide to making a difference for young people.