Recommendations based on Hana's Suitcase: A True Storyby Karen Levine

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    by Doreen Rappaport
    Biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting his powerful words & vision for a better future.

    This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the most ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

    by Mordicai Gerstein
    A heroic story of a tightrope walker who successfully crossed the Twin Towers in 1974.

    From a highly-respected picture book author/illustrator comes a lyrical evocation of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers. ... (Goodreads)

  3. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

    by Deborah Rodriguez
    An American hairdresser opens a beauty school in Kabul, Afghanistan, and discovers the power of female friendship and the challenges of living in a war-torn country.

    Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. The Last Lecture

    by Randy Pausch
    Reflection on life and lessons learned, approaching death with courage and optimism.

    A lot of professors give talks titled 'The Last Lecture'. Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we ... (Goodreads)

  5. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Letters to a Young Poet

    by Rainer Maria Rilke
    Uplifting and inspiring words of wisdom, encouraging a young poet to find his own artistic voice.

    In 1903, a student at a military academy sent some of his verses to a well-known Austrian poet, requesting an assessment of their value. The older artist, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), replied to ... (Goodreads)

  7. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

    by Ishmael Beah
    A gripping tale of a child soldier's journey to survive and reclaim his humanity.

    My new friends have begun to suspect I haven't told them the full story of my life.,"Why did you leave Sierra Leone?","Because there is a war.","You mean, you saw people running around with guns and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

    by Zlata Filipović
    A young girl's diary chronicles her life during the Bosnian War, revealing the horrors and struggles of living in a war-torn city.

    When Zlata’s Diary was first published at the height of the Bosnian War, it became an international bestseller and was compared to The Diary of Anne Frank , both for the freshness of its voice and ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Book of Awesome

    by Neil Pasricha
    A celebration of the small things in life that bring joy and happiness, reminding us to appreciate the simple pleasures around us.

    Based on the award-winning 10-million-plus-hit blog 1000awesomethings.com, The Book of Awesome is a high five for humanity and a big celebration of life's little moments: • Popping Bubble Wrap • ... (Goodreads)

  10. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

    by Irene Gut Opdyke
    A young Polish woman's harrowing experiences during WWII, including hiding Jews and working for the German army, and her journey to America.

    "You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis all at once. One's first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under ... (Goodreads)

  11. Alicia

    by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
    A memoir of a young Jewish girl's survival during the Holocaust, and her journey to rebuild her life after the war.

    After losing her entire family to the Nazis at age 13, Alicia Appleman-Jurman went on to save the lives of thousands of Jews, offering them her own courage and hope in a time of upheaval and tragedy. ... (Goodreads)

  12. Real Friends

    by Shannon Hale
    A story of friendship, exploring the highs and lows of navigating relationships.

    “Fresh and funny.” —,New York Times, Book Review Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived

    by Ralph Helfer
    The incredible true story of a boy and his elephant, Modoc, and their journey through life together.

    Modoc tells the true story of Bram, a German boy , and his elephant , Modoc. They’re both born on the same day and the same hour. Bram’s father – a third-generation elephant trainer in a circus – has ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies

    by J.B. West
    A behind-the-scenes look at life in the White House during the administrations of Truman to Nixon, as seen through the eyes of the chief usher.

    In this, New York Times, bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families. J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. We Should All Be Feminists

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A call to action for an inclusive, gender-equal society through an examination of feminism.

    What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists , a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: Guidance on the Path to Mindfulness from a Spiritual Leader

    by Haemin Sunim
    A guide to mindfulness and finding inner peace through slowing down and appreciating the present moment.

    "Is it the world that's busy, or is it my mind?" The world moves fast, but that doesn't mean we have to. In this best-selling mindfulness guide - it has sold more than three million copies in Korea, ... (Goodreads)

  17. My Story: "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy", "A Man Named Dave"

    by Dave Pelzer
    An autobiographical account of a young boy's harrowing journey through childhood abuse and neglect.

    Dave Pelzer's remarkable journey from a child who lived in terror of his unstable, violently unpredictable mother's every move, to his emergence as an inspiration the world over is a remarkable tale ... (Goodreads)

  18. Enrique's Journey

    by Sonia Nazario
    A young man's perilous search for his mother in the US, crossing the Mexican border.

    A true story from award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounting the odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States. In this astonishing true ... (Goodreads)

  19. Notes on a Nervous Planet

    by Matt Haig
    A guide to navigating the overwhelming and anxiety-inducing aspects of modern life, offering practical advice and personal anecdotes.

    A follow-up to Matt Haig's internationally bestselling memoir,, Reasons to Stay Alive, a broader look at how modern life feeds our anxiety, and how to live a better life. The societies we live in are ... (Goodreads)

  20. Auschwitz

    by Laurence Rees
    An in-depth look into the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camps during World War II.

    This vivid and harrowing narrative history of the most notorious concentration camp of the Holocaust preserves the authentic voices of survivors and perpetrators The largest mass murder in human ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz

    by Olga Lengyel
    A harrowing first-hand account of life and death in Auschwitz, detailing the horrors of the concentration camp and the resilience of the human spirit.

    Olga Lengyel tells, frankly and without compromise, one of the most horrifying stories of all time. This true, documented chronicle is the intimate, day-to-day record of a beautiful woman who ... (Goodreads)

  22. Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy

    by Stephanie Nielson
    A woman's inspiring story of surviving a plane crash, and the journey of rebuilding her life afterwards.

    Stephanie Nielson began sharing her life in 2005 on nieniedialogues.com, drawing readers in with her warmth and candor. She quickly attracted a loyal following that was captivated by the upbeat ... (Goodreads)

  23. Moab Is My Washpot

    by Stephen Fry
    Autobiography of an English comedian, exploring his childhood, life struggles, and eventual success.

    Stephen Fry is not making this up! Fry started out as a dishonorable schoolboy inclined to lies, pranks, bringing decaying moles to school as a science exhibit, theft, suicide attempts, the illicit ... (Goodreads)

  24. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated

    by Alison Arngrim
    A memoir of an actress's experiences on the set of Little House on the Prairie and her journey to self-acceptance.

    For seven years, Alison Arngrim played a wretched, scheming, selfish, lying, manipulative brat on one of TV history's most beloved series. Though millions of Little House on the Prairie viewers hated ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

    by Francis S. Collins
    A scientist examines the evidence for faith in God through scientific findings.

    An instant bestseller from Templeton Prize–winning author Francis S. Collins,, The Language of God, provides the best argument for the integration of faith and logic since C.S. Lewis’s, Mere ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

    by Gretchen Rubin
    A practical guide to creating and maintaining good habits, based on personal experiences and scientific research.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • The author of, The Happiness Project, and “a force for real change” (Brené Brown) examines how changing our habits can change our lives. “If anyone can help us stop ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. The Book of General Ignorance

    by John Lloyd
    A humorous and informative book that challenges common misconceptions and reveals surprising facts about the world we live in.

    Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flawed facts finally get the heave-ho in this humorous, downright humiliating book of reeducation based on the phenomenal British bestseller. Challenging what ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Right Stuff

    by Tom Wolfe
    The heroic story of the first American astronauts, and their incredible feats of courage.

    Tom Wolfe began The Right Stuff at a time when it was unfashionable to contemplate American heroism. Nixon had left the White House in disgrace, the nation was reeling from the catastrophe of ... (Goodreads)

  29. Escape

    by Carolyn Jessop
    Autobiography of a woman's struggle to escape an oppressive polygamous cult.

    The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children. When she was eighteen years ... (Goodreads)

  30. Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain

    by Charles R. Cross
    An in-depth look at the life of the Nirvana frontman, exploring his legendary career and tumultuous life.

    The art of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was all about his private life, but written in a code as obscure as T.S. Eliot's. Now Charles Cross has cracked the code in the definitive biography Heavier Than ... (Goodreads)