oakland

The author discusses his background as a former gang member and juvenile delinquent in Oakland, California, during the 1980s and 1990s, details his efforts to study the lives of young men from his neighborhood after earning a PhD in sociology at Berkeley, and emphasizes the importance of understanding in order to develop solutions for young men who live in a culture of punishment.

The author discusses the adversity he encountered growing up poor, fatherless, in a gang, incarcerated, dropped-out, and without hope. He reflects on his own personal transformation and discusses how his success of returning to school and acquiring a Ph. D. can be replicated by young people with the support of teachers, mentors, and parents.

Identical twins Ernesto and Ra?l Flores flee from El Salvador when Ernesto makes an enemy of the MS-13 gang and Ra?l fears being mistaken for his brother. They set out through many hardships to reach America, but they fall into the hands of immigration authorities and face more trouble before they make it to Oakland, California, where their older brother lives. Difficulties follow them as the "coyote" who helped them get across the border demands his money--on top of all this, the twins just try to live as normal teens.

An introverted reader starts understanding local enthusiasm about sports in his school when he gets to know some of his talented athletic peers and discovers that their stories are just as thrilling as the comics he loves. In his latest graphic novel, author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.

"When Genie Lo learns of a cosmos-threatening force while the Jade Emperor is absent, she leads a party of quarrelsome Chinese gods through multiple planes of reality on a quest that will require sacrifice, not strength"--Provided by publisher.

"In this hybrid memoir, Alberto Ledesma wonders, at what point does a long-time undocumented immigrant become an American in the making? From undocumented little boy to "Hyperdocumented" university professor, Ledesma recounts how even now, he sometimes finds himself reverting to the child he was, recalling his father's words: "Mijo, it doesn't matter how good you think your English is, la migra will still get you." Exploring Ledesma's experiences from immigrant to student to academic, "Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer" presents a humorous, gritty, and multilayered portrait of undocumented immigrant life in urban America"--Back cover.

"Identical twins Ernesto and Raul Flores, seventeen, must flee El Salvador, make a . . . journey across the Rio Grande and the Texas desert, face capture by immigration authorities, and struggle to navigate life in America"--Provided by publisher.

Presents a trio of interlocking stories about three men-- Roberto Silva, a down-sized bank security guard, his co-worker Gus Hernandez, and 1960s poet Silver Mendez-- who are tying to survive on the streets of Oakland.

"Growing up in rural El Salvador in the wake of the civil war, Ernesto Flores had always had a fascination with the United States, the faraway land of skyscrapers and Nikes, while his identical twin, Raul, never felt that northbound tug. But when Ernesto ends up on the wrong side of the region's brutal gangs he is forced to flee the country, and Raul, because he looks just like his brother, follows close behind--away from one danger and toward the great American unknown. In this urgent chronicle of contemporary immigration, journalist Lauren Markham follows the seventeen-year-old Flores twins as they make their harrowing journey across the Rio Grande and the Texas desert, into the hands of immigration authorities, and from there to their estranged older brother's custody in Oakland, CA. Soon these unaccompanied minors are navigating a new school in a new language, working to pay down their mounting coyote debt, and facing their day in immigration court, while also encountering the triumphs and pitfalls of life as American teenagers--girls, grades, Facebook--with only each other for support "--Provided by publisher.

"Janae works days at her Granny's Strange Goods Superstore selling lucky rabbits' feet and other useless junk. At night, she dominates the courts with her boys. She knows she'll make it big--luck's got nothing to do with it. Right?"--Back cover.