Graphic Novels

Teaching for Change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. Learn about our criteria for selecting titles. Feedback on these lists and suggestions for additional titles are welcome. Titles with reviews on this site are noted with an asterisk(*).

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Abina and the Important Men

By Trevor R. Getz, Liz Clarke

Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre

By Alverne Ball and  Stacey Robinson (Illustrator) 

AD New Orleans After The Deluge

By Josh Neufeld

All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa

By Richard Conyngham 

American Born Chinese

By Gene Luen Yang

Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama

By Alison Bechdel

The Arrival

By Shaun Tan

As the World Burns 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial

By Derrick Jensen

Aya

By Marguerite Abouet

Aya: Love in Yop City

By Marguerite Abouet, Clement Oubrerie

Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson *

By Sharon Rudahl

Barefoot Gen 01 New Translation

By Keiji Nakazawa

Beats A Graphic History

By Harvey Pekar

Big Black: Stand at Attica

By Jared Reinmuth, Frank Big Black Smith, and Ameziane (Illustrator)

The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History

By David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson 

The Boondocks

By Aaron McGruder

Borders

By Thomas King and Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)

Bound by Law?: Tales from the Public Domain

By Keith Aoki, James Boyle, Jennifer Jenkins

The Breadwinner

By Deborah Ellis, Cartoon Saloon & Melusine Aircraft Pictures

Che: A Graphic Biography

By Spain Rodriguez, Paul Buhle (Editor)

Chicken with Plums

By Marjane Satrapi

A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman

By Sharon Rudahl

Displacement *

By Kiku Hughes

Dragon Hoops

By Gene Luen Yang

Escape to Gold Mountain: A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America

By David H. T. Wong

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For

By Alison Bechdel

Eugene V. Debs: A Graphic Biography

By Paul Buhle and Steve Max

Fidel A Graphic Novel Life of Fidel Castro

By Nestor Kohan

Get Your War On: The Definitive Account of the War on Terror 2001-2008

By David Rees

Graffiti Coloring Book

By Uzi (Editor)

Hey, Kiddo

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Holler If You Hear Me, Comic Edition

By Gregory Michie and Ryan Alexander-Tanner

I Am Alfonso Jones*

By Tony Medina, Stacey Robinson (Illustrator), and John Jennings (Illustrator), foreword by Bryan Stevenson

Incognegro

By Mat Johnson

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio

By Derf Backderf

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation*

By Octavia E. Butler, Damian Duffy (Adapted by)

 

King Shaka *

By Luke W. Molver

The Legend of Auntie Po

By Shing Yin Khor

The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom

By David F. Walker,  Marissa Louise (Illustrator) and Damon Smyth (Illustrator)

Macedonia

By Harvey Pekar, Heather Roberson, Ed Piskor (Illustrator)

Manuelito

By Elisa Amado

March, Book One

By John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell (Artist)

Maroon Comix: Origins and Destinies

Edited by Quincy Saul, Songe Riddle (Illustrator), Seth Tobocman (Illustrator), and Mac McGill (Illustrator)

Maus: A Survivor's Tale

By Art Spiegelman

Maus II: A Survivors Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

By Art Spiegelman

Miles Morales: Shock Waves *

By Justin A. Reynolds and Pablo Leon (Illustrator)

Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana

By Brian K. Mitchell, Barrington S. Edwards, and Nick Weldon

Mother Jones: Labor Leader

By Connie Colwell Miller, Steve Erwin (Illustrator), Charles Barnett III (Illustrator)

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book

By The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Umlando Wezithombe (Illustrator)

Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight to Save the Bays The Diane Wilson Story

By Molly Bang

Nubia: Real One *

By L. L. McKinney and Robyn Smith (Illustrator)

Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

By Octavia E. Butler, Damian Duffy (Adapted by), John Jennings (Illustrator)

A People's History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaptation

By Howard Zinn, Mike Konopacki, Paul Buhle

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood *

By Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

By Marjane Satrapi

The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocals of the Elders of Zion

By Will Eisner, Umberto Eco (Introduction by)

Power On!

By Jean J. Ryoo and Jane Margolis
Book trailer on YouTube: Power On! Trailer

Prophet Against Slavery: Benjamin Lay, a Graphic Novel

By Paul Buhle and David Lester (Illustrator)

Puerto Rico Strong: A Comics Anthology Supporting Puerto Rico Disaster

By Vita Ayala, Hazel Newlevant (Editor), Desiree Rodriguez (Editor)

Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling

By Marc Mauer, Sabrina Jones

The Real Cost of Prisons Comix

By Kevin Pyle, Craig Gilmore

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow*

By James Sturm, Rich Tommaso (Illustrator)

 

Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

By Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow

Shaka Rising – A Legend of the Warrior Prince *

By Luke W. Molver

Speak: The Graphic Novel

By Laurie Halse Anderson, Emily Carroll

Students for a Democratic Society A Graphic History

By Harvey Pekar

Studs Terkel's Working: A Graphic Adaptation

By Harvey Pekar, Paul Butler, Paul Buhle (Editor)

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story

By David A. Robertson, Scott B. Henderson, (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Colourist)

Surviving the City, Volume 1

By Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)

The Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale about Harriet Tubman

By Nathan Hale

They Called Us Enemy

By George Takei and Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and Harmony Becker

This Modern World 07 Futures So Bright I Cant Bear To Look

By Tom Tomorrow

This Place: 150 Years Retold

By Alicia Elliott (Foreword by), Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Contribution by), Sonny Assu (Contribution by)

To Teach: The Journey, in Comics

By William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner 

Vietnamerica

By G B Tran

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

By Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martínez (Illustrator)

Waltz With Bashir A Lebanon War Story

By Ari Folman, Polonsky

We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration

By Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura and Ross Ishikawa (Illustrator)

When Stars Are Scattered

By Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, and Iman Geddy (Illustrator)

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty*

By Greg Neri, Randy Duburke

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