In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee 2016 Awards



In the Margins Top Non-Fiction Award, 2016: 

 America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler

SAN FRANCISCO —The In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee, (ITM) a committee under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody (LYSC) selected their top fiction book, Tattooed Teardrops by PD Workman and non-fiction book, America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler as well as a list of Top Ten, an official list of books by, for and about kids living in the margins. ITM strives to find the best books for teens living in poverty, on the streets, in custody, or a cycle of all three.
Many people in the margins choose to self-publish.  We are dedicated to finding the best of the best of these titles that fit our charge. This is our third year of highlighting self and small press published books that validate, illuminate and humanize those living in the margins. We bring true diversity to bookshelves and libraries by reading, reviewing, debating, soliciting teen feedback and awarding honors for these titles. The majority of  our list may be unknown to you or have gotten little attention in traditional reviews, but are hits with our teens. This is a statement for the need for more of us to look for and highlight diverse books. This year we continue with our top fiction, top non-fiction, and Social Justice | Advocacy award category.  We are proud to contribute to bringing these voices out of the underground and into your libraries, and hope more and more librarians and awards committees will see the value and necessity of including self-published and small press published books.
In the Margins Top Fiction Award, 2016: Tattooed Teardrops by P.D. Workman
In the Margins Top Non-Fiction Award, 2016:  America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler
In addition, for the second year, we have chosen a title for our Social Justice/Advocacy Award.  The winning title is: Girls in Justice by Richard Ross


In the Margins Top Fiction Award, 2016:
 Tattooed Teardrops by P.D. Workman

In the Margins Official 2016 Top Ten List

Butler, Tewhan. America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope. Raise UP Media. October 2014. PB $19.99. ISBN 9780692281826.


Carter, Alton. The Boy Who Carried Bricks: A True Story of Survival. Roadrunner Press. March 2014. 196p. HC $18.95. ISBN 9781937054342.


Deutch, Kevin. The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York’s Blood and Crips. Lyons Press. December 2014. 214p. PB $16.95. ISBN 9781493007608.


Frank, E.R. Dime. Simon Teen. May 2015. 336p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9781481431606.
Kern, Peggy. Little Peach. Balzer + Bray. March 2015. 208p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9780062266958.


Laboucane-Benson, Patti. The Outside Circle. House of Anansi Press. June 2015. 264p. PB $19.95. ISBN 9781770899377.


Lewis, Tony Jr. Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration. Hanover Place Press. July 2015. 166p. PB $9.99.


Ross, Richard. Girls in Justice. The Image of Justice. 2015. 192p. HC $29.95. ISBN 9780985510619.


Voloj, Julian. Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker. NBM Publishing. May 2015. 128p. PB $12.99. ISBN 9781561639489.


Workman, P.D. Tattooed Teardrops. PD Workman. August 2014. 292p. PB $15.95. ISBN 9780993768750.
Annotations, the full list and further information on the committee and selections can be found at http://youthlibraries.org/2016-margins-official-list-0.




Social Justice/Advocacy Award.

   Girls in Justice by Richard Ross

The 2016 Committee members are:

• Sabrina Carnesi, School Librarian, Crittenden Middle School, VA
• Amy Cheney, District Library Manager, Oakland Unified School District, CA
• Dale Clark, Teacher-Librarian, Fraser Park Secondary, Burnaby Youth Custody Services, Burnaby, BC, Canada
• Joe Coyle, Project Coordinator, Mix IT Up!, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
• Marvin DeBose Sr., Library Supervisor, Free Library of Philadelphia, PA
• Lisa Goldstein, Division Manager, Central Youth Wing, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
• Sian Marshall, Head of Teen Services, Oxford Public Library, Oxford Michigan
• Maggie Novario, Teen Librarian, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, WA
• Kerry Sutherland, Youth Services Librarian, Akron-Summit County Public Library, OH

Please go to Library Services for Youth in Custody (LYSC) http://youthlibraries.org/  for more information