BOOKLISTS: YOUNG ADULT DIVERSE and MULTICULTURAL FICTION


ETHNICITY and RACE

Books of Different Cultures for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 40 novels and a couple of non-fiction books, from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back (an Amazonian village in the Andes) to Diane L. Wilson's I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade (Mongolia in 1339). Updated June 2008.

From Strangers to Neighbors: Race, Dignity and Acceptance Beyond To Kill a Mockingbird: For Older Children (Duluth Public Library, MN): Author, title, publication date, summary for 20 books exploring issues similar to those raised by Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, from William H. Armstrong's Sounder to Laurence Yep's The Star Fisher. Updated Oct. 2005.

Multicultural Fiction (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for about 40 novels for middle school and high school students, from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back to Rita Williams-Garcia's Fast Talk on a Slow Track. Updated Sept. 2008.

Multicultural Fiction (Patti Cook, Wired for Youth, Austin PL, TX): Author, title, cover image, webcat link, subject list, and summary for about 25 books, in title order, from Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher to When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park. Updated June 2007.

Multicultural Fiction for Teens (Madison Public Library, WI): Title, author, publication info, and summary for more than 25 books, from Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis to Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi. Updated March 2008.

Race in America (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH): Author, title, summary for over 25 YA books (fiction and non-fiction) about ethnicity and race in America; fiction titles from Zack by William Bell to If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

Looking In / Looking Out: Focus on Multicultural Books for Middle Schoolers (Berkeley Public Library, CA): Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for about 15 fiction titles plus a few non-fiction books.

Teens Read: Multicultural (Santa Clara County Library, CA): Author, title, cover image, page count. grade level, webcat link and summary for 12 titles, from Malín Alegría's Estrella's Quinceañera to Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. Compiled 2007.

>>African and African-American

Great African-American Books for Young Adults (Carmel Clay PL, Carmel, IN): 'Great stories that convey the African American experience and contributions through contemporary and historical fiction, biography, short stories, and poetry.' Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for 30 books.

African-American Fiction for Teens (Seattle Public Library): Title, author, summary for about 25 recent fiction titles, from Apollo's Concrete Candy to Jacqueline Woodson's Behind You.

Black History Month: Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 12 fiction titles for junior high, about 10 fiction titles for senior high, plus lots of non-fiction books. Updated Jan. 2008.

African-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, publication year for more than 20 books, from MT Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, v. 1: The Pox Party to Jacqueline Woodson's From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. The same site also lists African-American non-fiction titles.

African American Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library): Lists author, title, publication year, webcat link and summary for about 20 books. Some cover images.

African American Voices (Berkeley PL, CA): Author, title, pub. year and summary for about 20 fiction titles, from Apollo's Concrete Candy to Jacqueline Woodson's A Way Out of No Way. All published pre-2000.

Tones in Black: Stories About African-American Teens (Ocean County Library, NJ): Author, title, summary for about 15 titles, in title order from Arilla Sun Down by Virginia Hamilton to White Lilacs by Caroline Meyer. Compiled Jan. 2001.

Great African - American Teen Fiction (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): Author, title, pub. year, cover image, webcat link and summary for about 15 novels, by Paul Langan, Stephanie Perry Moore, L. Divine, Sharon Mills Draper, and ReShonda Tate Billingsley. Updated March 2008.

What Should I Read Next?: African-American Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK): Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 10 novels featuring African-Americans and race issues, from ReShonda Tate Billingsley's Blessings In Disguise to Jacqueline Woodson's After Tupac and D Foster. Updated April 2008.

African-American Novels for Young Adults (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore): Compiled 2003. Author, title, summary, publication year, and webcat link for about a dozen books published in 2001 and 2002, from Evelyn Coleman's Born in Sin to Jacqueline Woodson's Hush.

>>Native American and Aboriginal Peoples

Native American Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library): Lists author, title, publication year, webcat link and summary for about 25 fiction and 25 non-fiction titles. Fiction from Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues to David Marion Wilkinson's Oblivion's Altar: A Novel of Courage.

Native American Fiction (San Jose Library, CA): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 8 books, in title order from The Crying Rocks by Janet Taylor Lisle to Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Updated June 2007.

African-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, publication year for 6 books.

Aboriginal Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 30 fiction titles, in title order from Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie to X-Indian Chronicles: The Book of Mausape by Thomas Yeahpau, plus some non-fiction books. Updated June 2008.

>>Hispanic /Latino

Hispanic Teen Fiction (Joanna Nigrelli, Wired for Youth, Austin PL, TX): Author, title, cover image, webcat link, subject list, and summary for about 40 books, in title order, from Accidental Love by Gary Soto to The Whole Sky Full of Stars by René Saldaña. Updated Sept. 2007.

Hispanic Heritage Booklist (Carmel Clay PL, Carmel, IN): Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for about 25 titles, mostly fiction and folklore, listed in title order from Air Down Here by Gil Alicea to Year of Our Revolution by Judith Ortiz Cofer.

Latino Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library): Lists author, title, publication year, webcat link and summary for about 20 books, some with cover image. Titles from Jessica Abel's La perdida to Gary Soto's Mercy on these teenage chimps. Updated May 2008.

Latino Books for Teens (Seattle Public Library): Title, author, summary for about 20 fiction titles and 8 non-fiction books. Fiction titles from Julia Alvarez's Before We Were Free to Ana Veciana-Suarez's Flight to Freedom.

The Latina/Hispanic Experience (Burlington County Library System, Westhampton, NJ): Author, title, webcat link and summary for 12 books, including The Summer of El Pintor by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman and Loves Me, Loves Me Not by Anilu Bernardo.

Latino Literature for Children and Young Adults (Salt Lake County Library System, UT): 5-page PDF. Author, title, publication year, book cover image, page count, grade level recommendation, and brief summary for over 30 books for grades 2-9 and over 20 YA books (including a few biographies).

Latino Fiction (San Jose Library, CA): Author, title, Spanish title, webcat link, and summary for 7 books, in title order from Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya to Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez. Updated June 2007.

Hispanic-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, publication year for 7 books.

>>Asian and Asian-American

South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora In Children's Literature: An Annotated Bibliography: Young Adult Books (Pooja Makhijani): An annotated bibliography of young adult literature about South Asia (includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and by South Asians. Author, title, and summary for about 40 novels, from Aruna's Journeys by Jyotsna Sreenivasan to Young Uncle Comes to Town by Vandana Singh. Created 2005.

Asian American Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library): Lists author, title, publication year, and summary for about 25 books.

Asian-American Fiction (Seattle Public Library): Title, author, webcat link, cover image, and summary for about 25 titles.

Asian Books (Carmel Clay PL, Carmel, IN): Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for about 15 titles, listed in title order from A Step From Heaven by An Na to Zhuangzi Speaks: Music of Nature by Tsai Chih Chung.

Asian and Asian American Culture (Stanly County Public Library, NC): Author, title, publication year, page count, summary for about 12 books, set in the U.S. and in Asia, from Haemi Balgassi's Tae's Sonata to Jean Davies Okimoto's Molly By Any Other Name. For ages 12+.

Fiction Featuring Asian American Characters (Berkeley PL, CA): Author, title, pub. year and summary for about 15 titles, from Lori Carlson's American Eyes: New Asian American Short Stories for Young Adults to Lois Yamanaka's Wild Meat and Bully Burgers.

Asian Heritage: Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 25 fiction titles for junior high, about 15 fiction titles for senior high, and some non-fiction books. Updated June 2008.

Asian and American (Burlington County Library System, Westhampton, NJ): Author, title, webcat link and summary for 10 books, in title order from Candle in the wind by Maureen Crane Wartski to Year of impossible goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi.

The Indian Subcontinent and Beyond (Burlington County Library System, Westhampton, NJ): Author, title, webcat link and summary for 12 books, in title order from Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami to Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami.

Asian-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, publication year for 10 books, from Linda Crew's Children of the River to Paul Yee's Breakaway.

East Indian American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, publication year for 7 books, from Malcolm Bosse's Tusk and Stone to Gloria Whelan's Homeless Bird.

RELIGION

See also Inspirational Fiction

Religious Fiction for Teens (Plymouth District Library, MI): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 60 titles, from Laurie Halse Anderson's Catalyst to Jane Breskin Zalben's Unfinished Dreams: A Novel. Updated Jan. 2006.

Teen Spirit: Religion (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore): Compiled 1999. Author, title, summary, publication year, and webcat link for about 20 books from Karleen Bradford's There Will Be Wolves to Jane Yolen's Armageddon Summer.

Believers and Doubters: Teen Fiction about Religion (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh): Author, title, summary, webcat link for about 15 titles, from Randa Abdel-Fattah's Does My Head Look Big in This? to Ellen Wittlinger's Blind Faith. See also their Religion and Spirituality: Teen Nonfiction list.

Ineffable Fiction for Teens About Religion, God & Spirituality (Berkeley Public Library, CA): Ineffable: Incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable. Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for more than 30 books. Not typical 'inspirational' fiction selections. Includes Cynthia Rylant's God Went to Beauty School, Chaim Potok's The Chosen, some Ursula LeGuin and Philip Pullman novels, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, and Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima. Updated March 2007.

Spiritual Questioning: Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 25 fiction titles, in title order from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho to When We Were Saints by Han Nolan.

Journeys: Teens and spirituality (Ocean County Library, NJ): Author, title, summary for about 18 titles, in title order, from Angel of Mercy by Lurlene McDaniel to Where the Truth Lies: A Novel by Lucy Cullyford Babbitt. Compiled 2002.

Living in Faith: Christian Books for Teens (Ocean County Library, NJ): Fiction and non-fiction. Author, title, and summary for about 15 fiction titles, from Between Two Worlds by Leanne Hardy to The Vanishings by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, and 5 non-fiction.

Faith Fillers: Christian Fiction (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for about 20 books. Updated March 2008.

Christian Fiction Booklist for Young Adults (Corpus Christi Public Libraries, TX): Lists about 20 book titles and a few series titles. No summaries. From Jennifer Armstrong's Steal Away to Cynthia Voigt's Jackaroo.

Latter-Day-Saints [Mormons] Fiction (Ruby Cheesman, Salt Lake County Library System, UT): 'These books are written by authors of the LDS faith and contain references to LDS doctrine or religion.' Adult and YA fiction combined and marked. Author and title only, over 100 books.

Jewish Life: Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for 8 fiction titles for junior high, 8 fiction titles for senior high, 6 biographies, and some non-fiction books. Updated July 2007.

Contemporary Jewish Fiction for Teens (Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center): 2-page PDF Author, title, publication info, summary for about 15 titles, from Daniel Ehrenhaft's Tell It to Naomi to Jacqueline Woodson's If You Come Softly. Most published after 2001.

Jewish Themes: Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for 12 works of Jewish fiction.

The Muslim Experience: Books for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 12 fiction titles for junior high, 7 fiction titles for senior high, plus some non-fiction books. Updated July 2007.

Religious Life Fiction (Jessica Marie, Tigard Public Library, OR): 3-page PDF. Author, title, cover image, and pub. year for about 35 books about Christian life, about 10 books about Jewish life, 4 books about Buddhist life, 6 about Hindu life, and 8 about Muslim life.

Afterlife in Fiction for Teens (Edmonton PL, ALB, CAN): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 15 fiction titles, in title order from Afterlife by Gary Soto to Wish List by Eoin Colfer.

Middle School Books Dealing with Ethical Issues (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Title, author, summary, and webcat link for 15 novels, from Rachel Anderson's Black Water to Paul Zindel's Loch.

GENDER

>>Girls/Women

Grrl Power (Beaverton City Library, OR): 'Can you handle whatever life throws your way? These girls can!' Author, title, page count and summary for about 60 books, from Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams to The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

Strong Female Characters in Books for 11th Grade Students (Alan Nichter, Lutz Branch Library - Fiction-L List): Compiled March 1999. Over 80 titles listed, with author, including Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, Octavia Butler's Kindred, Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, Karin Cook's What Girls Learn, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, and Gary Paulsen's The Night the White Deer Died.

Young Adults: Books for Girls (Novi Public Library, MI): 8-page PDF. Author, title, summary for more than 50 books, from Jodi Lynn Anderson's Peaches to Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons. Updated July 2008.

More Girrllll Books (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for 15 books featuring girls like you, or unlike you. Updated March 2008.

Images of Women in Historical Young Adult Fiction (The ALAN Review): Lengthy article with a 'Bibliography of Historical Fiction Set in America with Female Protagonists' that includes summaries of a number of books, listed in chronological order, from Pre-Colonial America to the Civil War period.

Girls Who Read for Fun, for Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD): Author, title, summary for 10 novels for young teens about girls who take charge, from The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle by Avi to Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor.

Grrreat Grrrl Books: Chick Lit for Teen Readers (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore): Compiled 2005. Author, title, summary, publication year, and webcat link for about 20 books from Hailey Abbott's Summer Boys to Cherry Whytock's My Cup Runneth Over: the Life of Angelica Cookson Potts. Also some series listed.

Wisdom, Wonder, Women: Strong Females in Fantasy (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 teen fantasy novels featuring strong women characters, by these authors: Tamora Pierce; Mercedes Lackey; Jane Yolen; Piers Anthony; Nalo Hopkinson; Robin McKinley; Naomi Kritzer; Gail Carson Levine; Jeanne DuPrau; and Cornelia Funke.

Girrl Power!: A Booklist for Boys from 12-16 (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia): Author, title, and webcat link for about 35 books selected for girls, from Alison Baird's The Hidden world to Jane Yolen's Armageddon summer.

>>Boys/Men

Young Adults: Books for Guys (Novi Public Library, MI): 8-page PDF. Author, title, summary for about 50 books, from Isabel Allende's Isabel City of Beasts to Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. Updated July 2008.

Books for Boys (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for about 50 fiction titles, from Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.

Boy Meets Book: Best Boy Reads (Reading Rants): Author, title, cover image and very detailed summary for about 60 books, including Getting the Girl by Susan Juby, Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star by Randy Powell, Tribes by Arthur Slade, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo, I'm Exploding Now by Sid Hite, et al.

Boyzone: A Booklist for Boys from 13-16 (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia): Author, title, and webcat link for about 30 books selected for boys, from David Almond's Skellig to Markus Zusak's The Underdog.

Teens Read: Books for Guys (Santa Clara County Library, CA): Author, title, cover image, grade level, page count, webcat link and summary for about 15 titles, from Isabel Allende's City of the Beasts to Jocko Weyland's The Answer is Never: A Skateboarder's History of the World.

Guys, Read These (Burlington County Library System, Westhampton, NJ): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 15 books, in title order from 10th Grade by Joseph Weisberg to You Don't Know Me by David Klass.

Books for Guys (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH): Author, title, summary for a dozen (mostly fiction) books selected especially for teenaged boys (listed separately for older teens and younger teens), from Ender?s Game by Orson Scott Card to Miracle?s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson.

Books for Boys (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): Author, title, summary for almost 50 books that appeal to boys, from Apprenticeship of Lucas Whittaker by Cynthia DeFelice to Zero at the Bone by Michael Cadnum. Updated Jan. 2002.

Fiction for Boys (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for about 45 books 'that teen boys will enjoy,' from David Almond's Kit's Wilderness to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.

Bad Boyz of Book (Ocean County Library, NJ): 'Tough teen authors write about tough guys making tough decisions.' Author, title, and summary for about 15 fiction titles, from Babylon Boyz by Jess Mowry to Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? by Mel Glenn. Compiled Feb. 2001.

Guys Read: Great Books for Teen Boys (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): Author, title, cover image, webcat link and summary for 10 books. Updated March 2008.

Teen Fiction for Boys (Gwen Cameron, Fiction-L): Compiled April 2007. Author and title for about 65 books, plus some series and authors listed.

SEXUALITY

PinkBooks.Com: A 'specialist site for books and resources about gay and lesbian teenagers and young people. ... I have tried to limit the lists to those books containing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer characters and themes which are still in print and are readily available.' Summaries and cover images. Sections: Gay and Lesbian Recent Releases; Gay and Lesbian Teen Fiction By Title; Queer Teen Fiction By Author; Gay and Lesbian Teen Non-Fiction; Queer Parent Non-Fiction; Queer Staff Non-Fiction; Queer Non-Fiction; Lesbian and Gay Children's Books By Title; Queer Children's Books By Author; Hard To Find Books with GLBTQ Themes and Characters; and Lesbian and Gay Youth Links.

Teen Books with Gay & Lesbian Characters (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Title, author, summary, and webcat link for almost 50 books (most fiction), from Marion Dane Bauer's Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence to Jane Breskin Zalben's Unfinished Dreams. Updated March 2008.

GLBTQ Teen Books (Ocean County Library, NJ): Fiction and non-fiction. Author, title, summary for 12 fiction and 3 non-fiction titles. Compiled May 2006.

GLBT Books and Resources (Seattle Public Library): Title, author, summary for about a dozen fiction titles and 6 non-fiction books. Fiction titles from Marc Acito's How I Paid for College: A novel of sex, theft, friendship and musical theatre to Jacqueline Woodson's The House you Pass on the Way.

Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transsexual Booklist for Young Adults (Multnomah County Library, OR): Fiction and Non-Fiction. Author, title, publication year, summary for over 25 fiction titles, from the story collection Am I Blue?: Coming Out From the Silence to Lois-Ann Yamanaka's Name Me Nobody, and eight non-fiction titles. Updated Aug. 2008.

Being Gay: Fiction for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for over 35 books featuring gay/lesbian characters, from Margaret Bechard's If It Doesn't Kill You to Jacqueline Woodson's From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. Also lists non-fiction and anthologies.

Great Books with Gay and Lesbian Characters (Louisville Free Public Library, KY): 'Some of the best titles in teen novels and nonfiction books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters and themes.' Author, title, pub. year, webcat link and summary for about 20 titles, including The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, Totally Joe by James Howe, and Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. Updated July 2008.

Gay Fiction (Sue Grossman, Mount Pleasant Public Library): 2-page PDF. Author, title, summary for about 20 titles. Compiled Feb. 2006.

Teens Read: Gay/Lesbian and Questioning Identity (Santa Clara County Library, CA): Author, title, cover image, grade level, page count, webcat link and summary for about 15 titles, from Augusten Burroughs' Running With Scissors: A Memoir to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.

Gay and Lesbian Issues: Books for Young Teens (Madison Public Library, WI): Title, author, and summary for 10 fiction and non-fiction books, from Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence to When Someone You Know Is Gay. Updated March 2008.

What Should I Read Next?: Gay & Lesbian Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK): Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for 10 books, from the Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind to Jacqueline Woodson's The House You Pass on the Way. Updated Feb. 2008.

Coming Out: Fiction Bibliography for Gay and Lesbian Teens (Fresno County Public Library, CA): 2-page PDF. Author, title and summary for 10 books and a short list of other authors.

Out of the Closet: Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Fiction (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh): Author, title, summary, webcat link for 8 titles, from Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat to Jacqueline Woodson's The House You Pass on the Way.

GLBT Literature for Young Adults (Christopher Libby): Author and title listed for over 50 fiction, plays, biography, and other books about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues for young adults. Few books contain graphic sex scenes. Updated May 2008.

DISABILITY

Different or Not So Different Teen Reads (Ocean County Library, NJ): 'Books about Differently Abled teens, or teens who have friends or family members who are Differently Abled.' Author, title, summary for about 15 titles. Compiled Sept. 2006.

Rebound: Teens Dealing with Disabilities (Ocean County Library, NJ): Author, title, summary for more than 25 titles, from Appointment with a Stranger by Jean Thesman to Triangle by Jon Ripslinger. Compiled March 2001.

Books for Kids ages 13+ (Our-Kids: Devoted to Raising Special Kids with Special Needs): Author, title, publication info, reading level, and summary for a dozen books about people with disabilities, including cerebral palsy, being in a wheelchair, autism, mental retardation, blindness, amputation and loss of limb, strabismus, Down syndrome, hearing impairment, epilepsy, diabetes, tourettes, etc. Updated June 2002.

Books About the Disabled and Mentally Disordered (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 20 novels, from Judy Blume's Deenie to Dawn Wilson's Saint Jude. Some topics covered are bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, physical deformity, depression, scoliosis, deafness, and other physical, mental and emotional disabilities. Updated Aug. 2008.