Eleven electrifying titles have been shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice and the Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice. The winners of both prizes will be announced at the annual Goddard Bash on October 9 in New York City.
The Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice, now in its ninth year, celebrates the power of the written word to create change in the name of justice for all. It is named in honor of former Goddard Executive Director Stephan Russo. The shortlisted books are:
- Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back, by Miranda S. Spivack for The New Press. This book tells the story of five “accidental activists”—people from across the United States who started questioning why their local and state governments didn’t protect them from issues facing their communities and why there was a frightening lack of transparency surrounding the way these issues were resolved.
- Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News, by Alec Karakatsanis for The New Press. Copaganda delves into the symbiotic relationship between law enforcement agencies and media outlets, revealing how public perception is shaped to favor policing narratives.
- Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change, by Cristina Jiménez for St. Martin’s Griffin. This memoir is a coming-of-age story for both a young woman finding her true self and a social movement of immigrant youth trailblazers who inspired the world and changed the lives of millions.
- Pay the People!: Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America, by John Driscoll, Morris Pearl and Patriotic Millionaires for The New Press. This book advocating for fair wages as beneficial to both the economy and societal well-being comes from an unusual source—wealthy former executives.
- Protect Your People: How Ordinary Families Are Using Participatory Defense to Challenge Mass Incarceration, by Raj Jayadev for The New Press. An examination of how communities are working together to combat the injustices of mass incarceration with an innovative technique called “participatory defense.”
- Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings Occur, by Derek Hyra for University of California Press. Slow and Sudden Violence argues that urban uprisings triggered by police killings are connected to the ‘slow violence’ of housing and community development policies that have historically segregated, gentrified, and displaced Black communities.
The Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice recognizes nonfiction books for children and teens related to urban life and issues that support values such as community, equality, opportunity, mutual understanding, respect, caring and justice – in accordance with Goddard Riverside’s mission. The youth shortlist is:
- Calling All Future Voters! By Laura Atkins, Rev. Edward Hailes Jr, and Jennifer Lai-Peterson; illustrated by Srimalie Bassani for Gloo Books. A group of children learn about voting rights and civic engagement as they work to mobilize their community and fight for a more inclusive democracy.
- Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away, by Andrew Larsen; illustrated by Oriol Vidal for Sourcebooks Explore. This inspiring true story follows sanitation worker Nelson Molina, who salvaged and upcycled thousands of discarded items to create a museum and teach others about the value of reuse and community care.
- Jina Jeong: Project Park Art, by Carol Kim; illustrated by Flavia Zuncheddu for Picture Window Books/Capstone. Jina and her friends transform graffiti in their local park into beautiful public art with the help of street artists, learning that not all graffiti is ugly.
- Where Are the Women?: The Girl Scouts’ Campaign for the First Statue of Women in Central Park, by Janice Hechter for Red Chair Press. When a group of New York City Girl Scouts learn in 2016 that there are no statues of women in Central Park, they organize and combine forces in a quest to change that shocking fact.
- Young Change Makers: Compassionate Kids, A Children’s Book About Kindness and Love by Stacy C. Bauer; illustrated by Emanuela Ntamack for Sourcebooks Explore. This book highlights real children from around the world who show compassion through acts of kindness and advocacy, proving that young people can make a big difference.
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Goddard Riverside strives toward a fair and just society where all people can make choices that lead to better lives for themselves and their families. Our programs serve more than 20,000 people annually, preparing children and youth for success; supporting self-sufficiency; enriching the lives of older adults; promoting behavioral health; fighting homelessness; and strengthening families and communities.
The Children’s Book Council (CBC) is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading.