Banned Books Week: Non-fiction

A former L.A. gang member describes his experiences in that world, recounting the sense of security and power found in a gang and the grim reality of violence and poverty.

How and when did Americans develop their obsession with guns? Is gun-related violence so deeply embedded in American historical experience as to be immutable? Basing his arguments on sound and prodigious research, Bellesiles makes it clear that gun ownership was the exception--even on the frontier--until the age of industrialization. Arming America is one of the most controversial and widely read books on the subject.

A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Kuklin interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference.

The autobiography of an African-American writer, recounting his early years and the harrowing experiences he encountered drifting from Natchez to Chicago to Brooklyn.

This memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930's. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people and the times that touched her life.

First published in 1977, The Joy of Gay Sex became an immediate bestseller and a touchstone of the emerging gay consciousness, offering a delectable first glimpse of gay life and love for countless gay men. It has remained an essential reference for gay men worldwide.

Nothing compares to The Joy of Sex. Filled with provocative illustrations and 16 pages of new full-color photography, the updated text continues to discuss a wide range of subjects in practical detail while still maintaining Dr. Comfort's no-nonsense yet fun approach to matters of the libido.

Mark Mathabane was weaned on devastating poverty and schooled in the cruel streets of South Africa's most desperate ghetto, where bloody gang wars and midnight police raids were his rites of passage. Despite a child born in the hopelessness of apartheid, Mark raised himself up from the squalor and humiliation to win a scholarship to an American university.