No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row (by Susan Kuklin)

This intense and, at times, heartbreaking, book is important because it  gives readers an honest look at juvenile crime and death row. It should be read by teens from every walk of life because it has lessons beyond the obvious "stay out of trouble." This is a book parents may want to read along with their kids and have meaningful discussions on issues ranging from justice and poverty, to the glorification of prison culture in the media. 

By allowing the interview subjects to tell their own story, Kuklin keeps the focus on the doubt and glimmers of hope that the teens, their families, or their lawyers have for the future. At the end of one interview, Roy, who was originally sentenced to die by electrocution when he was 16, talks of wanting to see the beach and later asks hopefully "I mean, if I get out someday, do you think I can make it in society?" While it's apparent that Kuklin is against the death penalty, there isn't any of policy-pushing or morality-thumping.