Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik

 A poignant story about the Iranian female poet, Forugh Farrokhzhad, which describes her struggle to live, create, and publish her astounding poetry in the patriarchal society and totalitarian state of Iran under the last Shah. Forugh tells her own fictionalized story, enhanced by the inclusion of excerpts of her poetry, giving the reader a very visceral exposure to her remarkable life. 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

This is a deeply moving story that leaves me feeling and thinking intensely about, "there but for fortune go I". The author takes us back to the beginning of a criminal life unfolding, the tragedy behind a horrific mistake that sends a fifteen year old boy to prison. The consequences that ensue for the many, a girlfriend, a best friend, even future generations fill a back story that is both engaging and disturbing. This is a story about the incredible complexity of human life, impacted by events and other people with their emotions, actions, choices, pain and hope that sends the reader both to a place of sorrow and also to experience a level of compassion that is significant and uplifting.