Reading Lists

September is Suicide Prevention Month. This list includes books centered around mental illness, suicide prevention, survival, and loss. For children, we included books about bullying and kindness. We hope these titles will encourage you to reach out to help someone who may be suffering. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Trevor Project provides counseling for LGBTQIA+ young people; call 1-866-488-7386, text 678-678 or go to https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ to chat with a crisis counselor.

The goal of this national observance is to help educate parents, guardians, and educators about the critical link between vision and learning. Vision problems are the fourth most prevalent class of disability in the United States and one of the most prevalent conditions in childhood. Roughly 80 percent of what a child learns in school is information that is presented visually. The New Jersey State Library offers the Talking Book & Braille Center, which offers no-cost, home-delivery services on behalf of the National Service for the Blind and Print Disabled to children, teens and adults in New Jersey who have difficulty reading standard print or trouble holding a book.

International Non-Binary People’s Day on July 14th recognizes people whose gender identity falls outside the gender binary, a conceptualization of gender as either male or female. Non-binary is an umbrella term for all those who do not identify exclusively—or at all—as a man or a woman. Some fall in between, others identify as both or even entirely outside of these constraints. While many nonbinary folks also identify as transgender, not all do.

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s affects one’s memory and interferes with daily functioning. More than 55 million people are living with a type of dementia worldwide. Many of their family members serve as their main care givers.