Books like 'For Lamb'
Readers who enjoyed For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical historical-fiction north-america lgbtq mississippi usa family poverty coming-of-age friendship
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Watercress by Andrea Wang
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family's Chinese Heritage.Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road... -
The Essay by Robin Yocum
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“Yocum writes like the reporter he used to be. He’s observant and still has his eye for detail and nuance.”—Richmond Times-DispatchJimmy Lee Hickam grew up along Red Dog Road, a dead-end strip of gravel and mud buried deep in the bowels of Appalachian Ohio. It is the poorest road, in the poorest county, in the poorest region of the state... -
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI couldn't play on the same playground as the white kids.I couldn't go to their schools.I couldn't drink from their water fountains.There were so many things I couldn't do. In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak...Categorized as:
historical-fiction poc-mc family realistic friendship children-books social-commentary historical -
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsInspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.Montgomery, Alabama 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference, especially in her African American community... -
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Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays...Categorized as:
historical-fiction realistic family friendship poc-mc coming-of-age middle-grade fiction -
In Search of Satisfaction by J. California Cooper
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe folk flavor of her storytelling has earned her constant comparison to Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, but through four collections of short stories and two novels, J. California Cooper has proven that hers is a wholly original talent --one that embraces readers in an ever-widening circle from one book to the next... -
Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know... -
Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA richly rewarding novel about family bonds, the power of words, and the resilience of mothers and daughters in 1930s Appalachia.The folks in the Kentucky Appalachians are scraping by. Coal mining and hardscrabble know-how are a way of life for these isolated people...Categorized as:
north-america usa historical-fiction family friendship coming-of-age kentucky romance -
Embrace the Wind by Susan Denning
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEMBRACE THE WIND continues the story of Aislynn Maher, heroine of FAR AWAY HOME, an Amazon bestseller for five years in the categories of Historical Fiction-US and Romance-Western. What is the cost of living life on your own terms? For a young woman on the American Frontier, the price can be high. Aislynn Maher trusted the wrong man... -
The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on a remarkable true story of Taj Rowland. Seven-year-old Chellamuthu's life is forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in India, sold to a Christian orphanage, and then adopted by an unsuspecting couple in the United States. It takes months before the boy can speak enough English to tell his parents that he already has a family back in India...Categorized as:
coming-of-age crime family friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure audiobook -
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBy the author-and-illustrator team of the bestselling The LibraryLydia Grace Finch brings a suitcase full of seeds, plenty of stationery, and a passion for gardening to the big gray city, where she goes to stay with her Uncle Jim, a cantankerous baker. There she initiates a gradual transformation, brightening the bakery and bringing smiles to customers' faces with the flowers she grows... -
New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsElla Mae is used to wearing her cousin's hand-me-down shoes—but when her latest pair is already too tight, she's thrilled at the chance to get new shoes.But at the shoe store, Ella Mae and her mother have to wait until there are no white customers to serve first...Categorized as:
historical-fiction realistic poc-mc friendship family historical children-books fiction -
Goin' Someplace Special by Jerry Pinkney, Patricia C. McKissack
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1950s Nashville, Tennessee is segregated, and black people are persecuted, but young Tricia Ann is determined to venture on her own across town to someplace special. A must read book about persecution of minorities, but also about hope and light...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction north-america poc-mc realistic usa action-adventure -
A Daughter’s Return by Josephine Cox
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFlorence Stanville is a woman with a past. When she moves to Guisethorpe on the east coast of England, the townsfolk are intrigued by the glamorous and mysterious stranger. Florence doesn’t care about the gossips – she’s drawn to the peaceful seaside town by the pull of her childhood, when she lived for a brief but happy time with her beloved late mother... -
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The Devil that Broke Us by S.C. Wilson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJesse McGinnis has it all—the woman she loves—two beautiful children—a successful career... -
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThe new novel from the bestselling, National Book Award-winning, Oprah Book Club-picked, Barack Obama favourite James McBride.In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well... -
The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAn Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free...Categorized as:
north-america usa historical-fiction family coming-of-age friendship kentucky fiction -
Smiling at Heaven by Karen J. Hasley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the fall of 1919, Thea Hansen’s world seems to spiral out of control. First, her dearly loved father dies suddenly from the influenza epidemic sweeping across the globe. Then her brother, Lloyd, returns from The Great War transformed into a brooding stranger. Could it get any worse? Yes, indeed... -
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“We said there was no home like a raft. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery…but you feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” Sail down the Mississippi with Huck Finn and the runaway slave, Jim...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction mississippi north-america realistic usa action-adventure book -
The Chocolatier of Hideaway Bay by Michele Brouder
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter a series of poor choices and mistakes, Valerie decides she needs a fresh start in a new city. But first, she wants to check out the little town of Hideaway Bay that her grandmother spoke about often with fondness and hopefully solve the mystery why her grandmother left and abandoned her house on Star Shine Drive... -
The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEvocative, magical and luminously written, The Cure for Drowning is not only a brilliant, boundary-pushing love story but a Canadian historical novel that boldly centres queer and non-binary characters in unprecedented ways...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction coming-of-age wlw romantic-love fiction historical audiobook -
After Francesco by Brian Malloy
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAcclaimed author Brian Malloy brings insight, humor, and the authenticity of his own experiences as a member of the AIDS generation to this universal story of love and loss set in New York City and Minneapolis at the peak of the AIDS crisis...Categorized as:
historical-fiction lgbtq romantic-love realistic family friendship coming-of-age fiction -
When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTucker Shaw’s When You Call My Name is a heartrending novel about two gay teens coming of age in New York City in 1990 at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Named "this summer's most powerful LGBTQ+ novel" by GAY TIMES, this book is perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Mary H. K. Choi.Film fanatic Adam is seventeen and being asked out on his first date—and the guy is cute...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction coming-of-age realistic friendship romance young-adult historical -
Gordo by Jaime Cortez
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first ever collection of short stories by Jaime Cortez, Gordo is set in a migrant workers camp near Watsonville, California in the 1970s. A young, probably gay, boy named Gordo puts on a wrestler's mask and throws fists with a boy in the neighborhood, fighting his own tears as he tries to grow into the idea of manhood so imposed on him by his father... -
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The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA historical tale of friendship, family, and the power of sisterhood to help heal the wounds of the past and step boldly into the future of post-WWII America.Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms...Categorized as:
historical-fiction coming-of-age family friendship poverty realistic romance young-adult -
The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsMinnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games.Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul... -
Blood Sisters by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKenya 1957. During their childhood years in the Kenya Highlands three girls from vastly different backgrounds become blood sisters, promising that nothing will ever destroy the bond between them. But the legacy of the Mau Mau rebellion, and the tensions and upheavals of newly independent Kenya, tear their childhood dreams apart... -
That Book Woman by Heather Henson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCal is not the readin' type. Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction poverty realistic action-adventure book -
Death Coming Up the Hill by Chris Crowe
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA strikingly innovative and powerful story, Death Coming Up the Hill portrays the momentous events of the year 1968 as seen through the eyes of a perceptive seventeen-year-old boy. "Take a look at this gripping, fast-moving quick pick." —The BulletinIt’s 1968, and war is not foreign to seventeen-year-old Ashe...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family coming-of-age romantic-love realistic sad friendship young-adult -
The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA year they'll never forget Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn't have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard... -
The Soldier's Daughter by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA family pulled apart. A love silenced . . . For as long as Briony Valentine can remember she has been soft on Eddie, the boy next door. But their chance of romance is stifled when the Luftwaffe begin dropping bombs on the midlands. Eddie is called up to serve, as is Briony’s father, tearing her world apart. As the telegrams arrive, all she can do is pray... -
The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSet in 1920s Mississippi, this debut Southern novel weaves a beautiful and harrowing story of two teenage girls cast in an unlikely partnership through murder—perfect for readers of Where the Crawdads Sing and If the Creek Don't Rise.Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her hard life on the swamp and her harsh father...Categorized as:
north-america usa mississippi historical-fiction coming-of-age friendship family crime -
Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt, Illinois by Lancelot Schaubert
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Schaubert recounts a mischievous man's eight decades in Illinois's Little Egypt region in his picaresque debut BELL HAMMERS. Remmy's life of constant schemes and a lifelong feud with the local oil drilling company proves consequential. This is a hoot."- Publisher's Weekly🏆 finalist for Glimmer Train's Fiction Open.PRANKS. OIL. PROTEST. JOKES BETWEEN NEWLYWEDS...Categorized as:
coming-of-age crime family friendship historical-fiction action-adventure book comedy -
Outbound Train by Renea Winchester
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 1976, memories from a night near the railroad tracks sixteen years earlier haunt Barbara Parker. She wrestles with past demons every night, then wakes to the train’s five-thirty whistle. Exhausted and dreading the day, she keeps her hands busy working in Bryson City’s textile plant, known as the “blue jean plant,” all the while worrying about her teenage daughter, Carole Anne... -
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Texas Tender by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe is the most beautiful man Idalou Ellsworth has ever set eyes on. When he appears at her front door, she is struck speechless at the very sight of him. Folks in Dunmore, Texas think her bossy, too focused on rescuing her familyâ��s failing ranch to be interested in courting. But in Willâ��s company, she canâ��t think of anything but him... -
High Tide at Noon by Elisabeth Ogilvie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe struggles, hardship, and joy of one woman's life on a Maine island are brought to life in this haunting and enduringly popular trilogy, the first three books of the Bennett's Island series... -
Savage Obsession by Cassie Edwards
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhile her beloved family struggle to put down stakes in the harsh Minnesota territory, Lorinda Odell is in St. Paul to get a proper education. But the bustling city is not without its own hazards, especially for a young woman as lovely as Lorinda... -
Like Vanessa by Tami Charles
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with an incarcerated mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence... -
Laurel by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe latest historical romance in the bestselling series about the Randolph brothers--and the women who tame their hearts. Hen Randolph is the perfect choice for sheriff, but he's no one's idea of a model husband. Then a beauty with a tarnished reputation catches his eye, and the thought of taking a wife suddenly appeals to him as never before... -
Gold Mountain by Karen J. Hasley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Remarkable Woman. An Unforgettable Love Story. When Dinah Hudson leaves China in 1901, she hopes to leave behind dark memories of violence and sudden death, as well. Spending time with her sister in San Francisco will be just what she needs to help her forget China’s murderous Boxer Uprising... -
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne day, Kamala and Maya had an idea. A big idea: they would turn their empty apartment courtyard into a playground!This is the uplifting tale of how the author’s aunt and mother first learned to persevere in the face of disappointment and turned a dream into reality. This is a story of children’s ability to make a difference and of a community coming together to transform their neighborhood... -
Music from Another World by Robin Talley, Lauren Sweet
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk..Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction lgbtq north-america realistic usa -
Rebel Robin by A.R. Capetta
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDiscover the backstory of the new Stranger Things fan favorite, Robin, played by Maya Hawke! The perfect read while you're waiting for Season 4 to drop on Netflix! High school is a monster, and it's eating everyone Robin knows. As sophomore year starts, Robin's Odd Squad friends have decided to try to be just like everyone else...Categorized as:
lgbtq wlw historical-fiction coming-of-age romantic-love realistic young-adult fiction -
Isaac's Song by Daniel Black
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe beloved author of Don’t Cry for Me and Perfect Peace returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago—a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of The Great Believers and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life... -
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The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe Pecan Man is a work of Southern fiction whose first chapter was the First Place winner of the 2006 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition in the Unpublished Novel category.In the summer of 1976, recently widowed and childless, Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old black man to mow her lawn... -
Cabin on Trouble Creek by Jean Van Leeuwen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWolves, bears, and a heavy snowstorm are just some of the dangers that Daniel and Will must face&150alone. It's 1803, and the boys and their father have recently arrived in Ohio, following the promise of rich farmland...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction north-america poc-mc usa action-adventure book -
The Art of the Heart by Dan Skinner
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe heartland of America in 1965 feels like the end of the road for seventeen-year-old Zac Weston. After all, there’s nowhere to go when you’re shy, gay, and a virgin. A natural artist, inspiration strikes in the form of neighbor boy Rory, and Zac’s fantasies spill onto the pages of his notebook. When Zac’s secret is discovered, it might take more than wishes to magically make his world right...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction lgbtq north-america usa anthologies fiction historical -
Laura's Luck by Marilyn Sachs
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLaura knows she won't be happy at camp...but could she be wrong? In the second of three books about a poor family living in the Bronx in the 1940s, Laura, the older sister, has to cope with the pleasures and pains of going off to camp...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction realistic book children children-books -
Drew by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Proper setting down She landed in Cole?s arms. The shock knocked the sense out of her. She couldn?t describe it any other way. Nothing else could account for the fact that not a single coherent thought remained in her head. He caught her easily, as if he?d done it before. He balaned her lightly against his chest, but that didn?t keep her from being acutely aware she was leaning against his body... -
Look Away, Beulah Land by Lonnie Coleman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt was made of passions, obsessions, and dreams, a golden-age Georgia plantation that would survive the flames and fury of the Civil War only to face Sherman's fierce guerrilla army...clash with the cunning carpetbaggers and their powerful corruption...seeth with the secret sins, loyalties, and lusts of three generations..
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