Eleven
Curator's note
On her birthday, Rachel is made to wear a sweater that isn't hers. Readers who have felt small in a room full of people tend to see themselves fast.
Belonging
Identity
Literature
Information
Well-being
Stories that inform. Literature that connects. Resources that support.
Exploring responsible, evidence-informed ways to link young people with curated stories, reliable information, and community support.
We are an educational and research organization, not a clinic. Every recommendation is chosen and checked by a person. Read how we work.
A Stories for Recovery reading circle in a partner library
Start here
Who are you reading for?
Ages 16–24
Young People
Stories by and about people your age. Short reads, peer reflections, and reading lists put together by librarians who explain why each book made the cut.
Browse the library →
Families
Parents & Caregivers
Shared reading guides with questions you can ask at the kitchen table. Help for starting hard conversations through a character instead of head on.
Get the reading guides →
Professionals
Educators & Librarians
Session plans, a six-module curriculum, and facilitator training with clear rules on where reading support ends and referral begins.
See training and curricula →
Find Your Story
Pick a theme. A person picked the books.
No algorithm decides what you see next. Our curators tag each work by theme, length and content, and write a note on why it belongs.
Show me stories about
Brown Girl Dreaming (selected poems)
Curator's note
A childhood split between South Carolina and Brooklyn, told in short poems. Good for anyone who has moved and is still working out where home is.
Transitions
Family
Speak
Curator's note
Melinda stops talking after something happens at a party. The book follows how she finds her voice again. We pair it with a guide on telling a trusted adult.
Self-Advocacy
Advisory: sexual assault
American Born Chinese
Curator's note
Three stories that braid together around a boy starting at a new school. Funny, sharp, and honest about wanting to be someone else to fit in.
Belonging
Transitions
Stories for Recovery
Six weeks, one book at a time, in a room with other readers.
A guided reading curriculum for libraries, schools and youth groups. Each module pairs a short work with a reflection journal and a discussion guide, run by a trained facilitator.
Built with young people who have lived experience of recovery
Content advisories and opt-out options in every session
Evaluated each cohort, with results published openly
38
Verified partner libraries
6
Active research projects
14
Open-access publications
How we work
Three things we will always tell you straight.
01
A person chose this
Every title is read, tagged and annotated by a librarian or literary curator. If software helps sort the list, we show you which rule it used.
02
We don't track you
No reading profiles, no predictions about your mood, no selling data. You can browse the whole library without an account.
03
We are not therapy
Reading can help people feel less alone and ask better questions. It does not replace a doctor or counselor, and our facilitators know when to refer.