Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads

Secondary Education


Guides
Collections
News
(0)
Wish List (0)
Wish List
Download high-resolution image Look inside

Don't Wait

Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won

Author Sonali Kohli
Look inside
Paperback
$16.95 US
Beacon Press
5.49"W x 8.48"H x 0.5"D  
On sale Jun 04, 2024 | 176 Pages | 9780807010952
Grade 7 & Up
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
Follows the stories of 3 young women activists of color fighting for some of today’s most pressing movements of defunding the police, environmental justice, and arts education

Girls of color have always been on the front lines of the fight for equal rights—to vote, to learn, to live—even when they are the last to benefit from the outcomes of their work. In Don’t Wait, journalist Sonali Kohli follows 3 teenagers’ efforts to make their communities safer, healthier places.

Don’t Wait highlights what propelled the teenagers into their activism to their experiences organizing and incorporates Q&As with important lessons from activists who have led the way.

The 3 teen activists include:

  • Nalleli has lived across the street from an active oil well in South Los Angeles and at age 7, developed serious health problems. Nalleli and her mother take on an oil company and become environmental justice activists.
  • Kahlila, following the murder of George Floyd and looking to help fight back, becomes involved with Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and fights to defund school police in one of the largest school police forces in the nation.
  • Sonia, an accomplished singer who was grappling with finding an creative outlet in the pandemic, strove to increase access to arts education in schools across California.

As the young women are transitioning from teen to adult activists, Don’t Wait reflects the powerful lessons they’ve learned in their activism while building movements in their communities that will continue to live on as they move forward.
Sonali Kohli is a journalist writing about young people and the futures they are creating. Kohli was an education reporter for the Los Angeles Times for 6 years with a passion for covering youth movements, and in 2020, was named the top education journalist in the nation by the Education Writers Association. She is currently a recruiter at URL Media, where she works with underrepresented folks in journalism and media to find jobs and workplaces that will treat them well. Follow her on her website (sonalikohli.com) and Twitter (Sonali_Kohli).
Sonali Kohli View titles by Sonali Kohli
Author’s Note

PART 1: THE CATALYST

CHAPTER 1
Nalleli

CHAPTER 2
Kahlila

CHAPTER 3
Sonia

Q&A 1
Critical Self-Reflection

Discussion Questions

PART 2: KNOW YOUR STORY

CHAPTER 4
Nalleli

CHAPTER 5
Kahlila

CHAPTER 6
Sonia

Q&A 2
Building Your Artistic Toolbox

Discussion Questions

PART 3: FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON

CHAPTER 7
Nalleli

CHAPTER 8
Kahlila

Q&A 3
Find Your Movement

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 9
Sonia

PART 4: IN THE STREETS (AND BEHIND THE SCREENS)

CHAPTER 10
Nalleli

CHAPTER 11
Kahlila

CHAPTER 12
Sonia

Q&A 4
Resolving Conflicts Within Movement Work

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 13
Nalleli

CHAPTER 14
Kahlila

CHAPTER 15
Sonia

CHAPTER 16
Kahlila

Q&A 5
Caring for Yourself amid Movement Work

Discussion Questions

PART 5: THE FIGHT CONTINUES

CHAPTER 17
Nalleli

CHAPTER 18
Kahlila

CHAPTER 19
Sonia

Discussion Questions

Acknowledgments
Notes
Image Credits for Insert
“The book is a well of inspiration . . . An essential purchase for California libraries and for budding activists looking for inspiration and guidance.”
—Booklist

“Kohli’s curiosity, compassion, and strong journalistic instincts combine to create a narrative voice that’s both engaging and insightful. Her writing not only honors her subjects’ strength but also demystifies the process of creating community change . . . Empowering portraits of a diverse set of young women who have changed their worlds.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Prepare to be inspired.”
—Sara Saedi, author of Americanized

“An eminently readable resource for those not only looking to be inspired but also seeking tangible pathways to reaching their own extraordinary.”
—Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Black Kids

“A refreshing reminder that you are never too young to use your voice.”
—Brandy Colbert, author of Black Birds in the Sky

“What divides and unites us has always been imagined through story. Sonali Kohli offers us three real-life stories that speak to both division and unity and the tools to make the most of them.”
—Anton Treuer, author of Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask and Where Wolves Don’t Die

“Sonali Kohli’s Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won is a riveting account of teenagers Nalleli, Kahlila, and Sonia and their fearless battles to remake the world as it should be. Too often, we read about activists who are fully formed adults, but here we have the rare opportunity to witness them in the process: being adolescents, becoming freedom fighters, and embarking on journeys to self that teach us all new meanings of sacrifice, justice, and hope.”
—Salamishah Tillet, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and cofounder of A Long Walk Home

About

Follows the stories of 3 young women activists of color fighting for some of today’s most pressing movements of defunding the police, environmental justice, and arts education

Girls of color have always been on the front lines of the fight for equal rights—to vote, to learn, to live—even when they are the last to benefit from the outcomes of their work. In Don’t Wait, journalist Sonali Kohli follows 3 teenagers’ efforts to make their communities safer, healthier places.

Don’t Wait highlights what propelled the teenagers into their activism to their experiences organizing and incorporates Q&As with important lessons from activists who have led the way.

The 3 teen activists include:

  • Nalleli has lived across the street from an active oil well in South Los Angeles and at age 7, developed serious health problems. Nalleli and her mother take on an oil company and become environmental justice activists.
  • Kahlila, following the murder of George Floyd and looking to help fight back, becomes involved with Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and fights to defund school police in one of the largest school police forces in the nation.
  • Sonia, an accomplished singer who was grappling with finding an creative outlet in the pandemic, strove to increase access to arts education in schools across California.

As the young women are transitioning from teen to adult activists, Don’t Wait reflects the powerful lessons they’ve learned in their activism while building movements in their communities that will continue to live on as they move forward.

Author

Sonali Kohli is a journalist writing about young people and the futures they are creating. Kohli was an education reporter for the Los Angeles Times for 6 years with a passion for covering youth movements, and in 2020, was named the top education journalist in the nation by the Education Writers Association. She is currently a recruiter at URL Media, where she works with underrepresented folks in journalism and media to find jobs and workplaces that will treat them well. Follow her on her website (sonalikohli.com) and Twitter (Sonali_Kohli).
Sonali Kohli View titles by Sonali Kohli

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

PART 1: THE CATALYST

CHAPTER 1
Nalleli

CHAPTER 2
Kahlila

CHAPTER 3
Sonia

Q&A 1
Critical Self-Reflection

Discussion Questions

PART 2: KNOW YOUR STORY

CHAPTER 4
Nalleli

CHAPTER 5
Kahlila

CHAPTER 6
Sonia

Q&A 2
Building Your Artistic Toolbox

Discussion Questions

PART 3: FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON

CHAPTER 7
Nalleli

CHAPTER 8
Kahlila

Q&A 3
Find Your Movement

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 9
Sonia

PART 4: IN THE STREETS (AND BEHIND THE SCREENS)

CHAPTER 10
Nalleli

CHAPTER 11
Kahlila

CHAPTER 12
Sonia

Q&A 4
Resolving Conflicts Within Movement Work

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 13
Nalleli

CHAPTER 14
Kahlila

CHAPTER 15
Sonia

CHAPTER 16
Kahlila

Q&A 5
Caring for Yourself amid Movement Work

Discussion Questions

PART 5: THE FIGHT CONTINUES

CHAPTER 17
Nalleli

CHAPTER 18
Kahlila

CHAPTER 19
Sonia

Discussion Questions

Acknowledgments
Notes
Image Credits for Insert

Praise

“The book is a well of inspiration . . . An essential purchase for California libraries and for budding activists looking for inspiration and guidance.”
—Booklist

“Kohli’s curiosity, compassion, and strong journalistic instincts combine to create a narrative voice that’s both engaging and insightful. Her writing not only honors her subjects’ strength but also demystifies the process of creating community change . . . Empowering portraits of a diverse set of young women who have changed their worlds.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Prepare to be inspired.”
—Sara Saedi, author of Americanized

“An eminently readable resource for those not only looking to be inspired but also seeking tangible pathways to reaching their own extraordinary.”
—Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Black Kids

“A refreshing reminder that you are never too young to use your voice.”
—Brandy Colbert, author of Black Birds in the Sky

“What divides and unites us has always been imagined through story. Sonali Kohli offers us three real-life stories that speak to both division and unity and the tools to make the most of them.”
—Anton Treuer, author of Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask and Where Wolves Don’t Die

“Sonali Kohli’s Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won is a riveting account of teenagers Nalleli, Kahlila, and Sonia and their fearless battles to remake the world as it should be. Too often, we read about activists who are fully formed adults, but here we have the rare opportunity to witness them in the process: being adolescents, becoming freedom fighters, and embarking on journeys to self that teach us all new meanings of sacrifice, justice, and hope.”
—Salamishah Tillet, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and cofounder of A Long Walk Home

Additional formats

Related Articles

English Language Arts Social Studies History

Books for Native American Heritage Month

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting books that detail the history of Native Americans, and stories that explore Native American culture and experiences. Browse our collections here: Native American Creators Native American History & Culture

Read more

Books for Native American Heritage Month

English Language Arts Social Studies History
Social Studies Books in Spanish The Arts History High School Middle School General Education & Professional Learning Graphic Novels English Language Arts Environmental Science Favorite Authors & Series Science

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

Social Studies Books in Spanish The Arts History High School Middle School General Education & Professional Learning Graphic Novels English Language Arts Environmental Science Favorite Authors & Series Science
new penguin random house education high school collections sixteen thematic collections and resources for grades 9-12 curated by lorena german cicely lewis morgan taylor julia e torres and ronell whitaker
General Classroom Libraries English Language Arts Advanced Placement High School Graphic Novels

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

General Classroom Libraries English Language Arts Advanced Placement High School Graphic Novels
education translanguaging collections affirming bilingual and multilingual learners
General Graphic Novels Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series Classroom Libraries References Science Translanguaging Collections Social Studies The Arts History High School Middle School

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

General Graphic Novels Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series Classroom Libraries References Science Translanguaging Collections Social Studies The Arts History High School Middle School

About Secondary Education

Penguin Random House Education

Penguin Random House

About Secondary Education

Penguin Random House Education

Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Secondary Education
    Wish List (0)