The first is Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy. This is a story written by a former soldier who was stationed in Afghanistan. We hear about the war, but we don't often hear about the interactions between the soldiers and the Afghani people. In this story, a young girl's future is changed because of the intervention of American soldiers.
Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen is a story of the terrible effects of war when life is not seen as valuable. History has repeated itself too many times in the form of genocide. Sometimes, the world knows the story as in WWII. Other times the story is less well known. This story comes from Guatemala and is the story of a young girl who climbed the trees and survived.
One more story that tells of tragedy and resilience is Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan. This is a tragedy that most of us remember with clarity. Where were you on 9/11? I know exactly where I was. What happened after the attack and how did those closest to ground zero rebuild their lives? This is one look at life at ground zero and after.