There’s no denying that the right to vote is one of the greatest tools we as citizens have in making our voices heard. From school elections to city races to presidential campaigns, elections are a time in which every vote and every voice matters in deciding the trajectory of our communities.
Lest we forget the events we all live through, which include a devastating global pandemic, a national reckoning with racial prejudice, the loss of livelihoods and healthcare, and more, elections marks a crucial moment where we have the opportunity to determine the leadership and legislation that will impact our collective future. And as we’ve learned and re-learned this year, the political is always intertwined with the personal.
Of course, voting plays a crucial role in our political process, but even after this election concludes in November, there are many ways to continue to be politically involved in your community! This can involve calling and writing your representatives, participating in community organizing, joining a giving circle, donating time and money, and further educating yourself about the social and racial injustices within your community—a responsibility in which books can be your greatest allies.
It’s important to continue the conversation about political activism and the importance of voting. If you need even more inspiration, check out these eight YA books below that will reignite your political activism, and to recommend to friends looking for a little political gumption of their own.
8 Political YA Books
THAT WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE!
1. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
A book about the power of love, resistance, and the personal nature of politics, Yes No Maybe So follows socially anxious Jamie Goldberg and his unlikely political canvassing partner Maya—who is still unsure why her mother believes political activism is the solution to a time in her life when, quite frankly, everything is falling apart. Especially when she’s stuck with an oddly awkward kid to walk the streets with.
In between talking to constituents, Jamie and Maya discover that while going door-to-door isn’t glamorous, it’s certainly not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely. This story is a reminder that politics are always rooted in the personal, and that even the smallest gestures can begin the most impactful political change.
2. Your Own Worst Enemy by Gordon Jack
A hilarious satire of the highs and (very low) lows of the electoral process, this novel follows Stacey Wynn, the clear frontrunner to become Lincoln High’s student council president. That is until French-Canadian transfer student Julia Romero enters the race and steals Stacey’s best friend and campaign adviser Brain. Not to mention that resident stoner Tony Guo has just thrown his name into the running, and on a platform of protecting his favorite chocolate milk, has become the voice for the little guy thanks to a freshmen political mastermind with a blue Mohawk.
Three candidates, three platforms, and a whirlwind of social media, gaffes, high school drama, and protests make for a ridiculously hilarious political circus that at its center shows, when done right, the power elections have in championing the voices and desires of every community.
3. The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She’s always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with, so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight.
Only problem? Duke can’t vote.
When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn’t spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right.
And that’s how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, being turned away time and again while trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva’s missing cat), it’s clear that there’s more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy. The Voting Booth calls out the small but influential ways in which political systems seek to undermine voter participation and a reminder that we’re all not free until everyone in our communities is given equal access and opportunity to vote.
4. Running by Natalia Sylvester
In this coming of age novel about privacy, waking up, speaking up, and finding your own political voice, 15-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes–style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.
How do you find your voice when everyone’s watching, and when it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? As Mari grapples with her own political awakening, readers are given the space to reflect on their own political activism and the ways in which we can all speak up for what we believe is right.
5. Most Likely by Sarah Watson
Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha have been friends since kindergarten. Now they’re in their senior year, facing their biggest fears about growing up and growing apart. But there’s more than just college on the horizon, one of these girls is destined to become the president of the United States. The mystery is which girl gets the gig.
Is it Ava, the picture-perfect artist who’s secretly struggling to figure out where she belongs? Or CJ, the one who’s got everything figured out…except how to fix her terrible SAT scores? Maybe it’s Jordan, the group’s resident journalist, who knows she’s ready for more than their small Ohio suburb can offer. And don’t overlook Martha, who will have to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of her dreams.
This is the story of four best friends who have one another’s backs through every new love, breakup, stumble, and success—proving that great friendships can help young women achieve anything—even a seat in the Oval Office.
6. Prez: Corndog-in-Chief by Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Domo Stanton
A fun play on what happens to politics when it’s placed back into the hands of the people, Prez: Corndog-in-Chief is a comic series following Beth Ross, the first teenaged president of the United States. In a nation where corporations can run for office, the poor are used as human billboards, and tacos are delivered by drone, our only hope is this nineteen-year-old Twitter sensation. But the real question isn’t whether she’s ready for politics, it’s whether politics is ready for her.
This ongoing series is a reminder that politics don’t have to be inaccessible and impersonal, and how showing up one’s most authentic self has the power to change the entire game.
7. The Perfect Candidate by Peter Stone
A political thriller perfect for House of Cards fans, The Perfect Candidate follows recent high school graduate Cameron Carter who lands an internship with Congressman Billy Beck — an opportunity he’s sure will be his ticket out of his small town life. But as Carter begins to navigate the world of politics where he doesn’t quite fit in, he finds a friend and mentor in fellow staffer Ariel Lancaster.
That is until she turns up dead.
Now Carter is the center of an FBI investigation — one that has the power to blow apart his entire family — and it’s up to him to unravel the larger conspiracy and the Capitol’s darkest secrets that may have contributed to Lancaster’s death. That is if he can stay alive long enough to figure it all out. Let The Perfect Candidate suck you into the dramatized world of politics and inspire you to learn more of what is actually happening today on Capitol Hill.
8. You Say It First by Katie Cotugno
Blending love and politics, You Say It First is an irresistible YA novel about two teens from different worlds that fall for each other over a voter registration call, and the conversations that change their worlds forever.
Meg has her entire life set up perfectly: she and her best friend, Emily, plan to head to Cornell together in the fall, and she’s currently working at a voter registration call center in her Philadelphia suburb. But everything changes when one of those calls connects her to a stranger from small-town Ohio.
Colby is stuck in a rut, reeling from a family tragedy and working a dead-end job. The last thing he has time for is some privileged rich girl preaching the sanctity of the political process. So he says the worst thing he can think of and hangs up. But things don’t end there.
That night winds up being the first in a series of candid, sometimes heated, always surprising phone conversations that lead to a long-distance friendship and then—slowly—to something more. Across state lines and phone lines, Meg and Colby form a once-in-a-lifetime connection. In the end, though, are they just too different to make it work?
This book is a reminder of the importance of seeing and engaging with those who hold different beliefs, because we have more in common than we might realize, and more that unites us than divides us.
Which political YA book are you reading? What’s your voting plan (if you’re old enough!) Tell us in the comments!