---
title: Books to Empower Young Activists
description: Discover inspiring books for graduates that will offer knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration for years to come.
image: https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/hubfs/Broadleaf%20Books/Spring_2025/Blog_Assets/BL_Grads2025_BlogBanner.jpg
---
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## [Books to Empower Young Activists](https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/grad-gifts)
May 9, 2025, 12:32:00 PM / by [Broadleaf Books](https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/author/broadleaf-books)
As summer begins, so does graduation season. Graduation is a pivotal moment marking a season of new beginnings and possibilities, and finding the perfect gift for the graduate in your life can be a daunting task. This year, pick out a gift that offers inspiration, entertainment, and knowledge for years to come. Scroll to discover books that will empower new grads to drive positive change in their communities and beyond.
Affirm the Gifts of Sensitive Soul Activists
[](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506483436/Social-Justice-for-the-Sensitive-Soul)
[Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506483436/Social-Justice-for-the-Sensitive-Soul)
[How to Change the World in Quiet Ways](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506483436/Social-Justice-for-the-Sensitive-Soul)
[Dorcas Cheng-Tozun](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/8411/Dorcas-Cheng-Tozun)
Publication date: June 20, 2023
Social justice work, we often assume, is raised voices and raised fists. But what does social justice work look like for those of us who don't feel comfortable battling in the trenches? Alongside inspiring, real-life examples of highly sensitive world-changers, *Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul* expands the possibilities of how to have a positive social impact, affirming the particular gifts and talents that sensitive souls offer to a hurting world.
[Read an interview here.](https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/change-the-world-in-quiet-ways)
[Shop Now](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506483436/Social-Justice-for-the-Sensitive-Soul)
Make Beauty in a Broken World
[](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506485539/Just-Making)
[Just Making](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506485539/Just-Making)
[A Guide for Compassionate Creatives](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506485539/Just-Making)
[Mitali Perkins](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/7991/Mitali-Perkins)
Publication date: May 6, 2025
Why should we make art while injustice and suffering wreak havoc? How can we justify making beautiful things? From award-winning author Mitali Perkins comes an essential companion for writers, artists, and other creatives who long for a more just world. We must keep making art infused with truth, beauty, and goodness, not to ignore a world in distress but for the sake of loving it. With vivid stories, practical ideas, and reflection and discussion questions, *Just Making* will inspire you to keep making beauty in a broken world.
[Shop Now](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506485539/Just-Making)
Advocate for Change without Losing Your Joy
[](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506469942/The-Lightmakers-Manifesto)
[The Lightmaker's Manifesto](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506469942/The-Lightmakers-Manifesto)
[How to Work for Change without Losing Your Joy](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506469942/The-Lightmakers-Manifesto)
[Karen Walrond](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/7996/Karen-Walrond)
Publication date: November 2, 2021
Many of us want to advocate for causes we care about—but which ones? We want to work for change—but will the emotional toll lead to burnout? In *The Lightmaker's Manifesto*, activist Karen Walrond shares strategies to help you define the actions that bring you joy, identify the values and causes about which you are passionate, and put them together to create change.
[Read an excerpt here.](https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/values-light-our-way-a-conversation-with-brene-brown)
[Shop Now](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506469942/The-Lightmakers-Manifesto)
Celebrate the Struggles and Victories of Activism Work
[](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506493374/The-Work-Is-the-Work)
[The Work Is the Work](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506493374/The-Work-Is-the-Work)
[Letters to a Future Activist](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506493374/The-Work-Is-the-Work)
[Brian C. Johnson](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/8000/Brian-C-Johnson)
Publication date: May 7, 2024
In a series of tender narrative essays written to his daughter, activist and author Brian C. Johnson shares what he's learned from his struggles, victories, and defeats over twenty-five years of advocacy work. *The Work Is the Work* is an inspiring collection of field notes that is perfect for new or seasoned activists who want to lead well in the work for transformational change.
[Shop Now](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506493374/The-Work-Is-the-Work)
Learn about Justice, Activism, and Community Organizing
[](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835622/With-My-People)
[With My People](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835622/With-My-People)
[Life, Justice, and Activism Beyond the University](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835622/With-My-People)
[Jonathan Pulphus](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/author/9132/Jonathan-Pulphus)
Publication date: September 16, 2025
People would like for you to believe protest is an ineffective tool for change, but history tells us that student activism has been a formidable force leading to substantive change throughout history. But how should students organize? *With My People* answers this fundamental and crucial question by bringing together ethnography and notes on community-building, taking readers on a yearlong journey from the front lines of Ferguson to undergraduate campus life at Saint Louis University.
[Shop Now](https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835622/With-My-People)
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Topics: [Resources](https://blog.broadleafbooks.com/topic/resources)
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