In Paula Fox's Western Wind (1993), a solitary young girl is sent to reside with her grandmother on an isolated island near the coast of Maine.

Paula Fox's novel Monkey Island (1991) narrates the tale of Clay Garrity, a homeless boy surviving on the streets, who receives assistance from two fellow homeless men.

Originally published in 1901 and reissued by Signet in 2000, Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington recounts his journey from being a slave to becoming the president of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Julius Lester's To Be a Slave (1988) is a compilation of former slaves' memories, detailing their experiences from their departure from Africa, through the Civil War, and into the early 20th century.

Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, first published in 1845 and reissued by Signet in 1997, shares his experiences as a former slave who rose to become a minister, orator, and leader. The book describes his life in slavery and his path to freedom.

The Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1997), co-authored by Sojourner Truth (d. 1883) and Olive Gilbert, is a partial autobiography of a slave woman who became a trailblazer in the fight for racial and gender equality.