<p>There are many published diaries by pioneer women that your daughter may like. I read “Pioneer Women” - there are two, I read the one about Kansas - and it was good. There is another book called “Letters of Woman Homesteader” that was also good. </p>
<p>For pioneers, one of my kids read this ( probably oldest, she has always been fascinated)
Excerpts of Diaries of the Westward Journey.
<a href=“Loading interface...”>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/442205.Women_s_Diaries_of_the_Westward_Journey</a></p>
<p>Not really pioneer-y, I guess, but have you considered “Lonesome Dove”? Such a fun book (and the miniseries was good, too).</p>
<p>A book I recently read about the Armenian Genocide called The Sandcastle Girls was really good, although maybe a little heavy for a 15-year-old, especially as summer reading. I really liked both The Thorn Birds and Lonesome Dove, but they’re both long. Another favorite of mine is Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, about a missionary family in the Congo. My favorite book of all time set in Russia is Anna Karenina, but she may be on the young side for that. I read it when I was in graduate school. Another more recent book I just remembered that’s set in Russia during the Nazi siege of Leningrad is City of Thieves by David Benioff. </p>
<p>I wish everyone would stop saying that some books are too ‘grown up’ or ‘heavy’ for a 15 y/o. They aren’t kids anymore- to be frank, they know that sex, drugs, rape, torture, death, violence, and bigotry exist. Rather let them develop the way they think about those things through books rather than leave them in the shadows.</p>
<p>Kiwiadhd, some folks are totally missing that she is a reluctant reader.
Tomes like Lonsome Dove, the Thornbirds & Anna Karenina, are likely to turn her off.
I’d look at books aimed at teens, young adult reading complexity.</p>
<p>I think the humor travel books are good, as are books written by teens</p>
<p>The heavy stories might be best for her as a summer film fest at home. But she might even resist that - I tried to get her to watch The Basketball Diaries (from a memoir), a week ago and she wouldn’t touch it. Going to have to ask her more about that. Part of this is an effort to make sure she’s culturally literate. ;)</p>
<p>For cultural literacy.
<a href=“http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com”>http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com</a></p>
<p>@ emeraldkity4 Neat idea! </p>
<p>Ah! DD shared with me WHY she didn’t want to watch The Basketball Diaries. “The title had the words ‘basketball’ and ‘diaries’ in it. Ew.” This kid is waaay too literal…and I can see it’s going to be a looong summer. Sigh. </p>
<p>Summer’s half over, right? And would you believe the kiddo has plowed straight into the novels other than the ones on her “world lit” plan? Naturally, right? So far: 1) Native Son, 2) Night, 3) Middlesex. Well, at least she’s been reading non-fiction and watching movies/docus about Spain, Puerto Rico, and India, so far. I’ve adjusted. It’s all good. 
</p>
<p>“Feathers” by Jacqueline Woodson. 144 pages. Multicultural setting and also hearing-impaired culture. Some deep messages in there.</p>
<p>Another vote for “A Town Like Alice” by Nevil Shute. </p>
<p>“Feathers” by Jacqueline Woodson. 144 pages. Multicultural setting and also hearing-impaired culture. Some deep messages in there. — Interesting. She’s aiming to be a social worker, and I was thinking she might enjoy learning about deaf culture. </p>
<p>And, Night’s non-fiction (just to correct myself above^). </p>