Dave Eggers

This American author is one of my all-time favourites. Beyond his beautiful nonfiction writings, he's done some really inspirational work for the educational system in the United States.

There is a huge library of other very interesting TED talks that are worth a look. You can find more of them here: http://www.ted.com/

What is the What
2006
This book tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee, and his paralleling hardships in leaving Sudan and settling in the US. Beautifully written, this one is hard to put down. When my boyfriend read it, he had dreams of Sudanese ants trying to migrate across our bed...

Zeitoun

2009

This book tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the owner of a painting and contracting company, who stayed behind after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, while his family fled. When the city was flooded, after the levee system failed, he went around in the family's canoe, surviving and helping others to survive.

Book cover photos from Wikipedia