Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South by Jarvis C. McInnis, Ph.D. from Columbia University Press Built on the grounds of a former cotton plantation, the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, offered agricultural and industrial education as a strategy for Black self‑determination. There—and in many other communities in the … Continue reading Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South
Tag: nonfiction
The Computer Always Wins
The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games by Elliot Joseph Lichtman from MIT Press (foreign rights available); rights sold: Chinese Simplified agent Ali Lake An engaging and approachable resource for beginning-to-intermediate coders eager to learn advanced ideas in computer programming. Too often, the magic of computer science is locked behind an … Continue reading The Computer Always Wins
The One and Only Rumi
The One and Only Rumi by Rabiah York illustrator Maneli Manouchehri from Abrams The inspiring story of Rumi’s journey from a young refugee to a renowned poet shows how his childhood helped shape his poetry. Young Muhammad adores his home, and he loves waking up each day to the sound of birds singing. His father encourages him … Continue reading The One and Only Rumi
Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls
Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls by Susan Goldman Rubin illustrator Susanna Chapman from Abrams From award-winning kids’ nonfiction author Susan Goldman Rubin, and radiantly illustrated by Susanna Chapman, the picture book Dragonflies of Glass celebrates the innovation, determination, and ambition of the brilliant woman artist behind the world-famous Tiffany glass In … Continue reading Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls
Oh My Nosh! What Shape Is Your Bagel? A First Book of Jewish Food
Oh My Nosh! What Shape Is Your Bagel?: A First Book of Jewish Food by The Macaroons illustrator Shahar Kober from Doubleday / Random House A board book that introduces the youngest of readers to favorite Jewish foods – such as blintzes, kugel, and gefilte fish – brought to you by the musical band The Macaroons! What shapes do YOU see … Continue reading Oh My Nosh! What Shape Is Your Bagel? A First Book of Jewish Food
A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park
A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park by Randall K. Wilson from Counterpoint This epic history of America’s first national park explores how a remote Western landscape became an iconic symbol of our country and its vast wilderness so influential to our understanding of the natural world. It has been called Wonderland, … Continue reading A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park
Real Siblings
Real Siblings by Seamus Kirst illustrator Karen Bunting from from Magination Press Follow along as adopted siblings Harper and Wyatt confront what it means to be a “real” family in this supportive and heartwarming story. So he’s not your real brother. When adopted siblings Harper and Wyatt hear this, they start to question what it means to … Continue reading Real Siblings
Black Girl, Black Girl
Black Girl, Black Girl by Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond illustrator Amanda Quartey from Sourcebooks Explore From the authors of Black Boy, Black Boy, comes a new inspiring picture book about self-esteem for Black girls, drawing on the history of role models who came before them! Dear girl, Black girl, rise up, it’s time. It’s a … Continue reading Black Girl, Black Girl
The Gay Icon’s Guide to Life
The Gay Icon’s Guide to Life by Michael Joosten illustrator Peter Emmerich from Weldon Owen / Insight Editions The world’s most famous gay icons share everything you need to know about life in this bright and lively illustrated book of pithy preambles and indispensable quotes from Liza to Lil Nas X. If life had its own GPS … Continue reading The Gay Icon’s Guide to Life
UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon
UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon by Stephanie Stuckey from Matt Holt Books / BenBella Books Discover the inspiring firsthand account of Stephanie Stuckey’s rise to CEO upon suddenly acquiring her family’s beloved yet struggling brand, which had become a “whatever happened to . . . ?” fading memory for most Americans. Stephanie Stuckey’s remarkable journey unfolds in UnStuck, a memoir … Continue reading UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon
Harper Becomes a Big Sister
Harper Becomes a Big Sister by Seamus Kirst illustrator Karen Bunting from from Magination Press / the American Psychological Association Harper discovers that the addition of a new baby to the family does not mean there is less love to go around, but instead there is more to share. When Dad and Daddy adopt a new … Continue reading Harper Becomes a Big Sister
The Girl Who Figured It Out
The Girl Who Figured It Out: The Inspiring True Story of Wheelchair Athlete Minda Dentler Becoming an Ironman World Champion by Minda Dentler illustrator Stephanie Dehennin from Sourcebooks Explore The uplifting true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first … Continue reading The Girl Who Figured It Out
Once Upon My Dads’ Divorce
Once Upon My Dads' Divorce Written by Seamus Kirst Illustrated by Noémie Gionet Landry from Magination Press / the American Psychological Association Helps children understand the divorce of same-sex parents and how a child’s living situation may change. Once upon a time, Grayson’s life was like a fairy tale. He lived in a big brick house … Continue reading Once Upon My Dads’ Divorce
J Is for Judy
J Is for Judy: Classic Hollywood's Leading Ladies from A to Z Written by Robert John Allman Illustrated by Peter Emmerich from Doubleday Books for Children From Audrey Hepburn to Zsa Zsa Gabor, here is a star-studded alphabet book featuring the greatest ladies of the classic era of American movies. Brought to you by the creators … Continue reading J Is for Judy
Harlem World
Harlem World: How Hip Hop's Super Showdown Changed Music Forever by Jonathan Mael from Johns Hopkins University Press A thrilling narrative history of how one rap battle in New York transformed American culture forever. July 3, 1981, was a pivotal night for the future of America's newest art form: hip hop. In New York's Harlem … Continue reading Harlem World
Call Me Calvin
Call Me Calvin Written by Mary Vander Plas Illustrated by André Ceolin From Albert Whitman & Company Calvin's dad has always called him "Little Man," but Calvin realizes he isn’t done being a kid. Ever since Calvin was born, he’s been Dad’s “Little Man.” At first Calvin liked the special nickname the two of them … Continue reading Call Me Calvin
We Share This School
We Share This School: A Community Book Written by Dan Saks Illustrated by Brooke Smart from Rise x Penguin Workshop ABOUT WE SHARE THIS SCHOOL A rhyming, heartfelt celebration of school communities and the vital role they play in young children’s lives. This formative board book is an appreciation of school communities and the many ways … Continue reading We Share This School
The Women Who Built Hollywood
The Women Who Built Hollywood: 12 Trailblazers in Front of and Behind the Camera by Susan Goldman Rubin from Astra House Publishing Discover the electrifying untold stories of the pioneering and groundbreaking women of Old Hollywood in this nonfiction book perfect for young movie buffs and budding feminists alike. While recent phenomena like #OscarsSoWhite have … Continue reading The Women Who Built Hollywood
I Am DJ Michelle: How a Nine-Year-Old DJ Became a Global Phenomenon
I Am DJ Michelle: How a Nine-Year-Old DJ Became a Global Phenomenon by Michelle Rasul as told to Rabiah York from Blackstone Audio For young readers inspired by bestselling autobiographies such as Essentially Charli and Reach for the Skai comes the extraordinary true story of how a ten-year-old DJ from Dubai became an international superstar, as told in her … Continue reading I Am DJ Michelle: How a Nine-Year-Old DJ Became a Global Phenomenon
Tenacious Beasts
Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals by Christopher J. Preston from MIT Press An inspiring look at wildlife species that are defying the odds and teaching important lessons about how to share a planet. The news about wildlife is dire—more than 900 species have been wiped off the planet since industrialization. Against … Continue reading Tenacious Beasts
Black Boy, Black Boy
Black Boy, Black Boy by Ali Biko Sulaiman Kamanda and Jorge Angelo Redmond illustrator Ken Daley from Sourcebooks eXplore Inspire Black boys to imagine all the great things they can do while celebrating remarkable moments from Black history! Dear boy, Black boy, I believe in you so. Let's start your story―ready, set, go. From athlete … Continue reading Black Boy, Black Boy
Dematerialized: The Mysterious Disappearance of Marcia Moore
Dematerialized: The Mysterious Disappearance of Marcia Moore by Joseph DiSomma and Marina DiSomma from Post Hill Press The baffling true story of Marcia Moore – heiress, astrologer, and yoga master – who sacrificed her well-to-do life to study metaphysics and experiment with a mind-bending psychedelic, until her mysterious disappearance in 1979. On a bitterly cold night in January of 1979, … Continue reading Dematerialized: The Mysterious Disappearance of Marcia Moore
The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama
The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama by Claude A. Clegg, III from Johns Hopkins University Press The first sweeping, legacy-defining history of the entire Obama presidency. In The Black President, the first interpretative, grand-narrative history of Barack Obama’s presidency in its entirety, Claude A. Clegg III situates the former president in his … Continue reading The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama
Sing and Shout
Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson by Susan Goldman Rubin from Highlights This comprehensive biography, written by the celebrated nonfiction author of Coco Chanel and Give Us the Vote, Susan Goldman Rubin, who explores the tumultuous and passionate life of activist, singer, and actor Paul Robeson. When faced with the decision to remain silent or be ostracized, Paul Robeson chose to sing, … Continue reading Sing and Shout
Give Us the Vote!
Give Us the Vote!: Over Two Hundred Years of Fighting for the Ballot by Susan Goldman Rubin from Holiday House The corruption, activism, heroic efforts, and ongoing struggles for the right to vote are chronicled by the award-winning nonfiction author of Coco Chanel and Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson. For over 200 years, people have marched, … Continue reading Give Us the Vote!
A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away
A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits—Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mission: Impossible, and More by Paul Hirsch from Chicago Review Press A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most influential films of the last 50 years by Paul Hirsch, … Continue reading A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away
Sorted
Sorted by Jackson Bird from Tiller Press / Simon & Schuster An unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird about how, through a childhood of gender mishaps and an awkward adolescence, he finally sorted things out and came out as a transgender man in his mid-twenties. When Jackson Bird was twenty-five, he came out as transgender to … Continue reading Sorted
Our Man Down in Havana
Our Man Down in Havana: The Story Behind Graham Greene’s Cold War Spy Novel by Christopher Hull from Pegasus Books Dr. Chris Hull is a senior lecturer at the University of Chester (UK) revealing the true story behind Graham Greene’s satirical novel about a vacuum cleaner salesman turned British spy. Our Man Down in Havana evokes this … Continue reading Our Man Down in Havana
Dannemora
Dannemora: Two Escaped Killers, Three Weeks of Terror, and the Largest Manhunt Ever in New York State by Charles A. Gardner from Citadel / Kensington The prison break, the manhunt, the inside story: In June 2015, two vicious convicted murderers broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, in New York’s “North Country,” launching the most extensive manhunt … Continue reading Dannemora
We
We: An Adoption and a Memoir by Ben Barnz from Wyatt–MacKenzie Publishing We centers on the story of Barnz adopting a child and the legal battle with the birthfather that began the day after the child’s birth – and two days before 9/11. The book interweaves this narrative with Barnz’s path to parenthood – beginning with his closeted … Continue reading We
How the Internet Happened
How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone by Brian McCullough from Liveright / Norton Tech-guru Brian McCullough delivers a rollicking history of the internet, why it exploded, and how it changed everything. The internet was never intended for you, opines Brian McCullough in this lively narrative of an era that utterly transformed everything we … Continue reading How the Internet Happened
Crushing the Common App Essay
Crushing the Common App Essay: A Foolproof Guide to Getting into Your Top College by Julie Ferber Frank from Sterling / Spark Notes Write the perfect college application essay with this quick and essential guide. It may be the most important essay you’ll ever write—so get it right! With candor, humor, and tons of tips, Crushing the Common … Continue reading Crushing the Common App Essay
The Synthetic Age
The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World by Christopher J. Preston from MIT Press Imagining a future in which humans fundamentally reshape the natural world using nanotechnology, synthetic biology, de-extinction, and climate engineering. We have all heard that there are no longer any places left on Earth untouched by humans. The … Continue reading The Synthetic Age
Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel: Pearls, Perfume, and the Little Black Dress by Susan Goldman Rubin from Abrams Award-winning author of Give Us the Vote and Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson, Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the best known fashion designer in the world, Coco Chanel. Beginning with the difficult years Chanel spent in an orphanage, Goldman Rubin traces Coco’s development as … Continue reading Coco Chanel
Lucky Jim
Lucky Jim by James Hart, foreword by Carl Bernstein from Cleis Press Lucky Jim is Jim Hart’s memoir, the story of how he survived a violent childhood home, found incredible words inside him, created a love that was both so right and so wrong, and finally found the strength to be his true self. Jim is a master at … Continue reading Lucky Jim