Sisters in Science

Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escape Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
by Olivia Campbell
Park Row Books, 2024. 384 pages. Nonfiction

In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments. Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists. No matter their destination, each woman revolutionized the field of physics when all odds were stacked against them, galvanizing young women to do the same.

This book was a fascinating combination of some of my favorite types of nonfiction: it's a history book, an approachable science book, and the stories of real-life people all rolled into one. The combination of subjects gave me a new perspective on European history of the 1930s and 1940s, and helped me see how the rise of Nazism affected both the lives of real-life people, and the fate of scientific study. Those who enjoy well-told histories and biographies will find a lot to appreciate in this book.

If you like Sisters in Science you might also like:

The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
by Dava Sobel
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024. 318 pages. Nonfiction

A luminous chronicle of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many remarkable young women trained in her laboratory who were launched into stellar scientific careers of their own.

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
by Loren Grush
Scribner, 2023. 422 pages. Nonfiction

When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots--a group then made up exclusively of men--had the right stuff. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978--Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.

MB

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder 

by David Grann 

Doubleday, 2023. 329 pages. Nonfiction 

In 1741, British warship the HMS Wager journeyed across the Atlantic and around the southernmost coasts of South America, intending to capture a Spanish galleon filled with silver. After a sudden storm drove it aground on a desolate Chilean island, the surviving crew members quickly turned on one another and their leaders. Violence, murder, and even cannibalism ensue, and eventually a faction of the crewmembers mutiny, abandoning their captain to sail a longboat back to England. But the captain and his loyalists survive and ultimately return home eager to share their own version of events. 

Bestseller David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon, delivers another page-turning story you probably didn’t hear about in history class. His careful research shines with frequent direct quotes pulled from first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, and court documents from the time, but The Wager remains highly readable throughout. It moves along at a fast clip, and at only 329 pages, it’s much less of a tome than many nonfiction history reads. Part naval history, part survival story, and part courtroom drama, this is a vivid retelling of a fascinating moment in time. 

If you like The Wager, you might also like: 

The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

by Hampton Sides
Doubleday, 2024. 308 pages. Nonfiction 

On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment? Hampton Sides' bravura account of Cook's last journey both wrestles with Cook's legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, The Wide Wide Sea is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers 

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War 

by Erik Larsen 

Crown, 2024. 565 pages. Nonfiction 

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable--one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans. Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink - a dark reminder that we often don't see a cataclysm coming until it's too late.

SGR

Reading the Gaelic Landscape = Leughadh Aghaidh na Tire

 

Reading the Gaelic Landscape = Leughadh Aghaidh na Tire

By John Murray

Whittles Publishing, 2019. 264 pages. Nonfiction

Reading the Gaelic Landscape is essential for anyone who is interested in the Scottish Highlands and its native language. It enables people to read and understand place-names in Gaelic, providing insights into landscape character and history. Following the success of the first edition, this new edition has been expanded and improved with additional images and enhanced drawings.

This is a book that has an impressive amount of data and information concerning Gaelic place names, diving into the different names for hills, mountains, stones, to place names that reference animals, objects, body parts, and violent events of the past. If anyone was planning a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, this would be very worthwhile. But it is deeper than that as well, for it tells the story of the marginalization of the Gaelic-speaking people of Scotland, and how even before the 'Highland Clearances' which began in the 18th century, the language and the people who spoke it were thought of in terms of being foreign and other. Therefore, many of these places were named in a time when the whole population spoke Gaelic, and as that population was driven out, either to other parts of the land that were not as fertile, or out of the country entirely, those names were forgotten (in the 2010 Census in Scotland, only 1.1% of the population now speaks Gaelic!).  As someone who has studied Scottish Gaelic, it is especially poignant to read. I recommend this to anyone who would like to know more about this little-known part of history (unless you're an Outlander fan!), or who loves the natural world and is fascinated by the words and phrases the Scottish people used, and still use to describe it. 

If you like Reading the Gaelic Landscape, you might also like: 

The Old Ways: a journey on foot

By Robert Macfarlane

Viking, 2012. 432 pages. Nonfiction

In this exquisitely written book, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge, England, home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove roads, and sea paths that crisscross both the British landscape and its waters and territories beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt old paths, of the stories our tracks keep and tell, and of pilgrimage and ritual. Told in Macfarlane's distinctive voice, The Old Ways folds together natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology and literature. His walks take him from the chalk downs of England to the bird islands of the Scottish northwest, from Palestine to the sacred landscapes of Spain and the Himalayas. Along the way he crosses paths with walkers of many kinds--wanderers, pilgrims, guides, and artists. Above all this is a book about walking as a journey inward and the subtle ways we are shaped by the landscapes through which we move. Macfarlane discovers that paths offer not just a means of traversing space, but of feeling, knowing, and thinking.

Clanlands: whisky, warfare and a Scottish adventure like no other

By Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish

Hodder & Stoughton, 2020. 294 pages. Nonfiction

From their faithful camper van to boats, kayaks, bicycles, and motorbikes, join stars of Outlander Sam and Graham on a road trip with a difference, as two Scotsmen explore a land of raw beauty, poetry, feuding, music, history, and warfare. Unlikely friends Sam and Graham begin their journey in the heart of Scotland at Glencoe - the site of a great massacre and major clan feud - and travel from there all the way to Inverness and Culloden battlefield, where along the way they experience adventure and a cast of highland characters. In this story of friendship, finding themselves, and whisky, they discover the complexity, rich history and culture of their native country.

The Debatable Land

By Graham Robb

W.W. Norton & Company, 2018. 334 pages. Nonfiction

Two years ago, Graham Robb moved to a place of legend called the Debatable Land, an independent territory that once served as a buffer between Scotland and England. The oldest detectable territorial division in Great Britain, the Debatable Land was once the bloodiest region in the country. After most of its population was slaughtered or deported, it became the last part of Great Britain to be conquered by England and Scotland. Today, it has vanished from the map and its boundaries are matters of myth and generational memories. Under the spell of a powerful curiosity, Robb began a journey--on foot, by bicycle, and into the past.

MGB

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts

by Loren Grush

Scribner, 2023. 422 pages. Nonfiction

When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots—a group then made up exclusively of men—had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. Eventually, though, NASA opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000, six elite women were selected in 1978—Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon. In The Six, acclaimed journalist Loren Grush shows these brilliant and courageous women enduring claustrophobic—and sometimes deeply sexist—media attention, undergoing rigorous survival training, and preparing for years to take multi-million-dollar payloads into orbit. Together, the Six helped build the tools that made the space program run.

If you had asked me before reading this book, the only female astronaut I could have named was Sally Ride. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that there were at least five other female astronauts working along with Sally, all with their individual specialties and interests, and all of them got to go to space! This book also covers the intrepid women who came before "the Six," fighting make the case that women really can be astronauts, even though they weren't allowed to do so themselves. Of additional interest to Utah-based readers, this book also covers the spaceflight of Utah senator Jake Garn, since he shared a spaceflight with Rhea Seddon. This book is a great read for those who are interested in NASA, the 80s, and learning about awesome real-life women who accomplished amazing things.

If you like The Six you might also like:

The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts that Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel

by Meredith E. Bagby

William Morrow, 2023. 511 pages. Nonfiction

The never-before-told story of the barrier-breaking NASA class of 1978, which for the first time consisted of a diverse crew of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and more, and their triumphs and tragedies working on the newly launched space shuttle program, with the exclusive cooperation of five astronauts.

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History

by Keith O'Brien

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. 338 pages. Nonfiction

High adventure and high ideals merge when a corps of intrepid female aviators battle to take part in the hugely popular air shows of the 1920s and 1930s. Ultimately, one of our heroines would win a race that earned her the right to be called America's best pilot.

Fighting For Space: Two Pilots and their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

by Amy Shira Teitel

Grand Central Publishing, 2020. 426 pages. Nonfiction

The mostly-unknown tale of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb—two accomplished aviatrixes, one generation apart, who each dreamed of being the first woman in space, but along the way battled their egos, their expectations, and ultimately the patriarchal society that stood between them and the stars.

MB

Rizzio

Rizzio

By Denise Mina

Pegasus Crime, 2021. 118 pages. Mystery

On the evening of March 9th, 1566, David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, was brutally murdered. Dragged from the chamber of the heavily pregnant Mary, Rizzio was stabbed fifty six times by a party of assassins. This breathtakingly tense novella dramatizes the events that led up to that night, telling the infamous story as it has never been told before. A dark tale of sex, secrets and lies, Rizzio looks at a shocking historical murder through a modern lens--and explores the lengths that men and women will go to in their search for love and power.

This fascinating slice of history is told in a crisp and compelling way. The depiction of the people and events, feels modern and relatable, with just enough detail of items, food and clothing to give it a good historical flavor as well. Denise Mina's writing is spare, sometimes brutal, and often beautiful. She portrays the confusion of events, the sadness and horror of murder very well. There is quite a bit of gore and some language, which is to be expected in this story. My only objection was the few times Mina slipped in modern commentary on certain things which I didn't feel was necessary. The events of the past, and her expert writing can speak for themselves. 

If you like Rizzio, you might also like: 

Queen of Scots: the true life of Mary Stuart 

By J.A. Guy

Houghton Mifflin, 2004. 581 pages. Biography

The eminent British historian John Guy has unearthed a wealth of evidence that upends the popular notion of Mary Queen of Scots as a femme fatale and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I. Guy draws on sources as varied as the secret communiqués of English spies and Mary's own letters (many hitherto unstudied) to depict her world and her actions with stunning immediacy. Here is a myth-shattering reappraisal of her multifaceted character and prodigious political skill. Guy dispels the persistent popular image of Mary as a romantic leading lady, achieving her ends through feminine wiles, driven by love to murder, undone by passion and poor judgment. Through his pioneering research, we come to see her as an emotionally intricate woman and an adroit diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of powerful factions -- the French, the English, duplicitous Scottish nobles, and religious zealots -- who sought to control or dethrone her. Guy's investigation of Mary's storied downfall throws sharp new light on questions that have baffled historians for centuries, and offers convincing new evidence that she was framed for the murder for which she was beheaded. Queen of Scots, the first full-scale biography of Mary in more than thirty years, offers a singularly novel, nuanced, and dramatic portrait of one of history's greatest women.

The Marriage Portrait

By Maggie O'Farrell

Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. 339 pages. Fiction

Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?

The Way of All Flesh

By Ambrose Parry

Canongate Books 2019. 410 pages. Mystery

Edinburgh, 1847. Will Raven is a medical student, apprenticing for the brilliant and renowned Dr Simpson. Sarah Fisher is Simpson's housemaid, and has all of Raven's intelligence but none of his privileges. As bodies begin to appear across the Old Town, Raven and Sarah find themselves propelled headlong into the darkest shadows of Edinburgh's underworld. And if either of them are to make it out alive, they will have to work together to find out who's responsible for the gruesome deaths.

MGB

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood

By Cari Beauchamp 

University of California Press, 1998. 475 pages. Nonfiction 

Cari Beauchamp masterfully combines biography with social and cultural history to examine the lives of Frances Marion and her many female colleagues who shaped filmmaking from 1912 through the 1940s. Frances Marion was Hollywood's highest paid screenwriter--male or female--or almost three decades, wrote almost 200 produced films and won Academy Awards for writing The Big House and The Champ.

This book begins with a quote by Frances Marion: "I spent my life searching for a man to look up to without lying down." This history/ biography is a meticulously researched story of the very early days of Hollywood, a fascinating, rough era of how silent films changed the world. The focus is on Frances Marion, her long friendship with Mary Pickford, her marriages, her films, how she fought for herself and her undeniable talent. Her life is full of triumph and tragedy. She worked hard and had an amazing life. She associated with many famous silent film notables, such as Rudolph Valentino (who, despite his depiction on film was modest and shy!), Hedda Hopper and Marion Davies. I love this little-known era in Hollywood history, and I loved learning about these smart, amazing women. 

If you like Without Lying Down, you might also like: 

The Girls in the Picture: a novel

By Melanie Benjamin

Delacorte Press, 2018. 422 pages. Fiction

It is 1914, and twenty-five-year-old Frances Marion has left her (second) husband and her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is determined to live independently as an artist. But the word on everyone's lips these days is "flickers"--the silent moving pictures enthralling theatergoers. Turn any corner in this burgeoning town and you'll find made-up actors running around, as a movie camera captures it all. In this fledgling industry, Frances finds her true calling: writing stories for this wondrous new medium. She also makes the acquaintance of actress Mary Pickford, whose signature golden curls and lively spirit have given her the title of America's Sweetheart. The two ambitious young women hit it off instantly, their kinship fomented by their mutual fever to create, to move audiences to a frenzy, to start a revolution. But their ambitions are challenged both by the men around them and the limitations imposed on their gender ... As in any good Hollywood story, dramas will play out, personalities will clash, and even the deepest friendships might be shattered. With cameos from such notables as Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Rudolph Valentino, and Lillian Gish, The Girls in the Picture is, at its heart, a story of friendship and forgiveness.

The Genius of Women: from overlooked to changing the world

By Janice Kaplan

Dutton, 2020. 334 pages. Nonfiction

We tell girls that they can be anything, so why do 90 percent of Americans believe that geniuses are almost always men? New York Times bestselling journalist Janice Kaplan explores the powerful forces that have rigged the system--and celebrates the women geniuses past and present who have triumphed anyway.

Hollywood: the oral history

By Jeanine Basinger

Harper, 2022. 739 pages. Nonfiction

The real story of Hollywood -- as told by such luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Harold Lloyd, Jordan Peele, and nearly four hundred others -- reveals a fresh history of the American movie industry from its beginnings to today.

MGB

Movements and Moments

Movements and Moments

Edited by Sonja Eismann

Drawn & Quarterly, 2022. 261 pages. Graphic Novel

Indigenous Peoples all over the world have always had to stand their ground in the face of colonialism. While the details may differ, what these stories have in common is their commitment to resistance in a world that puts profit before respect, and western notions of progress before their own. Movements and Moments is an introductory glimpse into how Indigenous women tell their stories in their own words. 

Each of the stories highlighted in Movements and Moments is unique, with their own storytelling style and artwork, yet they all deal with universal issues and themes such as injustice and intolerance. This graphic novel is a great introduction to indigenous feminist history in the global south. As a collection, this book shows the power of community and advocacy. 

If you like Movements and Moments you might also like:

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists

by Mikki Kendall

Ten Speed Press, 2019. 195 pages. Young Adult Comics

The ongoing struggle for women's rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. Examining where we've been, where we are, and where we're going, Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is an indispensable resource for people of all genders interested in the fight for a more liberated future. 

Becoming Kin

by Patty Krawec

Broadleaf Books, 2022. 203 pages. Nonfiction

Weaving her own story with the story of her ancestors and with the broader themes of creation, replacement, and disappearance, Krawec helps readers see settler colonialism through the eyes of an Indigenous writer. Settler colonialism tried to force us into one particular way of living, but the old ways of kinship can help us imagine a different future. Krawec asks, What would it look like to remember that we are all related? How might we become better relatives to the land, to one another, and to Indigenous movements for solidarity? Braiding together historical, scientific, and cultural analysis, Indigenous ways of knowing, and the vivid threads of communal memory, Krawec crafts a stunning, forceful call to 'unforget' our history. 

Rolling Blackouts

by Sarah Glidden

Drawn & Quarterly, 2016. 298 pages. Graphic Novel

Cartoonist Sarah Glidden accompanies her two journalist friends as they research potential stories on the effects of the Iraq War on the Middle East and, specifically, the war's refugees. As the crew works their way through Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, Glidden observes the reporters as they ask civilians, refugees, and officials, "Who are you?" Everyone has a story to tell: the Iranian blogger, the United Nations refugee administrator, a taxi driver, the Iraqi refugee deported from the US, the Iraqis seeking refuge in Syria, and even the American Marine.

sr

And We Rise

And We Rise

By Erica Martin

Viking, 2022. 153 pages. Young Adult Nonfiction

Erica Martin's debut poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement, including both the well-documented events and lesser-known moments that were just as crucial to the Movement and our nation's centuries-long fight for justice and equality. A poignant, powerful, all-too-timely collection that is both a vital history lesson and much-needed conversation starter in our modern world. 

Wow this little book packs a powerful punch. While difficult to read at times (it is quite emotional), it is a necessary history lesson. Martin masterfully commands each page and the visual art of the poems is stunning. Every single word, down to the last letter, is placed exactly where it is meant to be. This would be a great collection to read and listen at the same time so that you get the full impact of the repetitions, rhythm, and visual imagery. Whether you're a teen or adult, this book is an excellent choice. 

If you like And We Rise you might also like: 

African Town

By Irene Latham

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. 438 pages. Young Adult Fiction

In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 people from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, this powerful novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history. 

Ain't Burned All the Bright

By Jason Reynolds

Atheneum, 2022. Unpaged. Young Adult Fiction

A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW. And so for anyone who didn't really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you'll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is. 

Hollow Fires

By Samira Ahmed

Little Brown and Company, 2022. 404 pages. Young Adult Fiction

After discovering the body of fourteen-year-old Jawad Ali in Jackson Park, seventeen-year-old journalism student Safiya Mirza begins investigating the murder and ends up confronting white supremacy in her own high school.

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Joseph Smith and the Mormons

Joseph Smith and the Mormons

By Noah Van Sciver

Abrams ComicArts, 2022. 455 pages. Graphic Novels

In Joseph Smith and the Mormons, author and illustrator Noah Van Sciver, who was raised a Mormon, covers one of history's controversial figures, Joseph Smith. The book discusses all of the monumental moments during Smith's life, including the anti-Mormon threats and violence which caused his followers to move from New York to Ohio, Smith's receiving the commandment of plural marriage, his imprisonments, his announcement to run for president of the United States, and his ultimate murder by an angry mob in 1844. With a respectful and historical approach, and strikingly illustrated, this graphic novel is the ultimate book for those curious about the origins of the Mormon faith and the man who started it all.

It's probably impossible to depict a person's entire life, but this graphic novel comes close. The book is a massive undertaking, as it clocks in over 400 completely illustrated pages. The pacing is done well, with full page spreads interspersed to give the reader a breather. Noah Van Sciver does an excellent job of humanizing historical figures and providing context behind the stories. Van Sciver moves the story through dialogue rather than a narrator, which helps the reader make their own conclusions. Also helpful are the historical notes included in the back of the book. Overall it is an impressive feat of storytelling. 

If you like Joseph Smith and the Mormons you might also like:

Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc

By Tony Lee

Candlewick Press, 2015. Unpaged. YA Comics

It is 1424. France and England have been fighting for more than a hundred years, and Jehanne D'Arc experiences her first saintly vision. From a small town to the cathedral of Reims, Joan follows her faith and leads the French to victory. But not everyone believes in the divine voices she hears. Some call her a heretic and want her burned at the stake. A visually striking, action-packed story of a young woman who become a heroine whose name would be remembered for centuries to come.

The Glass Looker

By Mark Elwood

Luman Books, 2021. 150 pages. Graphic Novels

The Glass Looker follows an ordinary American farm boy named Joseph Smith who discovers he possesses the magical ability for seeing in stones. Learn the origin story of the boy-prophet through illustrated accounts collected from Joseph, his family, neighbors and enemies.

Renegade: Martin Luther

By Dacia Palmerino

Plough Publishing House, 2017. 155 pages. Graphic Novels

The life of reformer Martin Luther in graphic novel format. Martin Luther, a spiritual and historical giant, is loved and hated to this day--and for good reason. Five hundred years ago a brash young monk single-handedly confronted the most powerful institutions of his day. His bold stand sparked the Protestant Reformation and marked one of the great turning points in history. 

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Notable Native People

Notable Native People

By Adrienne Keene

Ten Speed Press, 2021. 143 pages. Young Adult Nonfiction

An accessible and educational illustrated book profiling 50 notable American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people, from NBA star Kyrie Irving of the Standing Rock Lakota to Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Celebrate the lives, stories, and contributions of Indigenous artists, activists, scientists, athletes, and other changemakers in this illustrated collection. Also offers accessible primers on important Indigenous issues, from the legacy of colonialism and cultural appropriation to food sovereignty, land and water rights, and more. An indispensable read for people of all backgrounds seeking to learn about Native American heritage, histories, and cultures, Notable Native People will educate and inspire readers of all ages.

This is an absolutely beautiful book, both in content and illustration. It's a great entry-level read as it highlights 50 mini biographies of different Indigenous people. I really enjoyed the essays spread throughout as they provide an underrepresented perspective of US history. As much as I learned from this book, it made me realize how much more there is to learn. Overall, a very inspiring read. 

If you like Notable Native People you might also like: 

Come Home, Indio

By Jim Terry

Street Noise Books, 2020. 231 pages. Graphic Novel

In this memoir we are invited to walk through the life of the author, Jim Terry, as he struggles to find security and comfort between the Ho-Chunk community of his Native American family in Wisconsin and his schoolmates in the Chicago suburbs. 

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

By Roxanne Dunbar-Oritz

Beacon Press, 2014. 296 pages. Nonfiction

Told from the point of view of Native Americans, this book challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how the policies against the indigenous peoples was genocidal and imperialist.

Traditional Skills of the Native Americans

By David Montgomery

Lyons Press, 2021. 215 pages. Nonfiction

This book is geared toward all ages and gives step-by-step instructions on scores of crafts and outdoor skills cultivated by various Native American peoples over the centuries. In the spirit of "creativity kits," this book outlines the history and purpose of the activity and then shows how to replicate the exact process, whether it's tanning leather; making moccasins; creating tools and utensils, musical instruments, and jewelry; or preparing food. 

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Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe 

Harper, 2021. 317 pages. Nonfiction/Biography

When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father's small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all. Now, the Commodore's great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence.

I don't usually read books covering the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but this book quickly grabbed my attention. Along with learning about a family living a lifestyle I can't personally imagine, this book covers a really interesting swath of New York City's history. The Vanderbilts were key players during the the Gilded Age, the Suffrage Movement, and so much more. Each chapter covers an interesting moment in the life of a different family member, which means there's something that will appeal to many different types of readers and history lovers. Listening to this book gives an extra bonus, since it's read by Anderson Cooper, who is reading about his own distant relations.

If you like Vanderbilt you might also like: 

The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home

by Denise Kiernan

Touchstone, 2017. 388 pages. Nonfiction/Biography

Documents the story of the Gilded Age mansion Biltmore, tracing George Vanderbilt's construction of his European-style estate and the efforts of his bride, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, to become its protector in the face of changing fortunes and times.

The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family

by William J. Mann

Harper, 2016. 609 pages. Nonfiction/Biography

A provocative biography of the Roosevelt family draws on family secrets and complex rivalries to argue that the Roosevelts' rise to power was driven by a series of inside competitions that were witnessed firsthand by an increasingly begrudging Eleanor Roosevelt.

A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts

by Therese Fowler

St. Martin's Press, 2018. 392 pages. Historical Fiction

Alva Smith, her southern family destitute after the Civil War, married into one of America's great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York's old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designed and built 9 mansions, hosted grand balls, and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. But Alva also defied convention for women of her time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement.

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Caste

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
by Isabel Wilkerson
Random House, 2020. 476 pages. Nonfiction

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people--including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others--she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day.

Part memoir and part thesis, Caste breaks down barriers between historic and current events, bringing the weight and societal toll of segregation and class systems to the forefront of each page. The intense imagery and frank storytelling is a force of its own to make crystal-clear connections between horrors across countries, people, and time, illustrating how these structures manifest most clearly with violence and terror toward American Blacks. Isabel Wilkerson builds a masterful accounting, creating a critical shift of understanding in all the ways American society and justice work in a prescriptive fashion to create and protect the American Caste.

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The Color of Law: a Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
by Richard Rothstein
Liveright Publishing, 2017. 342 pages. Nonfiction

Richard Rothstein explodes the myth that America's cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation--that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, The Color of Law incontrovertibly makes it clear that it was de jure segregation--the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments--that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.

Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Spiegel & Grau, 2015. 152 pages. Nonfiction

African American Coates shares with his son--and reader--the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children's lives were taken as American plunder.

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The Rose Code

The Rose Code

by Kate Quinn

William Morrow, 2021, 624 pages. Historical Fiction

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Osla puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Mab works the legendary codebreaking machines and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Beth's shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and she becomes one of the Park's few female cryptanalysts.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, the three women are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum.

If you liked The Rose Code you might also like:

In Farleigh Field

by Rhys Bowen

Lake Union Publishing, 2017, 378 pages. Mystery

World War II comes to Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of Lord Westerham and his five daughters, when a soldier with a failed parachute falls to his death on the estate. After his uniform and possessions raise suspicions, MI5 operative and family friend Ben Cresswell is covertly tasked with determining if the man is a German spy. The assignment also offers Ben the chance to be near Lord Westerham's middle daughter, Pamela, whom he furtively loves. But Pamela has her own secret: she has taken a job at Bletchley Park, the British code-breaking facility. As Ben follows a trail of spies and traitors, which may include another member of Pamela's family, he discovers that some within the realm have an appalling, history-altering agenda. Can he, with Pamela's help, stop them before England falls?

The Lost Girls of Paris

by Pam Jenoff

Park Row Books, 2019, 377 pages. Historical Fiction

Manhattan, 1946. While passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs--each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station. Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn into stories of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II

by Liza Mundy

Hachette Books, 2017, 416 pages. History

Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.

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