biography

Documents the kaleidoscopic year during which transformative talents from Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard, and Beverly Hills heavily influenced pop culture, politics, and social movements.

"A Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright tells her lyrical story of coming of age against the backdrop of an ailing Philadelphia barrio, with her sprawling Puerto Rican family as a collective muse"--Amazon.

"A self-taught artist's odyssey from Jim Crow era Georgia to the Yale Art Gallery--a stunningly vivid, full-color memoir in prose and painted leather, with a foreword by Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson. Winfred Rembert grew up as a field hand on a Georgia plantation. He embraced the Civil Rights Movement, endured political violence, survived a lynching, and spent seven years in prison on a chain gang. Years later, seeking a fresh start at the age of 52, he discovered his gift and vision as an artist, and using leather tooling skills he learned in prison, started etching and painting scenes from his youth. Rembert's work has been exhibited at museums and galleries across the country, profiled in the New York Times and more, and honored by Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative. In Chasing Me to My Grave, he relates his life in prose and paintings--vivid, confrontational, revelatory, complex scenes from the cotton fields and chain gangs of the segregated south to the churches and night clubs of the urban north. This is also the story of finding epic love, and with it the courage to revisit a past that begs to remain buried, as told to Tufts philosopher Erin I. Kelly"--.

MK Asante describes growing up on the streets of North Philadelphia and how he educated himself in unconventional ways.

"What are the odds? Statistics tell us that African American males growing up in a single-parent household are nine times more likely to drop out of high school and twenty times more likely to end up in prison than any other demographic. But what would it take for one young man not only to rise above those statistics but also become a celebrated Navy SEAL, an acclaimed Hollywood actor, and a deep man of faith? For Remi Adeleke--whose life journey has been one of many complicated twists and turns--there's only one answer: God. Through times of intense struggle, pressure, and temptation, Remi's inspiring story is one of following God's voice, even when it didn't make sense, overcoming the odds, and ultimately experiencing true personal transformation. In Transformed, Remi takes readers back to stories from his childhood as Nigerian royalty, to losing his father early in life and being raised by a single mother in the Bronx, to illegal activities as a young man that threatened to derail his future. From troubled teen to Navy SEAL, this incredibly popular up-and-coming actor has beaten the odds at every turn. Remi explores the moments of redemption and grace that saved him and how, through finding faith in Christ, he turned to the one Father he'd been searching for all along."--Provided by publisher.

Explores the life of Michelle Obama, former First Lady and child and veteran rights activist.

Relates details of the life of Austin Steward who started out his life as a slave and eventually became a freeman.

"Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from Madison and Milwaukee High Schools" is a collection of thirty personal essays, and accompanying video narratives, written by students attending James Madison Memorial and Pulaski High Schools. In their own voices, these students from twenty two countries describe their childhoods, reasons for leaving, first impressions of this land, and dreams of how they will contribute to it. These digital and written stories highlight the resilience and courage of these new Americans as they face tremendous adversity to be a part of this country. From classrooms to book clubs, from the individual interested in learning more about his immigrant neighbor to the business owner looking to understand her employees and business partners, this book is an important resource for all Americans. The included video links, glossary, maps, and study guide add a multimedia dimension to this already dynamic collection.--.

A graphic novel chronicling the lives of the author and illustrator's parents in East Germany, before the Berlin Wall fell, while the Socialist Unity Party of Germany was in power. Explores the hardships of life under communism and why the author's parents tried to leave and get into West Germany.

Zeina Abirached relates her memories in graphic format of the war between the Muslims and the Christians that happened in her hometown of Beirut, Lebanon during the 1980s.