history and criticism

A study of American theater in the early twentieth century, discussing the industry's views on censorship, political events, commercialism, and other topics, as well as the visual influence of Expressionism on the theater.

A narrative of the early life of jazz artist Louis Armstrong describing his impoverished childhood, Jim Crow legislation, vigilante terrorism, and how his life was shaped by the culturally rich African-American traditions of New Orleans.

A biography of the highly regarded science fiction author of Fahrenheit 451 and numerous other books, covering his childhood, first publications, and eventual literary success.

Profiles the lives and careers of three mystery writers, discussing each author's relationships, achievements, writing style, and characters.

Presents a comprehensive history of the music of the 1930s and 1940s, examining the various styles of music including popular hits, swing, and Broadway tunes, and profiles great songwriters and composers such as Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, the Dorseys, Glen Miller, and others.

Examines the growing popularity of Christian rock music and the Christian pop culture in American society, and profiles some of the popular groups such as P.O.D., Switchfoot, Creed, and Evanescence.

A discussion of comic strips and books as a distinct art and literary form, examining the different elements of the form through examples of the author's own work, and arguing that sequential art is deserving of serious consideration by both critic and practitioner.

Collects works by more than forty important poets, arranged chronologically by birth order from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to Sylvia Plath, and includes biographies, essays by accomplished contemporary poets, and CD recordings of each featured poet reading his or her own works.

Examines the murder of twenty-year-old Manhattan cigar salesgirl Mary Rogers in 1841, the troubled life of Edgar Allan Poe, and his treatment of the case in his story "The Mystery of Marie Rog?t.".

Evaluates the ways in which the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 is presented in school textbooks, maintaining that most resources fail to tell the whole story about Parks and the entire civil rights movement.