News & Articles

Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City by Phillip M. Hoose tells the story of the basketball team at Crispus Attucks High School in Indiana. While the school was originally intended to segregate African American students from their Western counterparts, ten promising athletes on the basketball team went on, despite all odds, to compete in the state tournament of Indiana. They shattered previous records and rose to fame instantly; their fame was so great that coaches from other schools began taking in African American basketball players.

VIRAL: The Fight Against AIDS in America by Ann Bausum tells the story of the decades-long struggle for AIDS recognition in America. The AIDS pandemic started in the mid-1970s, mostly among gay men. As the pandemic became more widespread, individuals realized the devastating nature of the disease. Individuals who were once healthy would be reduced to skin and bones in a matter of months, if not weeks. The federal government offered little to no help; federal funding was not allocated to AIDS research.

Captured: An American Prisoner of War in North Vietnam by Alvin Townley tells the story of Jeremiah Denton, an United States Prisoner-of-War in a North Vietnamese prison. While on a mission to drop bombs in North Vietnam, the plane that Jeremiah Denton was piloting exploded, giving Denton no choice but to eject from his plane. While on the ground, he was spotted by North Vietnamese soldiers, who accused him of relaying secrets to the enemy. He was placed in solitary confinement and refused to provide any identifying information even though his oppressors frequently tortured him.

Pythagoras: Mathematician and Mystic by Dimitra Karamanides and Louis C. Coakley tells the life story of Pythagoras, an Ancient Greek philosopher most known for his Pythagorean Theorem. He was born on the wealthy island of Samos but traveled far and wide in order to acquire the knowledge of numerous ancient civilizations. When he returned to Greece, he wanted to set up a school there, but many people resisted his ideas. As a result, he traveled to Croton to set up a school. The school was shrouded in mystery and obtained more influence over time on the local government.

Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery by Abby Sher is divided into three sections. Each of these sections tells the tale of an individual who escaped modern slavery, also known as human trafficking. Each person’s story is different, but there are some startling similarities. For one, the victims were those who had low self-confidence and were willing to accept strangers’ words as true, no matter how sketchy they may have sounded. Or they may have been undocumented immigrants running the fear of deportation.

Forensic Science: In Pursuit of Justice by L. E. Carmichael details the history of forensic science, describes recent advancements in the industry, and presents an eye-opening view as to where the field may be going in the future. Numerous sidebars within the book provide brief biographies of the people who made forensic science possible, while beautifully written captions beneath each illustration accurately explain what is going on. This book is intended to introduce individuals to the concept; thus, it may not be as comprehensive.

John Lewis: Civil Rights Champion and Congressman by Alison Morretta tells the story of John Lewis’s life and struggle to effect meaningful change against the injustices faced by minorities throughout the world. The book is a powerful testimony to the actions of one individual, who began his activism during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. After witnessing the murder of Emmett Till and the murder of three of his most loyal friends from gun violence, Lewis became a vocal protestor; he was anti-war, pro-LGBTQ, pro-immigrant, etc.

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944 [The Young Readers Adaptation] by Rick Atkinson tells the story of Operation Overlord. This was the largest military attempt to push back Nazi Germany during World War II. As readers might have guessed, months of planning formed the core of the plan, and soldiers who survived mainly on pre-rationed foods carried out the plan. Women played a significant role, too, as they were often pushed to enter jobs that had previously been held by men. At the last minute, the offensive was postponed due to bad weather.