News & Articles

Catherine de Medici: The Power Behind the French Throne by Barbara A. Somervill tells the life story of Catherine de Medici, an Italian orphan originally used as a political pawn. Her marriage to King Henry of France was arranged so that France would gain a greater foothold in the Italian peninsula. Her power only grew from there: she bore many sickly children, which meant that she was given the real power of making decisions when these children became king. She would outlive most of her family and despite her struggle to maintain her family’s power in France, she never succeeded.

Malcolm X: Fighting for Human Rights by Jeff Burlingame tells the life story of Malcolm X, an African-American whose family was frequently harassed by the Ku Klux Klan during his childhood. Malcolm knew this harassment was unfair and began to channel his anger and resentment into systematic activism. His father was killed in 1931, so Malcolm had to quit school to help his family. Eventually, he was able to live in Boston with the help of his sister, but he spent a significant amount of time in prison for street crime.

Call of Duty: Vince Zampella, Grant Collier, and Jason West by Jennifer Culp tells the story of the Call of Duty Video Game franchise. Vince Zampella, Grant Collier, and Jason West wanted to revolutionize the video game industry through high-quality graphics, realistic characters, and in-depth plots. They succeeded in their mission, but left a legal mess in their wake. The legal mess resulted from the creators’ decision to operate under Activision but determination to work on their own.

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.

Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World by Anna Crowley Redding tells the story of Elon Musk, one of the world’s greatest thinkers and entrepreneurs. While it may surprise many to know that he started out in South Africa as a young boy who was constantly bullied, Musk found refuge in the books that he read. Many of his favorite books were superhero comics that encouraged his interest in the Land of Opportunity. Not only did Musk find a way to get to America, he went on to found companies like Tesla and SpaceX, with a mission to save the planet from certain doom.