Ain't Nothing But a Man; My Quest to Find the REal John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson

I have read picture books about John Henry to students for over 30 years and never thought he might have been a real person like Johnny Appleseed was. He was just a legend like Paul Bunyan, but was he and how hard would the real story be to track down. If you like watching those programs on finding the truth, uncovering past injustice, and how awful United State's history can be for those not male, white, and Protestant, you will enjoy the tangled leads and how luck plays a roll in everything. Did Scott really find a picture of the real man? How did prison records that many wanted hidden help? You will even hear the real story of how the music your parents or grandparents called Rock and Roll got its name.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckmister Boy by Gary Schmidt

Sometimes you find a book that makes you angry at the beginning and keep giving you reasons for that anger to grow. Turner, the new minister's son, finds many reasons to hate his father's new job in a small town on the coast of Maine. Between the bullies and the older people who are quick to judge you when you are a minister's son, he finds little support. But then he meets Lizzie while on the beach alone, he finally gets a friend and a friendly place - the island colony that was founded by freed slaves where she lives with her grandfather. She is also an outsider since she looked down upon because of her race. It seems no matter what he does, nothing will get better. But sometimes you have to stand up for what is right, no matter the costs. The costs are high, maybe too high. Price is always paid when you take on the powers of both small towns and people's racism. But sometimes you find a few bright lights no matter how dark life becomes. Too many will relate to Turner and maybe his courage will help those who do.

Courage Has No Color; The True Story of the Triple Nickles, American's First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone

Have you ever felt the system is stack against you? Life is not fair? Sometimes, you just want to give up? Everyone has those thoughts at your age, but in modern America, most of the time, if you put in the work, you will get to your dreams. But what about those who lived earlier in our history, could those thoughts be true? How can you continue and not just give up? Character, inter-strength, determination to prove them wrong and, at times, guts are great answers. But a group of men proved that sometimes you just have to prove to those who think you are inferior that they are plain wrong can be the driving force. In their own words and photos, the brave men who dared to dream and put the hard work in, tell about how they broke the color barrier while the author will fill you in on the history. Be prepared to be angry at times, but you will also learn that how to rise above those who judge you.

Angel Island; Gateway to Gold Mountain by Russell Freedman

Why would anyone want to come to a place that requires a long and at times dangerous voyage only to end up not even being welcomed? Limited job opportunities and prejudice, that at times comes with violence, is a given. Hated enough for laws to be passed to limit their numbers and even stating their children could never become citizens. The answer was the American dream of a better life and the promise that being treated equally because of the Constitution will happen some day.

Angel Island is the Ellis Island of the West Coast, where most immigrants came into this country.  The stories of those who came and how they were treated will stick with you The author was not really planning to even tell this story, but a question to one of "those librarians" who pestered him with more information and pushing until he wrote the book.

Learn about how the fight for equal rights finally worked. Learn about what finally got the Island saved for us to visit. Learn about the famous Russian composer whose music you have heard could not even escape being detained there out of fear of what he might bring to our shore. Yes, our history does repeat itself when you don't read and understand the past. Are you brave enough to learn or will you join those who don't want to remember?

Stella has dreams, but it seems that Jim Crow laws will get in the way. It is 1932 and segregation is enforced by law and terror. It takes a community to overcome and stand strong, and this will prove to Stella that her dreams may come true. She just has to get through the year, but what a year it is. When some of the men stand up and want to vote, it seems everyone will pay a price. How can someone be so cruel as to burn a house or turn away when someone could die if they don't help? Can good come out of all this bad? What is stronger, hate or love?  If you want a story that will stay with you and could haunt you, read this book.

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Lanesha lives with her Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife who delivered her and kept her after her mother died at her birth. Mama Ya-Ya is old and tries her best to raise her with very little money but lots of love. School is where she feels out of place with a few friends.  Smart and curious in a place where big dreams are not the norm, she finds encouragement from a teacher who believes in her. She is looking forward to her birthday, but there is a storm brewing in the Gulf that Mama's dreams keep telling her will be the end of their world. It is up to Lanesha to get ready and as others leave, she and Mama do not. It is only after Katrina hits that Mama understands what her dreams mean. They are in big trouble and it will take everything Lanesha can think of to save herself, the dog in her care, and one of her friends. But it will take the love of a mother who has always been there when the flood forces Lanesha to do things she didn't think she could do.  Which mother is it, the one who raised her or the one she knew that never really left her? Does a mother's love really ever die?

Wolf by the Ears by Ann Rinaldi

Based on historical people and maybe actual facts, this story is about the tough choice that Thomas Jefferson's bi-racial daughter has to make. She is a slave like her mother, but at 21 she can get her freedom. If she does take her freedom, will she pass as white, or stay true to those who raised her. But who is Harriet, if she has both black and white parents. At a time when you had to choose and could not be both, passing will open up a better world but you would lose your past forever. You either will love or hate Ann Rinaldi's work . Filled with strong teenage women characters, the stories are true to their settings in history. Being bi-racial, EML also had to make the choice of who I am. Once you make it, it is who you are for the rest of your life, even if you don't look like the choice you made when you get older.

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

What about the other side of the illegal immigrate problem in American? What is it like to live everyday wondering if this will be the day you are found out and taken from the only life you have ever known, even if the only thing you want to do is to be a good citizen? Nadira's family is torn apart when in panic her father, who has over stayed a visa, tries to go to Canada and is detained. Her and her older sister go back to Queens while her mother stays close to her imprisoned father. As their world falls apart, a little research finds the key that they need to clear their father, but will anyone listen to them. A must read for those who don't understand the human side of this question and need a reality check.