By SK

Have you ever heard of the Chicano Blowouts? Or the Federal Theater Project? What about Sister Corita's artwork, or the NAMES project? In Rad American History A-Z, Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl explore the American history that you might not have learned in school. Some stories are from America's founding, while others focus on recent events, but all celebrate the power of unified people, working together to change their world for the better.

I loved Rad Girls Can, so I was excited to learn that Rad American History A-Z had come out, and it completely lived up my high expectations! The striking illustrations and appealing formatting make it a fun, engaging read for younger readers, but I would highly recommend it to older readers as well--I had never heard of many of the featured people and events at all, and of those which I had, the book usually provided new facts or a fresh perspective. I really liked how instead of focusing on a particular person for each section, the book focuses on a broader subject (from #BlackLivesMatter to Hull House to Riot Grrrl), and then delves into the stories of a handful of related events, people, or topics, such as the Combahee River Collective and March for Our Lives. I also appreciated how the book highlights not just movements and events, but also things which have long been a part of democracy and resistance, such as libraries, quilts, and jazz. The writing is snappy, accessible, and informative, and the illustrations combine watercolor and cutouts with stunning results. An inspiring read celebrating the power of the people and the ever-present possibility of positive change, I would highly recommend Rad American History A-Z to readers ages eleven and up.

By Piranha T.

The newspaper industry in the 1800s wasn’t fair. Most editors declared that it was too rough a pursuit for women, and relegated the few female reporters to writing about recent social events and the hair styles of celebrities. Only a few women managed to land in-depth reporting jobs, or a regular column in a newspaper or magazine. Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland were two of those women.

Pennsylvania-born Nellie Bly wrote her first articles for a smaller newspaper which allowed her to write investigative articles about the poor, working conditions, and other subjects which most editors found unfit for women. When she went to New York City, she managed to land a job at the World newspaper, where she wrote regular articles which displayed little-known facts about a variety of things to the public which she learned by going undercover throughout the city.

Elizabeth Bisland, born in the south, known for her beauty as well as her writing skills, also found a job in New York after writing for other publications for several years: writing a regular column about recent books for the magazine The Cosmopolitan.

In 1889, to boost declining sales, the World sends Nellie Bly to race around the world. Her goal is to beat the fictional record established in Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days. But only hours after she leaves, the editor of The Cosmopolitan sends Elizabeth Bisland around the world the other way. These two pioneering female journalists set a record against time, fiction, and each other.
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80 Days was a very interesting book. Set near the turn of the 19th century, this is a fast-paced historical nonfiction book about two very real, very skilled women pioneering in the world of journalism in a race which fascinated not just the nation, but the world. In addition to narrating the journeys of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland, Matthew Goodman provides interesting information about other subjects in the world at the same time, such as conditions of immigrants and the influence of the telegraph. And in the narrations of their journeys, readers learn interesting facts about the world and culture in the nineteenth century. It does not, however, feel as though information is being forced into the text—instead, it flowed naturally and enhanced the text rather than making it dry. Although 80 Days was written for older audiences, I found it to be very interesting, and recommend it to readers twelve and up, especially those who like history and geography. 

By Super Kitty

Have you ever heard of Maryam Mirzakhani? How about Chien-Shiung Wu? Or Mae Jemison? In Women in Science, Rachel Ignotofsky writes about fifty amazing women from around the world who made vital contributions to the world of science. Full of quotes, fun facts, and colorful illustrations, each page focuses on a different scientist’s life and achievements.

Interesting and inspiring, this book makes even the most abstract fields of science feel accessible—it’s almost guaranteed to get you researching more about the amazing people it celebrates! In many ways it’s reminiscent of Rad Girls Can, with its engaging, illustrated biographies of groundbreaking women and focus on encouraging girls to pursue their passions. (Though boys are sure to enjoy it as well!)

Many of the women featured in Women in Science have been largely forgotten, or in some cases were never properly recognized in the first place, and learning about them gives a different perspective on history—behind many incredible discoveries there are unsung sheroes who never received the credit they deserve. The movement to encourage girls to pursue STEM careers has led to the publication of many awesome books celebrating those little-known scientists. Women in Science is definitely a top pick.

By Super Kitty

When Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was seven, she and her family were forced by the American government to move from their comfortable home in Ocean Park, California, to Manzanar, a half-constructed camp in a mountainous desert region of California. They had committed no crime, but during World War II, a fear of Japanese spies swept the nation, and President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order permitting the relocation of any potential hazards to the country and/or winning the war. The Wakatsukis started off their three and a half years at the camp in half-finished shacks, and the food and conditions were appalling. But things improved, and eventually the camp grew to resemble an ordinary town, with movie theaters, churches, and schools. The camp became home, a place where Japanese heritage was not a curse.

Several years after it was founded, the camp was disbanded, following several court cases fought on the issue. Families which had been forced to move in were now being sent away, a sudden freedom which was no longer a blessing. People had built their lives only to be brought to the internment camps, their belongings hastily sold (or stolen) after they left. And now they were being thrust back into the outside world, with nowhere to start from, faced with widespread American anti-Japanese sentiment. For Jeanne, still a child, Manzanar was where her life truly began. For many, including her parents, it was the beginning of the end. No matter their age, the internees left the camp with scars that never fully healed, and memories, both good and bad, that haunted them for the rest of their lives. 

To be honest, I can’t believe that this part of history isn’t more widely known. Most people haven’t even heard of the Japanese internment camps, or if they have, they don’t truly understand what happened to the people—elders, children, families—who were brought there. Farewell to Manzanar is especially powerful because it’s not just modern-day historical fiction, but the true story of a family’s experience, drawn from the author’s own memories. It’s a great book to discuss, and is an excellent choice for book groups. Thought-provoking and sometimes heartbreaking, I would highly recommend Farewell to Manzanar for readers ages eleven and up.

​And if you’re interested in learning more about World War II, check out our review on Fly Girls! ​

By Super Kitty
 
In Fly Girls, P. O’Connell Pearson tells the forgotten story of the women pilots who worked for the military during World War II. In the United States, planes were being produced at an incredible rate, and the army needed them—and fast.

To allow as many pilots as possible to fly in combat, two accomplished pilots named Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Love proposed a program where female aviators could fly planes from factories to bases. Woman were taking on what were traditionally men’s jobs all over the country, but if a woman wanted to work directly for the military, only specific roles were open. While not all of them consisted of traditionally ‘feminine’ work, many people thought women flying combat planes, particularly the heavy bombers, was going too far.

But women were not afraid to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), despite the hard conditions and difficult standards (often much higher than those required of male pilots), and one thousand, one hundred and two of them flew for their country until the program was shut down in 1944.
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Fly Girls tells a fascinating story, and one I can’t believe I didn’t know about. More than eleven hundred women worked ferrying planes from 1942 to 1944, and yet this is a piece of history largely forgotten. It also gave me a different perspective on World War II and the suffragettes; how far we have come since then, but also how far we have to go before women will have complete equality with men. The writing is engaging, and it reads like a story, which I for one quite appreciated, as many similar books tend to be on the drier side. I was impressed by the amazing women the story centered around—now forgotten, many battles might have ended differently were it not for the young pilots who risked their lives flying for their country. I would recommend it to readers ages ten and up looking for interesting and inspiring history, about war, planes, and the women who flew them.    

By Super Kitty

In this fascinating new book, Mary Jane Cryan (an American who has lived in Italy for over fifty years) explores the history of one ancient Italian building, or “palazzo,” in which she lives. She tells the stories of people who are now famous, along with those almost forgotten. Cryan creates an in-depth look at not only a single building but also of the town, Vetralla, and its colorful past. This book is illustrated with various photographs that contribute to this historical tale of events, people, and works of art.
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The author has clearly not just researched the town, she has lived in it—descriptions are written in vivid detail, and there is a sense of familiarity with the subject matter that makes the narration much more engaging than that of many other histories. And the fact that it’s written in both English and Italian is a particularly cool! Overall, I would recommend The Painted Palazzo Dipinto for readers interested in Italy, history, or art/architecture, from middle grade to adult!

By Super Kitty
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In this lively, vivid memoir, Mae Jemison tells of her inspiring journey, from a young girl growing up in the south to an astronaut and becoming the first woman of color in space. Written in an engaging, entertaining style, she recounts her life up until shortly after she resigned from NASA, including her escapades as a child and young adult, her experiences as a doctor in Africa, and, of course, her training and historic spaceflight as an astronaut at NASA.

I’ve been interested in Mae Jemison for a while, and recently ended up doing a school report on her, which led me to this book. I loved it for several reasons. First of all, the author’s way of writing makes you feel like you’re being told all these stories by an older sister or cousin, proud of some things, amused by others, and rolling her eyes at some of her more humorous attempts at various skills and projects. It didn’t feel like the story was being written down to younger readers at all, which I also appreciated.

Find Where the Wind Goes is usually categorized as Young Adult, and I think that readers ages ten and up will likely enjoy it the most. Mae grew up in the south during the 1960s, and while she did not directly experience violence, it was not uncommon at the time in the black community. There were dangers that were a part of her childhood, and while there’s certainly nothing graphic or anything, I think that it’s just one of those books that’s better once you’ve learned about that period in history.
The story is wonderful and often amusing, and the narration feels informal and fun: this is a book I would recommend to fans of not just history or space travel, but also those looking for a story about making friends, taking chances, and following your dreams.  

Note: If you enjoyed this book, I recommend learning more about Mae Jemison’s work after she left NASA—she’s done some really interesting stuff, in science, work for social justice, and more!

By Piranha T.
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During the two world wars, not only were the jobs for mathematics at NASA more important, there were less men to serve them. That’s why the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory of Hampton, Virginia opened its jobs to women and African-Americans, and how many talented women got the jobs.

Hidden Figures tells the story of four women who worked at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were four talented, smart, mathematically-minded African-American women who helped create faster airplanes, missions to the moon, and helped other extraordinary ventures. When Dorothy Vaughan first arrived at the laboratory, the women were reserved into ‘computing pools’ to do calculations for the male engineers, but by the time Kathrine Johnson helped send the first manned spacecraft to the moon, she worked side-by-side with some of the men.

In Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly tells the story of these four women who did incredible work at NASA and helped to launch Americans into space. It was an interesting book to read, because it was not only about these four women but also mentioned many others working in the same field. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Kathrine Johnson and Christine Darden were part of countless important calculations, and their discoveries in part sent men into space and to the moon. Although it’s not the normal kind of book we review, I enjoyed it’s engaging, informative text.

I’d highly recommend Hidden Figures for anyone looking for an interesting, informative, historical read for kids and adults ages 8 and up.