In 1961 President Kennedy issued a challenge to land a person on the moon and return safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s, a bold proclamation at the time, given that only one US astronaut had
The Art of Inventing Hope offers an unprecedented, in-depth conversation between the world’s most revered Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, and a son of survivors, Howard Reich. During the l
This collection of over 50 years of writing about the South and its music by Stanley Booth, one of the undisputedly great chroniclers of the subject, is a classic, essential read. Booth’s close
More than half a century ago, New York City felt the increasing effects of drought, which lasted throughout 1949 and into 1950. By February, the desperate city had to try something different. Mayor Wi
Bert Lewyn was still a teenager when he and his parents were arrested by the Gestapo. It was 1942 in wartime Berlin. While his parents were sent to a concentration camp, Bert’s youth and trainin
Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to complete NASA’s 1961 Women in Space program. Funk breezed through the rigorous physical and mental tests, her scores be
Plantology guides young nature enthusiasts on a journey into the world of plants and the role they play in our lives. Full of colorful photos and illustrations, this fun and interactive resource
How much do you really know about how the human body works, and how it reacts to food, exercise, nutrition, and the environment? While most of us have read about at least one fad diet, we’re lef
In the decade before the onset of the Civil War, groups of Americans engaged in a series of longshot—and illegal—forays into Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and other countries, in hopes of
The 1968 US men’s track and field team won 12 gold medals and set six world records at the Mexico City Games, one of the most dominant performances in Olympic history. The team featured such leg
Before Angalia Bianca became one of Chicago’s foremost authorities on violence interruption and prevention and before she received international recognition and was honored by the City of Chicag
Just in time for the 60th anniversary of the blaze that changed American fire laws, The School’s on Fire! follows the path of the December 1958 fire that killed 92 kids and 3 teachers at Our Lad
Letters to a Young Feminist is a visionary message from a leading feminist to the next generation of feminists, both women and men. Phyllis Chesler discusses basic aspects of feminism, explains femini
At a time when the United States debates how deeply to involve itself in Iraq and Syria, Lt. Col. Michael Zacchea, USMC (ret.), holds a unique vantage point on our still-ongoing war. Deployed to Iraq
In the 1950s, Confidential magazine, America’s first celebrity scandal magazine, revealed Hollywood stars’ secrets, misdeeds, and transgressions in gritty, unvarnished detail. Deploying a
Sound Pictures offers a powerful glimpse into the mind, the music, and the man behind the sound of the Beatles. The second book of two, Sound Pictures traces the story of George Martin and the Beatles
Dorothy Carvello knows all about the music biz. She was the first female A&R executive at Atlantic Records, and one of the few in the room at RCA and Columbia. But before that, she was secretary t
From 1910 to 1919, New Orleans suffered at the hands of a serial killer. The story has been the subject of short stories, novels, and the television series American Horror Story. But the full story of
Revealing the story of the reopening of the case of the Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing of 1963, this insider’s account divulges the ins and outs of the investigation led by detective Ben He
This diary of acclaimed psychologist and radical feminist Phyllis Chesler was a pioneering work when it was first published in 1979, and it still resonates today. It is a look into the second wave of
Lavinia Warren never let her height—or the lack of it—prevent her from leading a full and adventurous life. Although she never grew more than three feet tall, she became a beloved teacher,
"Intense, rapid, brilliant. A pioneer contribution to the feminization of psychiatric thinking and practice." —Adrienne Rich, New York Times Book Review"Challenges the definition of madness itse
This is the definitive biography of the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1940s and ’50s, the man who founded the Hollywood Reporter and the most storied nightspots of the Sunset Strip,
“The real book about the manned space program would be a book about George Abbey.” —Richard Truly, former astronaut and Administrator of NASA One of the most elusive and controversia
The singular biography of a forgotten abolitionist and educator for young adults Frederick Douglass dismissed Myrtilla’s plan to open a school for African American girls in the slaveholding
Today, a trip to Hawaii is a simple six-hour flight from the West Coast. But almost a century ago, the first flights to Hawaii required a nerve-wracking and uncertain 26-hour journey to isolated and e
There is a place for all girls and young women—not just the science fair winners and robotics club members—in STEM classes and careers To succeed in science and tech fields
Ronald Kitchen was 21, on his way to buy milk for his four-year-old, when he was picked up by the Chicago police, brutally tortured, and coerced to confess to five counts of heinous murder. He spent 2
A neglected masterpiece by Russian science fiction greats Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, who thought of it as their “most complete and important work,” The Snail on the Slope di
She has been called intelligent and scheming, ambitious and ruthless, sensual and indulgent. Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids captures the excitement of Cleopatra’s story, includin
This is the definitive biography of the legendary guitarist whom Muddy Waters and B. B. King held in high esteem and who created the prototype for Clapton, Hendrix, Page, and those who followed. Bloom
Goose Island opened as a family-owned Chicago brewpub in the late 1980s, and it soon became one of the most inventive breweries in the world. In the golden age of light, bland and cheap beers, John Ha
On October 16, 1859, John Brown and his band of eighteen raiders descended on Harpers Ferry. In an ill-fated attempt to incite a slave insurrection, they seized the federal arsenal, took hostages, and
In a 1969 conversation with Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, Bob Dylan proclaimed, “I don’t give interviews.” But in truth, he has spoken at length with print publica
One of just a handful of women reporting on the Vietnam War, Kate Webb was captured by North Vietnamese troops and presumed dead—until she emerged from the jungle waving a piece of white parachu
A primary account of teenage life in the Great Depression and prewar era retrieved from history Wednesday, December 10, 1941: “Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first
Angus Young, the founder and the last original member of AC/DC still in the band, has for more than 40 years been the face, sound and sometimes the exposed backside of the trailblazing rock band. In h
John McEuen is one of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, NGDB. Now 50-years strong, the band is best known for its evergreen bestselling album Will the Circle Be Unbroken and for
In the tradition of bestselling legal memoirs from Johnnie Cochran, F. Lee Bailey, Gerry Spence, and Alan Dershowitz, John Henry Browne’s memoir, The Devil's Defender, recounts his tortuous education
Curtis Mayfield was one of the seminal vocalists and most talented guitarists of his era, and his music played a vital role in the civil rights movement: “People Get Ready” was the black a
