Showing titles in History & Culture

From severe flooding in Louisiana to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest to melting permafrost in Alaska, catastrophic climate events are occurring more frequently—and severely—than ever. And these events are having a direct impact on the lives (and futures) of young people and their families.

Seen and Now Heard presents a meticulously researched autobiography of a Cuban girl named Crystina Bass. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Caribbean, South Florida, and California, Crystina's story is a story of Cubans in America. It's a story of growing up in a not-so-typical American family, yet as she says herself, "We are Americans in the purest form of the word."

Overall, A Moccasin on One Foot and a Shoe on the Other: Being Native American in the 21st Century serves as a valuable guidebook for teenage listeners, promoting cultural understanding, challenging misconceptions, and empowering Native American youth to navigate their identity with pride in the 21st century.

Marcus ist 13 Jahre alt und verdient sein Geld als Assistent des Chirurgicus in der ludus magnus, der größten Gladiatorenschule in Rom. Dort begegnet er auch seinem Idol Flamma, dem berühmtesten Gladiatoren seiner Zeit. Zur Schule ist er nie gegangen und sein Traum ist es, wie sein Idol Gladiator zu werden, um der Armut zu entkommen. "Marcus und der Gladiator" entführt in das antike Rom und zeigt das Leben zur Blüte Roms mit seinen Gladiatorenkämpfen und der Dekadenz der Reichen.

Berührend und authentisch - eine Zeitzeugin erzählt. In "Ich habe den Todesengel überlebt" berichtet Eva Mozes Kor davon, wie sie mit ihrer Zwillingsschwester die menschenverachtenden Experimente des KZ-Arztes Mengele überlebte. Eva Mozes Kor ist zehn Jahre alt, als sie mit ihrer Familie nach Auschwitz verschleppt wird. Während die Eltern und zwei ältere Geschwister in den Gaskammern umkommen, geraten Eva und ihre Zwillingsschwester Miriam in die Hände des KZ-Arztes Mengele, der grausame "Experimente" an den Mädchen durchführt. Für Eva und ihre Schwester beginnt ein täglicher Überlebenskampf.

America Redux explores the themes that create our shared sense of American identity and interrogates the myths we've been telling ourselves for centuries. With iconic American catchphrases as chapter titles, these twenty-one stories illuminate the astonishing, unexpected, sometimes darker sides of history that reverberate in our society to this very day—from the role of celebrity in immigration policy to the influence of one small group of white women on education to the effects of "progress" on housing and the environment, to the inspiring force of collective action and mutual aid.

Mildred Jeter Loving and Richard Perry Loving wanted to live out their married life near family in Virginia, but the state refused to let them. The reason: Richard was white and Mildred was black. After being arrested and charged with a crime, the Lovings were forced to leave their home—until they turned to the legal system. In one of the country’s landmark legal battles, Loving v. Virginia, the Lovings secured their future when the Supreme Court struck down all state laws prohibiting mixed marriage.

The past is not past. We may think something ancient history, or something that doesn’t affect our present day, but we would be wrong. Those Who Saw the Sun is a collection of oral histories told by Black people who grew up in the South during the time of Jim Crow. Jaha Nailah Avery is a lawyer, scholar, and reporter whose family has roots in North Carolina stretching back over 300 years. These interviews have been a personal passion project for years as she’s traveled across the South meeting with elders and hearing their stories.

Ethel Rosenberg's story is seldom told and not widely known. What tends to be told is the life of a convicted spy who was killed for her beliefs, a victim of social injustice. Barbara Krasner pays tribute to this complex and misunderstood woman and lets her sing—sing out about her childhood, her dreams to perform on stage, her love for a college boy with shared ideals, her tender love for her husband and sons, and her deep love for what she felt was right for her country and the world.

In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where some previous Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings?

Growing up impoverished and shuttled between different households, it seemed life was bound to take a certain path for Eddie Chuculate. Despite the challenges he faced, his upbringing was rich with love and bountiful lessons from his Creek and Cherokee heritage, deep-rooted traditions he embraced even as he learned to live within the culture of white, small-town America that dominated his migratory childhood.

Bei einem Tropengewitter stürzt ein peruanisches Flugzeug über dem Dschungel aus 3000 Metern Höhe ab. Nur die siebzehnjährige Juliane überlebt. Mit ein paar Schrammen, ohne Brille, mit nur einer Sandale und einem Tütchen Fruchtbonbons schlägt sie sich durch den Urwald. Fast elf Tage ist sie unterwegs, bis sie auf Einheimische trifft... Das Mädchen, das vom Himmel fiel; der Segler, der ein dramatisches Schiffsunglück überlebte; die Frau, die im eisigen Wasser unter einer Eisschicht eingeschlossen war und die doch vier Stunden später von Rettungssanitätern wiederbelebt werden konnte.