Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners, 2004
The 2004 list is organized into five academic disciplines: humanities, history, literature and language arts, science and technology, and social sciences, and it includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, and drama. The committee selected works using a variety of criteria: readability, cultural and ethnic diversity, balance of view points, and variety of genres and title availability, with a focus on titles published within the previous five years.
Humanities
Adler, Sabine. Lovers in Art. Prestel USA, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Romance and art are natural companions in this gorgeous book that spans five centuries of Western European art. Subjects range from biblical to mythological, from wedding portraits to the first flush of attraction, from peasants to royalty. An introductory essay on love and marriage through the ages is followed by full-page reproductions accompanied by facing pages of text.
Belloli, Andrea P. Exploring World Art. Getty Publications, 1999. OBCB 2004.
Divided into chapters titled “Time and Space,” “Other Worlds,” “Daily Life,” “History and Myth,” and “The World of Nature,” Belloli’s book gives young readers a fresh look at Western European art in a global context and introduces the ways in which artists of different times and cultures express universal themes. Readers learn to connect art to their daily lives and to the world around them.
Bissinger, H. G. Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. Perseus Books, 1990. OBCB 2004.
In Odessa, Texas, high school football games regularly attract as many as 10,000 fans. Football is more than a recreational interest, it is the town’s passion. Bissinger, an investigative journalist, moved his family to Odessa in order to follow the 1988–89 season. He portrays individual team members and townspeople, exploring racial attitudes and favoritism shown to the athletes, representing both the flaws and the attraction of the football craze in Texas.
Blackstone, Harry, Jr. The Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion. Newmarket Press, 1985. OBCB 1999, 2004.
The classic of legerdemain describes the rich history of modern magic from ancient times to the present, including vaudeville, Broadway, Vegas, and television. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, the book reveals the secrets and psychology behind popular magic tricks and effects. The foreword is by Ray Bradbury.
Brassaï. Brassaï: Letters to My Parents. University of Chicago Press, 1997. OBCB 2004.
European photographer Brassaï (1899–1984) details his life’s experiences in letters home, describing both his own development as an artist and the fascinating world of Paris from 1920 to 1940. Brassaï was interested in the lowlife of the city as well as the highlife, and he was friends with many important writers and artists. Illustrated with several of his photographs.
Card, Orson Scott. Sarah. Forge, 2001. OBCB 2004.
The character of Sarah, Abraham’s beloved wife, illuminates this rendering of a pivotal story from the Old Testament. Sarah and her sister, Qira (Card’s creation), contrasts of wisdom and selfishness, narrate the story. Set in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, this is the first in Card’s Women of Genesis series.
Chevalier, Tracy. Girl with a Pearl Earring. Dutton, 1999. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award, BBYA)
Sixteen-year-old Griet tells the story of her time as a maid in the busy 17th-century household of Delft painter Johannes Vermeer. Griet has an artistic eye and eventually becomes assistant and muse to the famous artist. But she is confined by the class system of her time. This fictional imagining of a mystery of the art world—Who was the girl in that famous painting?—brings Vermeer’s world to life.
Corio, David, and Vivian Goldman. The Black Chord. Universe Books, 1999. OBCB 2004. o.p.
The often-painful evolution of African American music is explored with a funky text by Vivian Goldman and lively, original photographs by David Corio. The modern sounds of jazz, reggae, hip-hop, rap, and more are traced to their influences from around the world.
Coulton, Larry. Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn. Warner, 2000. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award, BBYA)
Working through racism, alcoholism, and domestic violence, the players on Hardin High School’s girls’ basketball team struggle to win in life as well as on the court. Coulton spent 15 months on the Crow reservation in Montana. His narrative follows one player in particular, Sharon LaForge, whose on-the-court successes are balanced by personal struggles.
Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. Greenwillow, 2001. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
What does a guy do when he has all the talents to be a star athlete, but hates his high school athletic program? T.J. Jones is black, Japanese, and white in a town with little diversity, and he hates injustice. He is inspired by a favorite teacher to form a swim team in a school without a pool in order to win a varsity letter jacket for its members, in particular a mentally challenged boy abused for wearing his dead brother’s jacket.
Franck, Frederick, ed. What Does It Mean to Be Human? Reverence for Life Reaffirmed by Responses from Around the World. St. Martin’s, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Thought-provoking essays on one of the most essential questions one can ask. Social activists, artists, and spiritual leaders reflect on being human in a changing society. Contributors range from Wilma Mankiller to James Earl Jones, Joan Chittister to Cornel West, Jimmy Carter to the Dalai Lama. Franck gathered the essays in reaction to an increasing contempt for life reflected in modern war, poverty, and human trafficking.
Garfunkel, Trudy. On Wings of Joy: The Story of Ballet from the 16th Century to Today. Little, Brown, 1994. OBCB 1999, 2004.
Immerse yourself in the world of ballet, from its earliest choreography to the life of a modern ballerina. Garfunkel provides entertaining, comprehensive coverage of the history of ballet, as well as the lives of the great dancers, choreographers, and composers involved.
Goldberg, Myla. Bee Season. Doubleday, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Eliza’s extraordinary gift for spelling leads her to understand the sounds of the alphabet in a way that echoes the teachings of the mystical Kabbalah. Before discovering her talent, nine-year-old Eliza was quite ordinary, nearly overlooked by her scholarly father and lawyer mother in favor of their talented son. Now family dynamics shift and every member undergoes a change, not always for the better.
Greenberg, Jan, ed. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art. Harry N. Abrams, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)
Can a painting speak? This collection of lyrical responses to famous American works of art will make you a believer. Large, colorful reproductions are paired with the poems they inspired in writers such as Jane Yolen, Ron Koertge, and Marvin Bell. Brief biographies of the contributors round out a lively collection.
Hedges, Chris. War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. Public Affairs, 2002. OBCB 2004.
A Pulitzer Prize–winning author presents a passionate, thought-provoking look at war through the ages, and exposes the myths of the culture of combat. Hedges covered conflicts in the Middle East, the Balkans, Africa, and South America. He uses these experiences, sharing harrowing eyewitness accounts, to consider questions such as: What makes war attractive? What is its effect on societies? On culture?
Howe, Peter. Shooting under Fire: The World of the War Photographer. Artisan, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.
Ten leading combat photographers share their experiences of horror, humor, bravery, and daring while reporting from Vietnam, Haiti, Chechnya, El Salvador, Sarajevo, and Afghanistan. Over 150 black-and-white and color photographs provide a powerful and moving look at war and those who risk everything to document it.
King, Ross. Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture. Walker, 2000. OBCB 2004.
In this vivid re-creation of the political and artistic milieu of 15th-century Florence, the audacious and secretive Filippo Brunelleschi achieves the impossible and makes possible modern building. Details of daily life during the period intermingle with the feats of engineering accomplished in order to complete the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Light, Alan, ed. The Vibe History of Hip Hop. Three Rivers Press, 1999. OBCB 2004.
The editors of Vibe magazine look at the music, dance, and fashion that have evolved into hip-hop culture. From the sound that began in 1970s New York City, to the first recording to hit the charts, through commercial success and predictions for the future, this generously illustrated history covers it all.
Livingstone, Lili Cockerville. American Indian Ballerinas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1999. OBCB 2004.
Four Native American women from Oklahoma share the struggles and triumphs of their dance careers and personal lives in stories that inspire with courage and beauty. All born in the 1920s and ’30s, Maria Tallchief, Rosella Hightower, Marjorie Tallchief, and Yvonne Chouteau each achieved international fame. The author, a former dancer herself, interviewed her subjects extensively in order to achieve this unique addition to the history of dance in the 20th century.
McGreevey, Tom, and Joanne Yeck. Our Movie Heritage. Rutgers University Press, 1997. OBCB 2004, 2009.
This work provides over one hundred beautiful pictures of top stars, directors, and others in the film industry, but the focus is on film preservation and the race against time to salvage what is left of the large number of films that are currently deteriorating in our nation’s vaults, theaters, and private collections. Film, and its reflection on American culture, is in peril: 90 percent of silent films, and 50 percent of feature films made before 1950, have vanished.
Perry, John. Encyclopedia of Acting Techniques: Illustrated Instruction, Examples, and Advice for Improving Acting Techniques and Stage Presence—from Tragedy to Comedy, Epic to Farce. Quarto, 1997. OBCB 2004.
The actor’s life—see how it’s done by the pros in this extravagantly color illustrated primer on dramatic performance. Contains step-by step advice for improving technique and stage presence in all genres and styles, including preparing the text and role, the rehearsal process, and even makeup basics.
Sandler, Martin. Photography: An Illustrated History. Oxford University Press, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.
This work looks at photography as it evolved from daguerreotypes in the 1800s to the respected art form that it is today. Numerous compelling black-and-white and color photographs document technological developments, the contributions of pioneers in the field, as well as the impact photography has had upon all aspects of society.
Smith, Huston. Illustrated World Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. Harper, 1995. OBCB 2004.
The interconnectivity of the world’s great religious movements, with their parallel and disparate beliefs, is lyrically explored. The author intersperses his own text with excerpts from the sacred texts and important images from each religion in this introduction to Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the primal religions. This edition places the emphasis on religious art.
Vreeland, Susan. The Passion of Artemisia. Viking, 2002. OBCB 2004.
This eloquent rendering of the story of Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653) evokes appreciation of both her magnificent art and her struggles to succeed as an artist. Raped by an assistant in her father’s painting studio in Rome, Artemisia tells the story of the trial, an unhappy marriage, and her professional successes—winning the patronage of the Medici family and being elected to the Accademia dell-Arte.
History
Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Knopf, 1998. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award, BBYA)
It’s man against nature at the dawn of World War I, as the lure of the last unclaimed land on earth dazzles with its beauty and danger in this adventure of discovery and survival. Alexander weaves together excerpts from crew members’ journals and 170 photographs by expedition photographer Frank Hurley, lending an intimacy and immediacy to the everyday lives of the explorers and the landscape.
Aronson, Marc. Witch Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. Simon & Schuster, 2003. OBCB 2004.
Revisit a time of nightmare, fear, hysteria—beyond The Crucible, sift through the myths, half-truths, and misinformation to make up your own mind about what really happened in Salem Village and why. Aronson persuades readers to think for themselves about various theories, while using plentiful primary-source quotes to clarify the events.
Berg, A. Scott. Lindbergh. Putnam, 1998. OBCB 2004.
Daring, mysterious, and one of the 20th century’s first superstars—who was the man behind the myth and how did his historic flight across the Atlantic remake the world? This is the Pulitzer Prize–winning, definitive biography of a controversial, tragic, and heroic man, one of the first to be hounded by the modern media.
Danticat, Edwidge. The Farming of Bones. Soho Press, 1998. OBCB 2004.
Set in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship, this is a Caribbean holocaust story. During a time when nationalist madness and ethnic hatred turn island neighbors into executioners, Haitian immigrants Amabelle and Sebastien hold on to love, to dignity—and struggle to survive.
Ellis, Joseph E. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Knopf, 2000. OBCB 2004.
What seems like a foregone conclusion was anything but—six dramatic vignettes reveal the men behind the events of the most decisive decade in American history. This Pulitzer Prize winner covers the Burr/Hamilton rivalry, negotiations for the location of the capital, the future of slavery, Washington’s farewell address, John and Abigail Adams during his presidency, and the correspondence between Adams and Jefferson late in their lives.
Frank, Mitch. Understanding September 11: Answering Questions about the Attacks on America. Penguin, 2002. OBCB 2004.
These events are burned into images we can never forget—but after the pain of September 11 we ask why and learn about the historical, religious, and cultural issues that led to the attacks. After recounting the events of the day, Frank objectively explains relevant concepts to young readers, including Islam, the Taliban, al Qaeda, and the West’s interests in the Middle East.
Geras, Adele. Troy. Scholastic, 2001. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
A city under siege, epic battles and heroes, powerful supernatural forces—it’s the story of the Trojan War seen through the eyes of its women in one of our oldest stories of the cruelty of war. The perspectives of four teenagers close to the main players are primary (especially their tangled infatuations), while gods and goddesses occasionally share visions and prophecies. Gossiping servants provide the chorus.
Glancy, Diane. Stone Heart: A Novel of Sacajawea. Overlook Press, 2003. OBCB 2004.
You are there on the epic journey of Lewis and Clark that opened the West to the call of manifest destiny. Sacajawea narrates through fictional diary entries revealing her mystical experience of the journey. Glancy intersperses the explorers’ actual journal entries, which present a very different interpretation of events. Contrasts disclose an inherent clash of cultures in a vast new land.
Hansen, Drew D. The Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation. HarperCollins, 2003. OBCB 2004.
This great humanitarian and leader did indeed have a dream, and it has resonated through the years to expand all of our hopes for a future built on tolerance. Hansen analyses the speech itself, discusses its theological and intellectual roots, and compares the speech as written with the speech as delivered. He also examines the period before and after 1963 in order to study why the speech had such an impact.
Harper, Kenn. Give Me My Father’s Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo. Steerforth Press, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Imagine the horror as Minik visits the Museum of Natural History and learns the true fate of his father. In 1897, explorer Robert Peary returned to New York City from Greenland with six Eskimos. Minik was only a child at the time, and when his father died almost immediately upon their arrival, Peary abandoned him. This is Minik’s story, which focuses on his efforts to recover his father’s body from the museum and give him a traditional burial.
Lanier, Shannon. Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family. Random House, 2000. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Thomas Jefferson fathered two families—one black, one white. Lanier, a descendant of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, traveled the country with photographer Jane Feldman talking with and photographing other descendants of Thomas Jefferson. This is a story (in the format of a photo album) about family, a story about identity, a story about secrets revealed and history made complete.
Least Heat-Moon, William. Columbus in the Americas. Wiley, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Was he a visionary and daring explorer, or a ruthless conquistador with dreams of riches and glory? Discover the truth behind the myth of a man whose impact still resonates through the continents he stumbled across. Using Columbus’s own logbooks and other firsthand accounts, this book emphasizes the way Columbus treated the Native Americans he encountered, and covers all of his journeys to the New World.
Marrin, Albert. Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers. Dutton, 1999. OBCB 2004.
What lies behind the dark and romantic image of the pirate, and what is the legacy of this brutal and bloody time? Sir Henry Morgan was knighted by King Charles II of England for plundering Spanish ships and colonies. Marrin’s detailed use of primary sources creates a striking portrait for young readers of life at sea and on land during the 17th century.
McCullough, David G. John Adams. Simon & Schuster, 2001. OBCB 2004.
He was a man of his times who transcended his times, and one of the least understood of the Founding Fathers. Adams was happy as a Massachusetts lawyer before participating in the First Continental Congress; the rest is lively and well-recorded history thanks to the letters between John and his wife Abigail.
Poets of World War II. Library of America, 2003. OBCB 2004.
They have been called the Greatest Generation, and in their own voices they reveal the true price of their call to arms. Edited by Harvey Shapiro, whose own work is included.
Rogasky, Barbara. Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the Holocaust. Holiday House, 2002 (revised, expanded edition). OBCB 2004. o.p.
Some of history’s darkest days are examined in this even-handed yet moving look at the horror and humanity of the Holocaust and its aftermath. Quotes and photographs effectively draw young readers into the causes, events, and resistance movements.
Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. Penguin, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Nordic epics open up a world of wonder and power, a Viking world of heroic adventure and discovery at the turn of the first millennium. This collection includes the Vinland Sagas, which tell the story of Leif Eriksson’s voyage to North America.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII. HarperCollins, 2003. OBCB 2004.
How one man’s matrimonial woes elevated a very disparate group of women to temporary positions of power, changed the way a nation was ruled, and shook the foundations of the Catholic Church. Emphasizing Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, the author aims to set the record straight, separating legend and fact.
Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. Knopf, 1978 (reissue). OBCB 2004.
Castles and crusades, plague and famine, the glittering excitement of new ideas and discoveries, and the agony and displacement of war—the 14th century was a time not unlike our own in its rhythms and dimension. In order to ground her study of the period, Tuchman follows the life of one nobleman, French knight Enguerrand de Coucy VII (1340–1397), who married a daughter of the King of England.
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. HarperCollins, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)
The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime change a young woman’s life forever, as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost. Ung tells her story in the present tense, taking the reader from her ideal childhood in the cosmopolitan city of Phnom Penh to work camps and training as a child soldier, through the loss of her parents and her eventual escape to Thailand and the United States.
Von Drehle, David. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003. OBCB 2004.
Beyond the terror, destruction, and loss of life, this event changed the landscape of our cities and the lives of working people everywhere. On March 25, 1911, in New York City, 146 people, most teenagers or women in their early 20s, were killed in a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. Von Drehle recounts the events with an emphasis on the people involved, social justice, and labor history.
War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars. Scribner, 2001. OBCB 2004.
The Legacy Project preserves the voices of soldiers and statesmen who lived through violent times that changed the course of nations. Listen to their stories in their words—they will inform and inspire you. Each letter is given context by editor Andrew Carroll. They include letters written during the Civil War, both world wars, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia, and Somalia.
Watson, Peter. The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century. HarperCollins, 2001. OBCB 2004.
It was a time of marvelous optimism and belief in the perfectibility of man through science and new ideas. Explore the thoughts of the major players from Freud to Einstein, and events from Kitty Hawk to the distant reaches of the universe. Watson leaves the wars and politics to others, and concentrates on the scientific, artistic, technological, literary, and medical.
Weatherford, Jack. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. Crown, 1988. OBCB 2004.
Discover how profoundly the native peoples of North and South America influenced what we eat, how we trade, and our system of government. European and world history are shown to have been influenced by American silver and gold as well as native foods such as the potato.
Winchester, Simon. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded; August 27, 1883. HarperCollins, 2003. OBCB 2004.
When the earth’s most dangerous volcano exploded off the coast of Java, hundred-foot waves flung ships inland, a rain of hot ash made temperatures plummet, the shock wave traveled around the world seven times, and 40,000 people died. The aftermath of this disaster saw the rise of radical Islam, civil unrest, and a legacy of anti-Western militancy that continues today.
Literature and Language Arts
Abelove, Joan. Go and Come Back. Puffin, 2000. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
In a story of mutual culture shock, Alicia, a young Isabo girl in a remote area of Peru, is just as fascinated by the American anthropologists, Joanna and Margarita, as they are with the ways of her people. The arrival of the New Yorkers in the Amazon jungle results in many misunderstandings until Alicia saves and adopts an unwanted baby, and gets to know the visitors better.
Allison, Dorothy. Bastard out of Carolina. Dutton, 1992. OBCB 1999, 2004, 2009.
Bone confronts illegitimacy, poverty, the troubled marriage of her mother and stepfather, and the stigma of being considered “white trash” as she comes of age in South Carolina. Despite the fact that she lives among a large extended and protective family, Bone’s stepfather, Daddy Glen, becomes increasingly abusive; her mother is either unable or unwilling to protect her; and Bone herself is too young or too embarrassed to reveal what is happening to her.
Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of Butterflies. Algonquin, 1994. OBCB 1999, 2004.
The four Mirabel sisters were called the Mariposas, or butterflies. Alvarez brings these historical figures to life by having the sisters tell their own story, beginning in childhood, through involvement with the resistance, culminating in murder and martyrdom. Their courage helped to liberate the Dominican Republic from Trujillo’s dictatorship.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1999. OBCB 2004. (BBYA, Printz Honor)
Calling the police to a party is a tough choice, but what made Melinda call is the devastating secret that keeps her locked in silence. Ostracized by her former friends, Melinda tells the story of her 9th-grade year, during which she feels completely isolated and depressed. Slowly, her inner strength and experiences in art class help her to reach out and to heal.
Anderson, M. T. Feed. Candlewick, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)
In this society your brain cyberfeed provides an endless stream of information, entertainment, and advertising. When Violet’s feed is disrupted, she’s cast adrift, and everyone is forced to examine the power of the feed in his or her life.
Bagdasarian, Adam. Forgotten Fire: A Novel. Random House, 2000. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)
“Who will remember the Armenians?” Hitler asked, referencing the Armenian genocide as his inspiration for the final solution. This brutal hidden chapter of history is seen through the eyes of 12-year-old survivor Vahan Kendarian, whose world was shattered within a matter of days.
Chambers, Aidan. Postcards from No Man’s Land. Dutton, 2002. OBCB 2004. (BBYA, Printz Winner)
At 17, Jacob has gone to Amsterdam to explore his life. His quest strangely parallels discoveries about his grandfather’s life there during World War II. While in Amsterdam, Jacob meets an older Dutch woman, Geertrui, whose own teenage story intersects with Jacob’s search.
Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo. Knopf, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.
LaLa Reyes learns the stories of her Awful Grandmother and weaves them into a colorful history of her 20th-century Mexican family, taking the reader from Mexico City to Chicago to San Antonio. The “caramelo,” a striped shawl begun by her great-grandmother, symbolizes their traditions.
Foster, Thomas. How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines. HarperCollins, 2003. OBCB 2004.
All authors leave clues to lead readers deeper into the inner meanings of their writings. Learn how to follow literary breadcrumbs in any story with this practical and entertaining guide. Foster covers a wide range of symbols and narrative devices such as journeys, mythology, fairy tales, politics, violence, Shakespearean and biblical references, and more.
Frank, E. R. Life Is Funny. DK, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Growing up in New York can be agonizing, humorous, and always a challenge for the Brooklyn teens who tell their stories in rich hip-hop language. Pregnancy, abuse, love, beauty, alcoholism, intolerance, cutting, anger, friendship, and family mix together in this intense multicultural, multiracial tour de force.
Freymann-Weyr, Garret. My Heartbeat. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. OBCB 2004. (BBYA, Printz Honor)
Ellen loves her older brother, Link, and has a crush on his best friend, James. When she turns 14 and starts high school, Ellen begins to suspect a special relationship between them, even as she becomes closer to James.
Kaplow, Robert. Me and Orson Welles. MacAdam/Cage, 2003. OBCB 2004.
What would it be like to spend a week with the great Orson Welles, even sleeping in his pajamas? Richard Samuels, a budding teenage actor, gets the opportunity to see what life on stage, and backstage, is really like on Broadway in 1937 when he wins a small part in young Welles’s debut production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theater. Richard falls in and out of love more than once in this charming, romantic coming-of-age novel.
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees. Harper & Row, 1988. OBCB 2004.
In Kingsolver’s debut novel, Taylor Greer leaves Kentucky after high school and heads west to find a new life. When a Native American baby is abandoned in her car, she learns that responsibilities and independence are not mutually exclusive in this story of family and community.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1995. OBCB 2004.
Advice to the fledgling writer: “Just take it bird by bird.” A gentle, anecdotal guide for beginning authors about both the writing process and the writer’s life.
Mah, Adeline. Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter. Delacorte, 1999. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Wu Mei, also called Adeline, is the Fifth Younger Sister of her family, and the one who bears the blame for all their bad fortune. Wu Mei is cruelly mistreated by her new stepmother and neglected by her father. She is saved by her academic achievements and eventually becomes a doctor and a writer in this inspirational tale of survival in 1940s China.
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. HarperCollins, 1999. OBCB 2004. (BBYA, Printz Winner)
Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is accused of being an accomplice to murder in the shooting of a Harlem convenience store owner. He creates a screenplay of his wrenching experiences at the crime scene, in jail, and on trial. Is Steve guilty, or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Nye, Naomi Shihab. Nineteen Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East. HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2002. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Another world, another culture—poems that personalize the conflicts and people, deepening understanding of the impact of September 11. Many of the poems deal with being an Arab American in the United States, with peace, and with war.
O’Connor, Patricia. Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. Putnam, 1996. OBCB 2004.
When there’s something important to say, how you say it counts. O’Connor makes pronouns, antecedents, and more grammar-ology fun and painless for both novices and experts, including many examples.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Knopf, 1996. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Lyra Belacqua, a young girl living in an alternate Oxford, and her animal daemon, Pantalaimon, save her uncle from an assassination attempt, then set out to find her kidnapped playmate and uncover a sinister plot involving disappearing children and mysterious Dust. Lyra travels far north where she must use her special powers to thwart evil and redeem the world.
Reynolds, Sheri. A Gracious Plenty. Harmony Books, 1997. OBCB 2004.
What happens to us when we die? Finch Nobles was only four when she pulled a pot of boiling water down on herself, resulting in horrible scars. Now she is a recluse, a cemetery keeper in a small southern town who can talk to the dead, helping them examine what keeps them tied to the earth and resolve their tragedies.
Sapphire. Push. Knopf, 1996. OBCB 2004.
Precious Jones had her father’s baby at 12 and now, at 16, she is pregnant by him again. She is also physically and verbally abused by her mother. But an alternative school, a dedicated teacher, and classmates who understand help her fight back. She is a survivor, telling her own story.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Pantheon, 2003. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award, BBYA)
Marjane Satrapi grew up in revolutionary Iran, experiencing the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of a new regime that abolished personal freedoms, especially for women. Her own family is affected as a beloved uncle is put to death for rebelling against the government. Satrapi uses dramatic black-and-white illustrations to tell her story.
Sebold, Alice. Lucky: A Memoir. Scribner, 1999. OBCB 2004, 2009.
“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” With these words, Sebold recounts the brutal rape that she was “lucky” to survive as a college freshman. Tragedy and hope combine as she makes her way through a survivor’s maze of emotions, and the arrest and trial of her attacker.
Shakur, Tupac. A Rose That Grew from Concrete. Simon & Schuster, 1999. OBCB 2004.
Written when Tupac was 19 and not yet a star, these poems bring emotion, power, and passion to the experience of becoming yourself. Each piece is written in his own hand, complete with corrections and occasional drawings and ideographs, and illustrated with black-and-white photographs.
Smith, Anna Deveare. Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights and Other Identities. Dramatists Play Service, 1999. OBCB 2004.
A dramatic look at the Crown Heights riots and race in the United States through the voices of 23 fascinating and unique characters, based on interviews with real people.
Science and Technology
Bradshaw, Gillian. The Sand-Reckoner. Forge, 2000. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
A youthful Archimedes comes into his own as a mathematician, an engineer, and a fascinating human being in this engaging novel. After spending a few years studying in Alexandria, the center of intellectual life, Archimedes returns home to Syracuse to find his father dying, his country at war with Rome, and a woman who shares his interests. Still a very young man, Archimedes must take responsibility for his family and make difficult choices.
Brown, David. Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the Mouse. MIT Press, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Whose idea was it? Brown enthusiastically reveals the human stories and faces behind American scientific and technological innovations and achievements from the computer mouse to the pacemaker. Full-color photographs and diagrams enhance the stories of thirty-five 20th-century innovators.
Bryson, Bill. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Broadway Books, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009.
A renowned travel writer brings complex scientific concepts to life by describing how the universe and life as we know it came to be. Bryson focuses his distinctive humor and intelligence on every topic from the Big Bang to Darwin’s trip on the Beagle to the fate of the dodo, how we know what we know, and the people who figured it out.
Enzensberger, Hans. The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure. Henry Holt, 1998. OBCB 2004.
A boy who hates math in school dreams of a devil who guides him through a colorful, Alice in Wonderland–like world of mathematical concepts. In the course of 12 dreams, the sly devil tricks and challenges the boy into having fun with math through conversations about everyday phenomena.
Fagan, Brian. The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300–1850. Basic Books, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Fagan provides a fascinating look at how climate change influenced the course of the last thousand years of Western history. He highlights climate’s impact on the Viking discovery of North America, the Industrial and French Revolutions, and the Irish potato famine. Although modern warming trends are addressed, Fagan does not make a political argument for policy change.
Feynman, Richard. What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character. Norton, 1998. OBCB 2004.
Quirky, hilarious, and fascinating essays from one of the 20th century’s greatest physicists cover everything from his early childhood to his work on the atomic bomb. Several essays address his time on the Rogers Commission, which investigated the Challenger explosion.
Flannery, Sarah, with David Flannery. In Code: A Mathematical Journey. Workman Publishing, 2001. OBCB 2004. o.p.
One teenager’s discoveries in the science of cryptography dramatically impact the modern world. In this mixture of memoir and mathematical puzzle book, Sarah shares her love of her family, her love of a good challenge, the experience of winning the 1999 Ireland’s Young Scientist of the Year and European Young Scientist of the Year awards at the age of 16, and how she dealt with the resulting media attention.
Hawking, Stephen. The Universe in a Nutshell. Bantam, 2001. OBCB 2004.
The physics guru illuminates startling new theories about our world in a lavishly illustrated sequel to A Brief History of Time. The inclusion of graphics and an entertaining writing style help nonscientists understand concepts like black holes, M-theory, relativity, dimensions, and time.
Horvitz, Leslie A. Eureka! Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed the World. Wiley, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Horvitz explores the dramatic events and thought processes of 12 great minds that led to profound scientific discoveries, including television, theories of gravity and evolution, the periodic table, and the double helix. The author examines the impact of these discoveries on the way we live, think, and view the world around us.
Hoyt, Erich, and Ted Schultz, eds. Insect Lives: Stories of Mystery and Romance from a Hidden World. Wiley, 1999. OBCB 2004.
Hoyt and Schultz compiled a diverse collection of brief essays and illustrations that entice readers to explore the fascinating and mysterious world of insects. Each of the 10 chapters is arranged around a theme such as metamorphosis, architecture, social insects, or mating and reproduction.
Judson, Olivia. Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex. Metropolitan Books, 2002. OBCB 2004.
A “Dear Abby”–style science column that answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a fascinating variety of sexual activity for all creatures great and small. In an understanding, conversational tone, Dr. Tatiana answers letters from insects, reptiles, mammals, and more, revealing surprising details of animal mating habits and reproductive biology.
Krauss, Lawrence. Atom: An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on the Earth . . . and Beyond. Little, Brown, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Follow a single oxygen atom on a fantastic voyage from the beginning of the universe to far into the future. The history of the cosmos is revealed, including the evolution of stars, the production of chemical elements, the creation of our own solar system, and life on other planets.
Lambrecht, Bill. Dinner at the New Gene Café: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the Global Politics of Food. St. Martin’s, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Lambrecht traces the scientific and political controversies surrounding the use of genetically modified organisms and the food we eat. Sharing firsthand interviews from all sides of the debate, this is an unbiased report including corporate, government, activist, and farmer viewpoints from around the world.
Livio, Mario. The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World’s Most Astonishing Number. Broadway Books, 2002. OBCB 2004.
A captivating journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics. This ratio, 1.6180339887 . . . impacts so many facets of our lives that it has fascinated us through the ages. From the stories of those obsessed with phi to debunking common myths, this is a generously illustrated volume about the irrational number discovered by Euclid over 2,000 years ago.
Nash, Madeline. El Niño: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather-Maker. Warner, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Hard work and chance led to the discovery of El Niño and La Niña, powerful climatic systems that we still struggle to understand. Nash examines those who discovered and researched the phenomenon, as well as those affected by its destructiveness around the world—not only hurricanes, but also drought and disease.
Nolen, Stephanie. Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race. Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002. OBCB 2004.
This is the story of Dr. Randy Lovelace and Jerri Cobb and the other female pilots tested for their abilities to become NASA astronauts during the 1960s, the early days of the space race. This compelling history of women in aviation reveals why, despite passing the grueling physical and mental exams, they never went to the moon.
Porter, Roy. Madness: A Brief History. Oxford University Press, 2002. OBCB 2004.
What is meant when we say “madness”? Examine the wide range of possibilities, from witches to electric shock therapy to Prozac. Porter addresses the causes and treatments of mental illness in every period of history, from the ancient to the modern, including madness as possession, asylums, its intersection with creative genius, shock therapy, and controversial drug treatments.
Preston, Richard. The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story. Random House, 2002. OBCB 2004.
A striking portrait of smallpox makes readers uncomfortably aware that it could rise again as a biological weapon of mass destruction. Beginning with the October 2001 anthrax attack on the Hart Senate Office Building, Preston proceeds through the history of smallpox and the World Health Organization’s work to eradicate it, giving the tale the pacing and graphic description of a thriller.
Rigden, John S. Hydrogen: The Essential Element. Harvard University Press, 2002. OBCB 2004.
A fascinating history is revealed in this probe of a simple scientific giant, the hydrogen atom. Rigden tells the stories of the many scientists absorbed in the study of hydrogen since its discovery in the 18th century. The history of hydrogen is also the history of modern physics.
Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Norton, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)
Discover the amazing life-after-death adventures of human bodies in this examination of how medical and research scientists use cadavers to make our lives better. In an engaging, humorous style, Roach takes the reader along on her investigations into the varied fates of cadavers. She also examines the ways in which remains are disposed of in different cultures.
Sobel, Dava. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. Walker, 1995. OBCB 1999, 2004.
The little-known story behind the greatest innovation in navigational science: an 18th-century version of the GPS. The English government created a contest with an incredibly generous cash prize for the person who could devise a way to determine east-west position while at sea. The popular option was astronomy, but clockmaker John Harrison’s chronometer eventually proved the solution to the problem.
Stark, Peter. Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance. Ballantine, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Whether the danger is hypothermia, mountain sickness, or cerebral malaria, this blend of adventure and science takes you to the absolute edges of human endurance. Each chapter is a short story, leading the reader step by step through extreme mind and body experiences such as having the bends, being stung by a venomous jellyfish in Australia, or drowning. Some victims survive, some do not.
Strauch, Barbara. Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids. Doubleday, 2003. OBCB 2004.
Ever wonder what makes teens tick? A tour of the teenage brain reveals startling new research about this pivotal and exciting time of life. Strauch presents research proving that the brain is still developing during adolescence, which could explain changeable teenage behavior. Candid interviews with both teens and parents are included.
Sykes, Bryan. The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. Norton, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Fascinating mitochondrial DNA evidence supports the idea that almost all modern Europeans share a common ancestry—that they are descended from just seven women. After sharing the excitement of his scientific discoveries, Sykes conjures up the daily lives of each of the prehistoric women.
Tobin, James. Great Projects: The Epic Story of the Building of America from the Taming of the Mississippi to the Invention of the Internet. Free Press, 2001. OBCB 2004.
This generously illustrated story of the milestones of engineering that connected us and moved a nation forward traces the path from personal vision to physical structure that transformed the country. Projects described include the Hoover Dam, the Croton Aqueduct, the Internet, Boston’s “big dig,” and the bridges of New York City.
Social Sciences
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. Doubleday, 1997. OBCB 2004, 2009.
Mitch Albom’s Tuesday night visits with his dying sociology professor, Morrie, offer valuable lessons about the art of living and dying with dignity. Albom reconnected with his older friend in the final months of his life and took one last class, a class with only one pupil, on the topics of family, money, fear of aging, marriage, love, regrets, and forgiveness.
Best, Joel. Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. University of California Press, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009.
Do you know the difference between “good” and “bad” statistics, or how statistics and public policy are connected? Most people naïvely believe reported statistics, which are often mutations of the truth. Best teaches readers to become critical thinkers, and how to evaluate the statistics they encounter.
Conover, Ted. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing. Knopf, 2000. OBCB 2004.
A gripping and sometimes humorous insider’s look at Sing Sing prison, through the eyes of a writer who worked for a year as a corrections officer. Unable to obtain access any other way, Conover trained and worked as a guard in order to examine the prison system from the inside. He reveals the tension, frustration, violence, and sadness of life inside, for inmates and officers both.
Corwin, Miles. And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City High School Students. Morrow, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Twelve seniors from Crenshaw High School’s Advanced Placement English class in Los Angeles dream of going to college, but the harsh realities of their lives threaten to derail their plans. Corwin spent the 1996–97 school year observing these gifted students from one of the poorest, most crime- and gang-ridden neighborhoods in America, south-central Los Angeles. Here he tells their stories and argues for affirmative action.
Cuomo, Kerry Kennedy. Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World. Crown, 2000. OBCB 2004.
A collection of biographical sketches and haunting photographs (by Eddie Adams) of 51 ordinary people from 35 countries who are leading the fight to ensure basic human rights for everyone. From international heroes to complete unknowns, every subject demonstrates moral courage and compassion translated into action, often under appalling circumstances. The book has grown into a nonprofit organization of the same name (www.speaktruth.org).
Davis, Wade. Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures. National Geographic, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Through photographs and eloquent text, the author unveils the diversity and unique qualities of human culture around the world. Davis is an ethnobotanist and anthropologist who has traveled the world for over 25 years, studying food, plants, and indigenous cultures in Canada, the Andes, Haiti, Kenya, Borneo, and Tibet, among others. Each chapter begins with an essay followed by photographs. Davis expresses his fears for the decimation of indigenous cultures and the effects of that decimation on our own culture.
Dershowitz, Alan M. Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge. Yale University Press, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Focusing on the idea that terrorism is caused largely by the actions of Western governments, Dershowitz suggests steps to reduce the frequency and severity of these attacks. Terrorism continues as long as it is effective; therefore governments must never give in to terrorist demands. Dershowitz differentiates between tactics that moral governments and amoral governments might consider, including torture, and recommends implementing national identification cards and better coordination among agencies.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Norton, 1997. OBCB 1999, 2004.
Why do some societies become rich and powerful while others remain poor and powerless? Diamond, an evolutionary biologist, contends that three elements—guns, germs, and steel—determined the course of history. The rise of human civilizations is explained in terms of geography, ecology, and the development of agriculture.
Doyle, William. An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962. Doubleday, 2001. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
When James Meredith decided to integrate the University of Mississippi, it caused the worst crisis in American history since the Civil War. Thousands of white civilians rebelled, refusing to allow the federal legal system to change the rules and enroll Meredith in the university. President John F. Kennedy was forced to call in infantry, paratroopers, and the National Guard. Doyle based this account on extensive, original research, including government documents and personal interviews.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Henry Holt, 2001. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
Can you really survive on minimum wage? To find out, the author left her comfortable surroundings for a year to see what life is really like for America’s working poor. In jobs from waitress to house cleaner, renting the cheapest accommodations she could find, Ehrenreich discovered that it takes more than hard work to get by in America.
Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)
Fifteen-year-old Christopher has two mysteries to solve: who killed Wellington the dog, and what happened to his mother. Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, which causes him to take things very literally and have trouble relating to others. After spending a night in jail accused of Wellington’s murder, and inspired by Sherlock Holmes, he determines to investigate.
Hart, Elva Trevino. The Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child. Bilingual Press, 1999. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
This honest and moving memoir follows a Mexican migrant child and her family as they travel from their home in New Mexico to the farms of Minnesota and Wisconsin in search of work in the 1950s and ’60s. The toll of poverty and her father’s determination to earn enough money for all six children to graduate from high school are clearly portrayed in an account that has continued relevance today.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Putnam, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award)
When he was just a young boy, joyfully running kites through the streets of Kabul in the 1970s, Amir betrayed the son of his father’s servant, his best friend, Hassan. Years after fleeing Afghanistan, Amir, now an American citizen, returns to his native land (ruled by the Taliban) and attempts to atone for his cowardice and betrayal.
Katz, Jon. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet out of Idaho. Random House, 2000. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Eric and Jesse, poor high school students, social outcasts, and online geeks, find their obsession with computers and technology is their ticket to college and success. It all begins when Jesse responds to an online article by Katz, which leads Katz to Idaho to meet them. He encourages their move to Chicago, where they find jobs as part of the new indispensable geek elite. Both a study of geek culture and a moving personal story.
Latifa [pseud.]. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up under the Taliban; A Young Woman’s Story. Hyperion, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Sixteen-year-old Latifa dreamed of becoming a professional journalist until the Taliban’s repression of women changed her life. This first-person account brings home effects of the oppressive laws on the daily lives and psychological well-being of residents of Kabul. Latifa went from loving school, music, and fashion, to being required to wear a chadri and unable to leave home without a male relative.
Martinez, Ruben. Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail. Henry Holt, 2001. OBCB 2004.
Martinez explores the powerful forces that drive men, women, and even children to risk their lives crossing the border illegally from Mexico to the United States to find work. He traveled to the town of Cheran, west of Mexico City, in order to follow one family who lost three brothers in a border crossing tragedy. Martinez is himself the American son of Mexican émigré parents; his research became a personal journal of discovery of his own roots and cultural identity.
Pipher, Mary. The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town. Harcourt, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.
An exploration of the difficulties and struggles of refugees settled by the U.S. government in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they try to adjust and build a life in America. Pipher works as a family therapist in Lincoln, helping families deal with the tragedies of the past and hold onto cultural traditions in the present. She writes about young people from Sudan and Bosnia, and families from Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Salzman, Mark. True Notebooks. Knopf, 2003. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
When Salzman agreed to teach a writing class at Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, he had no idea how moved he would be by the lives and eloquence of his students, all high-risk violent offenders. Readers meet the young inmates through their own writing, as they wait for trial and conviction and face up to their own lives and actions.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. OBCB 2004.
The growth of the fast food industry has changed America’s eating habits and greatly affected agriculture, the meatpacking industry, the minimum wage, and other aspects of American life. Schlosser investigates the corporate farms, slaughterhouses, and flavor factories, exposing unsanitary conditions and effects on obesity and disease rates.
Senna, Danzy. Caucasia. Riverhead, 1998. OBCB 2004. (Alex Award)
Separated when their parents’ interracial marriage ends in divorce, light-skinned Birdie and her dark-skinned sister Cole lead very different lives while hoping for a reunion with one another. Both parents leave 1970s Boston on the run; the father and Cole move to Brazil, while Birdie and her mother change their names and move from town to town, eventually settling in New Hampshire, where Birdie is expected to pass as white. Birdie narrates, full of longing for her lost sister and frustration with the effects of racial identity on her life.
Simon, Rachel. Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. OBCB 2004.
Rachel Simon’s sister, who has mental retardation, spends her days riding buses in the Pennsylvania city where she lives. When Rachel begins to accompany her sister on the bus, she learns a lot about her sister and her disability, and about her own limitations. Beth asks Rachel to ride the buses with her for a year. Rachel is surprised to find herself accepting, hoping to become closer to her sister. She finds that Beth has a stronger social network and more fulfilling relationships than Rachel herself, a workaholic with a narrow view of life.
Smith, Zadie. White Teeth. Random House, 2000. OBCB 2004.
Archie and Samad, two unlikely friends, are brought together by bizarre twists of fate and near-death experiences in this epic, multiethnic novel of family, culture, love, and loss set in post–World War II London. Archie’s much younger, Jamaican second wife, Clara, gives him a new lease on life and a daughter, Irie. Samad marries Alsana late in life and ends up with twin sons, whom he separates, sending one back to Bangladesh for a traditional upbringing.
Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College. Viking, 2002. OBCB 2004. (BBYA)
Getting in—who and what drives the college admissions cycle? Find out in a behind-the-scenes look at Wesleyan University through the eyes of an admissions officer, Ralph Figueroa, seeking members for the class of 2004. Steinberg followed Figueroa every step of the way, from initial “marketing” school visits, through the early decision process, reading the applications, and even trying to win over particularly strong candidates. Steinberg also followed several high school seniors, simultaneously recording their thoughts and the progress of their applications through the process.
Turner, Sugar, and Tracy Bachrach Ehlers. Sugar’s Life in the Hood: The Story of a Former Welfare Mother. University of Texas Press, 2002. OBCB 2004.
An anthropologist who befriends a welfare mother learns about her world and the strategies she uses to get off welfare and into college. Turner is an African American mother of five children who shares her experiences of being a single mother on food stamps, struggling with crack addiction and prostitution. She also shares her determination to improve her life, which landed her a good job, a happy marriage, and education, as well as college education for three of her children. Ehlers and Turner take the reader beyond stereotypes of inner-city life.
Wheelan, Charles. Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science. Norton, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.
Without using charts, graphs, or jargon, Wheelan makes economics understandable, even interesting, as he demystifies basic concepts and applies them to everyday life. With his informal style and sense of humor, he shares his enthusiasm for the big economic picture.