Picture Book Biographies
A simple biography of Clara Lemlich who helped spearhead the girls/women strike against working in horrible conditions in clothing factories in the early 1900s.
Target Readers:
- Tactful Inspirational Bio Fans: The light-colored illustrations and the carefully chosen text manages to tell this story without making it dark. There are further notes in the back that mention the Triangle Shirt Waist fire tragedy, but the main text avoids that. It does mention Clara getting arrested and sometimes beat up, but does not show it. And overall, the story focuses on the successes and triumphs of Clara and others she worked with. (P.S. If you want to read more about the Triangle Shirt Waist fire, try the YA book Flesh and Blood So Cheap: the Triangle Fire And It’s Legacy by Marrin.)
Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade, ill. by Alice Ratterree
A picture book biography of Jane Addams who started Hull House in Chicago to help the poor better their situation, inspired women and national leaders to settle disagreements peacefully during WWI, and then worked to help the poor and hurting after the dust of WWI settled, and became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Target Readers:
- Nobel Winner Fans/Inspirational Bio Fans/Tenderhearted Readers: Jane Addams is truly an inspirational model of someone who worked hard for social justice around the world. This picture book does a good job portraying the highlights of her work and life in a way kids can grasp. Hopefully many of them will be inspired to follow her example, to help the poor and hurting in the world in tangible ways that help them maintain their own dignity and make a lasting difference.
Henry’s Freedom Box: a True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, ill. by Kadir Nelson
Henry grows up and is sold to different slave owners, but after his own family is sold away, Henry decides to escape. With the help of friends, he ships himself to Philadelphia in a box.
Target Readers:
- Amazing Bio Fans/Underground Railroad Studiers: This is a powerful story about the "lighter" horrors slaves went through (lighter as in whippings and other such tortures are not described, but having family sold away is) and the creative way Henry "Box" Brown got himself to freedom. It is all the more amazing for being a true story. (See the author's note at the end for more details on Henry Box Brown.)
- Award Winner Readers/Art Lovers: For readers who want to check out the books with shiny stickers on their covers, this is a Caldecott Honor book. And for good reason. Kadir Nelson’s artwork is memorable and entrancing.
The Kid Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews, ill. by Philip Hurst
A look at a string of kids (Norman Borlaug, Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver, and Moses and Susan Carver) who grew up to influence their world, and people around them, for the better. Because of their legacy passed from one to the next to the next, many hungry people in the world have been fed.
Target Readers:
- Readers Who Want to Change the World/Inspirational Bio Fans: Actions small and large can have a lasting effect on other people. That's the message of this story. In the back of the book the butterfly effect is even introduced to kids. The book tells the story backwards in a way. Looking at one man, and then looking at the man who influenced him, and then looking at the man who taught him, and then looking at the family who took in him. It's a chain of people stretching back over a hundred years whose actions have helped work to feed the hungry today. It is inspirational for kids looking at ways they can help their communities and world and may feel like they are too small.
Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryn Erskine, ill. by Charly Palmer
A picture book biography of singer Miriam Makeba who used her voice to fight for the end apartheid.
Note: Some violence.
Target Readers:
- Singers/Readers Who Feel Like They Have Nothing to Contribute/South Africa History Studiers/Inspirational Bio Fans: Definitely read the author's note about growing up in South Africa during this era and how Miriam Makeba's songs and apartheid affected her. There are frequently people who claim they can't do anything to help, they don't have the talents, but if something as simple as singing a song can help bring freedom, what can other talents accomplish?
Manjhi Moves a Mountain by Nancy Churnin, ill. by Danny Popovici
Two villages in India were separated by a rough and hard 40 mile road over a mountain. One village had plenty of water, medical care, and schools. The other village, where Dashrath Manjhi lived, had very little. But Manjhi decided to do something to bring the villages closer together, he started to chisel away at the mountain to make a better road. After 20 years of chiseling, Manjhi finally achieved his goal, and his village became a much healthier place to live.
Target Readers:
- Perseverance Motivation Readers/India Studiers/Inspirational Bio Fans: Definitely read the author's notes in the back with further details on Manjhi's inspirational story and other kids who are moving "mountains" in their own communities by doing a little each day like Manjhi chiseled at the mountain each day. Manjhi's dedication and self-sacrifice to help his village are amazing models for kids.
Martin’s Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, ill. by Bryan Collier
A picture book biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. that focuses on his "big words" (some of his most famous quotes).
Target Readers:
- Powerful Word Lovers/Civil Rights Studiers/MLK Jr. Day Celebrators/Inspirational Bio Fans: I really like the quotes that Rappaport chose. She managed to tell MLK Jr's story succinctly but powerfully. A great read for MLK Jr Day or any time you're studying the Civil Rights movement.
- Award Winner Readers/Art Lovers: If you notice the number of stickers on the cover, this book cleaned up in the awards. The art work is definitely stunning.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. by Ekua Holmes
Written as if narrated by Fannie Lou Hamer herself, this picture book in free verse tells of her life from helping her sharecropper family pick cotton to her entry into the Civil Rights movement as an young adult and how she rose to leadership among the nonviolent civil rights workers, working for years for freedom and rights despite many hardships.
Note: Click on title for content notes.
Target Readers:
- Civil Rights Studiers/Overcomer Bio Fans: For readers who aren't quite ready for the brutal truth presented in the three March books by Lewis, this is an eye-opening look at how hard those involved in the Civil Rights movement had it. It isn't always an easy read, but it is important and lyrically written. Definitely a great pick when studying the Civil Rights movement.
- Award Winner Readers: This is another book that cleaned up in the awards categories as is evidenced by all the stickers on the cover.
YA & Adult Biographies
Gil and Eleanor Kraus were two relatively normal upperclass Jews living comfortable lives in Pennsylvania in 1938. They could have easily have lived through WWII in comfort, but when they started hearing about the dangers faced by Jews in Europe these two decided to not just feel sorry for others they decided to do something. Gil was a lawyer in Philadelphia and member of a Jewish group called Brith Sholom. One of the other Brith Sholom members mentioned to him that the group had a camp facility with 25 rooms sitting empty that could easily be used to house Jewish refugees. This set Gil and Eleanor on a journey through several months of mountains of paperwork and a crash course in US Immigration policies, and eventually into the heart of Nazi occupied Europe itself. Thanks to key connections, they were able to understand the process better than numerous other groups at the time and find a way to legally bring in 50 Jewish children out of the dangers of Nazi Austria and Germany.
Note: Click on title to see content notes.
Target Readers:
- Those with a Heart for Refugees/WWII History Fans/Inspirational Bio Fans: Given the huge humanitarian crisis in Europe at the time, I found it shocking that this rescue mission was the largest number of children ever brought over from Nazi territory to the US during WWII. I also found it shocking how much opposition the Krauses received from fellow Americans telling them not to even try and/or that they were doing the wrong thing. I was moved by the amount of persecution and danger this couple faced in order to save 50 perfect strangers, and I'm so glad their story is being told. While reading this, I found the story startlingly relevant to current immigrant/refugee debates. Aren't we supposed to learn from the past to avoid present or future mistakes?
Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: the Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman
This book includes short biographies of these two important figures in American history, and how they came to know and respect each other. It also explains how each man played a part in freeing the slaves in America and how they worked together in this area.
Note: Click on title to see content notes.
Target Readers:
- Emancipation Studiers/Friendship & Barrier-Breaking Cooperation Story Fans/Quick Read Fans/Historical Bio Fans: A great read if you want an example of men who broke barriers for their friendship and how they worked together on an important cause. Also a good pick if you're short on time, as this is just a little over 100 pages long.
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas
A biography of British statesman William Wilberforce and his decades long campaign to end slavery, as well as his work in many other areas of social justice and human rights.
Note: Click on title for content notes.
Target Readers:
- Perseverance Motivating Read Fans/Seen the Movie, Read the Book/Social Revolutionary Fans/Inspirational Bio Fans: Wilberforce worked for many, many decades to get emancipation for the slaves in England. So many people would have given up, but he didn’t. This is a truly inspiration and amazing read, and is ten times better than the movie based on it. The book includes many details the movie couldn’t touch on and also talks about Wilberforce’s work on many other social justice and human rights issues in England at the time with some like-minded friends. This is hands down the best biography I’ve ever read.
The Faithful Spy: the True Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
A heavily illustrated biography of German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who eventually felt led to take a stand against Hitler and paid for it with his life.
Target Readers:
- Graphic Novel Fans/WWII History Buffs/Inspirational Bio Fans: Ok, confession time. I haven’t gotten to read this yet. It was just released this week. But I have heard it is fantastic and I have loved Hendrix’s work on other books. I am really looking forward to it.
- Bonhoeffer Fans: Obviously, this is a great read for people already fans of Bonhoeffer. And if you’re looking for other great books on Bonhoeffer, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Metaxas is phenomenal but it is also the size of a good doorstopper so it is rather intimidating too. (There is a young reader adaptation which is significantly smaller in the page count, though, and I’d recommend that too.)
Candy Bomber: the Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnell
Candy Bomber is a touching story of how one man's small act of kindness grew to bring hope, reconciliation, and joy to many young German children after World War II, and spurred many other allied troops and citizens to also reach out with love and kindness. Filled with original pictures and letters from Lt. Gail Halvorsen's (aka the "Chocolate Pilot") personal collection.
Target Readers:
- Peacemaker Story Fans/Small Acts of Kindness Story Fans/Inspirational Bio Fans: Beyond the story, Mr Tunnell also includes a brief but helpful historical summary of WWII and events after for the reader. The story was well written, and focused on showing how the acts of kindness touched lives on both sides (givers and receivers). Perhaps most touching were the letters from the German children pouring out thanks and love for a man who a few years previously would have been their enemy. Halverson is a great role model, especially since he didn't just do one act of kindness, he has lived a lifestyle of caring for others (he has done similar things after many other world conflicts). This is a great read for any age.
Every Falling Star: the True Story of How I Survived And Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee with Susan McClelland
Sungju Lee had a cushy childhood in Pyongyang. His father was in the military. The family had a nice flat, a grand piano, a coveted dog, went to the amusement park, revered Kim Il-sung, and were enjoying the good life. Sungju dreamed of one day being a military leader for Joseon (what North Koreans call North Korea). And then out of the blue when he was about ten, Sungju's parents told him they were going on an extended vacation up north. In reality, his father had fallen out of favor with the regime and they were forced to leave. For a while, their wealth helped them continue to live fairly well in a more primitive setting. Their new house had no running water or electricity, but with saved money they ate well. Eventually the money ran out, and first his father and then his mother left on temporary trips to go find more food. Neither of them returned in the time promised and Sungju found himself on the streets left to fend for himself. He soon made his own gang with other street boys and together they found ways to survive. Street life was harrowing and made Sungju an angry and hardened teen, until one day a man standing in a train station recognized him and Sungju's life started to change for the better. Eventually, Sungju receives word that his father wants him to sneak out to China, and he begins a strange and terrifying trip to what he hopes will be a reunion.
Target Readers:
- Modern North Korea Investigators/Refugee Story Fans/Crazy Autobiography Fans: This is by no means an easy read, though it isn't as harsh as it could be. Lee keeps it teen appropriate. Reading about his harrowing experiences it was easy to forget that this was in recent history. With the frequent lack of power and the main transportation method trains, it often feels like a story from the 1940s or even 1920s. But most of the book takes place between 1997-2002. I also found it extremely interesting that Sungju was so indoctrinated that it took him years of life on the street to just start to become displeased with Joseon's ways, and even then, he'd been fed so many horrifying lies about China and South Korea and America he thought he was better off starving on the streets. Most of the other escape stories I've heard were from people who wanted to escape. Also, his escape was extremely well-funded so it was much quicker and easier than other stories out there. It was an eye-opening new perspective. Definitely read the epilogue about what he is doing now, his ongoing search for his mother, his road of recovery in South Korea and then working towards a higher degree and profession in which he can help North Koreans who have escaped and also work towards reunification of the Koreas.
Girl Rising: Changing the World, One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone
Inspired by the documentary Girl Rising this is the story of the challenges girls around the world have in getting education, why education is important for anyone but especially girls, and interviews with girls from around the globe who have overcome huge hurdles to get an education.
Target Readers:
- Collective Bio Fans/Readers Who Want to Better Appreciate What They Have/Motivational Read Fans: Words cannot express how important this book is and how amazing the stories of these girls are. The book focuses on stories of girls who have been rescued from modern-day slavery or child marriage, or who just didn't have access to education. It's an eye-opening look at very real problems for millions of girls in the world. And it explains how just access to education can give these girls a much higher chance of getting out of poverty and breaking unhealthy cultural cycles. If you have teens who are complaining about their first world problems (especially homework!) or teens looking for a cause to pour into, have them read this. It's great in that it informs but doesn't overwhelm. It presents very real and harsh difficulties, but just enough to motivate without permanently scarring.
I am Malala: the Story of the Girl Who Stood up for Education And Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
Malala Yousafzai was a very young girl when the unrest in Pakistan started, but she still remembers a time when it was safe to walk down the street and go to the bazaar with her mother. After the Taliban's arrival, things started to change. Since before the Taliban's impositions, Malala was somewhat different from most other Muslim Pashtun girls in that her father doted on her, encouraged her education, let her make speeches, and really modeled standing up against injustice, particularly in the education realm and politics. When the Taliban moved in and started invoking strict rules in the name of Islam, Malala's father spoke out against them. When the Taliban started telling people that girls should not go to school, Malala (now around 11 or 12) and her father would speak out and give interviews. Malala started to be recognized around Pakistan for her voice for women's education and receive awards, which brought both positive and negative awareness of her family. Her father had already received death threats, but then Malala started to as well. Like her father, Malala decided she would rather keep doing what was right than let the threats hide her away. One day on the way home from school she and two fellow female classmates were shot. Malala was soon flown to Birmingham to help ensure her recovery. The Taliban had tried to quiet her voice, but instead probably brought her and the cause of women's education more of a spot light than ever before.
Note: Violence
Target Readers:
- Nobel Winner Fans/Fans of Books That Help You Better Understand Current Conflicts/Crazy Autobiography Fans: In telling her story, Malala gives a lot of background information on the political situation in Pakistan since colonial times. She describes what life was like in the mountainous area of Swat before the Taliban's arrival, and then contrasts that with the years after their slow infiltration. She also describes some of the natural disasters that have further complicated the recovery and political turmoil in the area. It was quite enlightening to see the conflicts in this area of the world from a Pakistani Muslim's perspective. I was also quite amazed at the bravery of Malala and her father.
- Malala Fans: If you’d like to share Malala’s story with younger readers there are LOTS of picture book biographies of her out now, as well as a young reader edition of this book and several other middle grade biographies of her. If you enjoy this read, Malala also has a new book We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls around the World that’s coming out January 8, 2019.
March 1-3 by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, ill. by Nate Powell
John Lewis shares his firsthand account of the Civil Rights movement through three graphic novels.
Note: Language & Violence
Target Readers:
- History Studiers & Teachers/Civil Rights Studiers/Nonfiction Graphic Novel Fans/Moving Autobiography Fans: This is a hard but very important read. It's probably a good thing they chose to keep this in black and white because there's so much bloodshed that happened. It's truly horrific the things people went through both while suffering injustice and nonviolently protesting that injustice. Definitely recommended for teens and adults. History teachers, you should really look into adding this into your curriculum if you cover American history or human rights.
- Award Winner Readers: Those handing out book awards just showered the last book with tons of awards for Lewis’s wrenching and important account.
The Radium Girls: the Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
In the early 1900s radium was taking the world by storm. Everyone thought it was a miracle element. Medicines including radium were all the rage, and items covered with radium-infused paint were all the rage for their glow-in-the-dark properties. Especially popular with the military were the new clock dials that glowed in the dark, featuring the numbers painted on by ladies who worked for companies that produced the radium paint and dials. One of the big factories was in Orange, New Jersey. Another big factory later opened in Ottawa, Illinois. The ladies who worked there painted on the dials by lipping the brushes, meaning they consumed the radium-laced paint hundreds of times daily, they were covered in dust from the paint, they were encouraged to take extra paint home, and they were continually told that the paint was actually healthy for them. As the years ticked by, the girls started to get strange illnesses and no doctor could tell them what was wrong. This is the story of the doctors who eventually figured out their problem, the long struggle to get the law and the companies to recognize the dangers of radium, and the struggle of small town girls versus big business in getting fair recompense for the ways they were endangered.
Target Readers:
- Medical History Fans/Legal History Fans/Tragic Bio Fans: Moore does a great job in creating a memorial to these women who suffered so greatly but eventually we learned from their sacrifice and changes are still in effect today because of their fights for justice and awareness even as their bodies fell apart. It is superbly researched with extensive primary source quotes throughout. You can tell Moore did her homework. It is not an easy read because you do get to know many of the girls personally and then you watch most of them slowly and painfully die. It is also hard to watch them suffer so many injustices and such a hard battle to get the truth recognized. But it is also an important read for the impact their medical issues and fight for justice had on our modern world.
The Underground Abductor (Nathan Hales’ Hazardous Tales, #5) by Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale (the historic character), the executioner, and the British soldier this time regale readers with the story of Araminta Ross, aka Harriet Tubman. Ok, really Nathan Hale tells us all about this amazing woman who overcame personal hardship, escaped slavery, didn't rest in her safety but helped dozens of other slaves obtain freedom, and as if that weren't enough, also helped serve as a spy for the North in the American Civil War. As usual, the executioner and British soldier provide comedic side notes as Hale spins the tale.
Note: Violence
Target Readers:
- Graphic Novel Nonfiction Fans/Reluctant Readers/History with Humor Fans/Amazing Women Bio Fans: The artist/author Nathan Hale does such an amazing job with this series that is both highly educational and extremely entertaining. I have students fight over the books in this series. Yes, they are fighting over history books. History books that are well-researched, honorable to the subjects, and are extremely informative (but shhh, don't say that too loud or you may scare off some readers). This is a fantastic graphic novel biography of Harriet Tubman that is fine for middle graders as well as young adult readers.
We Will Not Be Silent: the White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
The story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and their friends who formed the White Rose Student Resistance Movement in Germany during WWII. The White Rose group published pamphlets encouraging the German people to resist the evils of the Nazi regime and exposed the truths of some of those horrors. The main members were college students at Munich University, though the group eventually grew to include numerous people from all walks of life who could not be silent about the evils around them any longer, even though they knew to do so could result in imprisonment or death.
Note: Violence
Target Readers:
- WWII History Buffs/Reluctant Readers/Inspirational Bio Fans: A moving story about the bravery of a group of college students who decided to fight evil with words, and some of whom paid for those words with their lives. A lot of WWII nonfiction for this target age group is several hundred pages long, so it is nice to have a very readable biography that is almost exactly 100 pages long. It’s a perfect length for reluctant readers, or those short on reading time.
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