Geo Librarian

  MEN OF THE 65TH: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War by Talia Aikens-Nunez Zest Books, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-7284-4962-3 Source: author for review Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage, loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014. But the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952, in the midst of the Korean War, when ninety-one Borinqueneers were arrested and tried for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen in one of the most distinguished and decorated units of the Army? In this telling of one of the forgotten stories of the Korean War, author Talia Aikens-Nuñez guides us through the history of the Borinqueneers and ...

LOVE IS LOUD How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement written by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier Paula Wiseman book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9781534451032 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover and interior illustration provided by the publisher. REVIEW As a picture book biography, Love is Loud focuses on the lifelong work of Diane Nash as an activist. Raised to believe in herself and her value, Diane Nash learned to stand up against the rampant racism and segregation around her.  Interestingly, the author writes as if the reader is Diane, putting the reader front and center into the experiences and feelings that drove Diane to spend her life working for change. From the visit to an amusement park and seeing separate but not equal bathrooms to her involvement in the lunch counter sit-ins, the book highlights some of the key events in Diane's life, the key moments th...

30,000 STITCHES The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag written by Amanda Davis, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport WorthyKids, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-5460-1369-3 Ages 8 and up Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. REVIEW 30,000 Stitches  stunningly portrays the story of the large flag that was hung from one of the damaged buildings after the tragedy of 9/11 occurred.  Readers follow the flag after it is taken down to be retired but ends up traveling the country being repaired using other damaged flags.  The flag was taken to each of the 50 states where it was worked on by select individuals and honored at each location.  Many people participated in reconstructing the flag including families, firefighters, veterans, teachers, and students.  Stories of courage and strength were told at each of the 50 ceremonies that were held.  The flag made it's way back to New York where it currently resides at the National September 11 Memorial & ...

  ENSNARED IN THE WOLF'S LAIR Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge by Ann Bausum National Geographic, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-4263-3854-0 Source: Media Masters Publicity for review Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK     "I've come on orders from Berlin to fetch the three children." --Gestapo agent, August 24, 1944 With those chilling words Christa von Hofacker and her younger siblings found themselves ensnared in a web of family punishment designed to please one man—Adolf Hitler. The furious dictator sought merciless revenge against not only Christa’s father and the other Germans who had just tried to overthrow his government. He wanted to torment their relatives, too, regardless of age or stature. All of them. Including every last child.   REVIEW   During World War II, as the war dragged on, a plot was hatched to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his government.  This plan was...

BREAKING THROUGH How Female Athletes Shattered Stereotypes in the Roaring Twenties by Sue Macy National Geographic Kids, 2020 ISBN: 9781426336768 Source: Media Masters Publicity Ages 10-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Macy offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into the journey of women's rights through the lens of women in sports during the pivotal decade of the 1920s. With elegant prose, poignant wit, and fascinating primary sources, Macy explores the many hurdles presented to female athletes as they stormed the field, stepped up to bat, and won the right to compete in sports. Featuring bold and talented heroines, this book documents how the social issues and morals of the decade--from politics to segregation to the media--helped shape the changing narratives around women and alter the course of history entirely. It is a fascinating window into a rich and seldom explored history, and also a topical reminder of the many disc...

FLY GIRLS: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History Young Reader's Edition by Keith O'Brien Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-328-61842-9 Source: publisher for review for Cybils Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From NPR correspondent Keith O’ Brien comes this thrilling Young Readers' edition of the untold story about pioneering women, including Amelia Earhart, who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s—and won. In the years between World War I and World War II, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Thousands of fans flocked to multiday events, and the pilots who competed in these races were hailed as heroes. Well, the male pilots were hailed. Women who flew planes were often ridiculed by the press, and initially they weren’t invited to race. Yet a group of women were determined to take to ...

THE DOZIER SCHOOL FOR BOYS: Forensics, Survivors, and a Painful Past by Elizabeth A. Murray, PhD Twenty-First Century Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5415-1978-7 Source: eBook through public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Some true crimes reveal themselves in bits and pieces over time. One such case is the Florida School for Boys, a.k.a. the Dozier School, a place where--rather than reforming the children in their care--school officials tortured, raped, and killed them. Opened in 1900, the school closed in 2011 after a Department of Justice investigation substantiated allegations of routine beatings and killings made by about 100 survivors. Thus far, forensic anthropologist Dr. Erin Kimmerle and her team from the University of South Florida have uncovered fifty-five sets of human remains. Follow this story of institutional abuse, the brave survivors who spoke their truth, and the scientists and others who brought i...

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: Nose-Diving into History Epic Fails #1 by Erik Slader and Ben Thompson Roaring Brook Press, 2018 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade nonfiction (history) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Although Orville and Wilbur Wright are celebrated today as heroes for their revolutionary contributions to science and engineering—they are acknowledged as the first men to successfully achieve powered, piloted flight—their success was hard-earned. (Spoiler alert: there were a lot of nosedives involved.) In fact, it took the self-taught engineers years of work and dozens of crashes before they managed a single twelve-second flight! In this first installment of the brand new Epic Fails series, Ben Thompson and Erik Slader take readers through the Wright brothers' many mishaps and misadventures as they paved the way for modern aviation. The Epic Fails series takes a humorous and unexpected view of history, exploring the surpr...

ROSES AND RADICALS The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet Viking, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-451-47754-5 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The United States of America is almost 250 years old, but American women won the right to vote less than a hundred years ago. And when the controversial nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution - the one granting suffrage to women - was finally ratified in 1920, it passed by a mere one-vote margin. The amendment only succeeded because a group of women had been relentlessly demanding the right to vote for more than seventy years. The leaders of the suffrage movement were fearless in the face of ridicule, arrest, imprisonment, and even torture. Many of them devoted themselves to a cause knowing they wouldn't live to cast a ballot. This is their story. REVIEW In a relatively short number of pages, Zimet manages to t...

FAMOUS PHONIES Legends, Fakes, and Frauds Who Changed History by Brianna DuMont Sky Pony Press, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-62914-645-4 Source: purchased Ages 10 and up MG/YA Nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fakes, frauds, and phonies. Sounds like a book filled with criminals and delinquents, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. Some of the biggest names in history can be found between these pages—and the light isn’t flattering. (We’re looking at you, George “I must not tell a lie” Washington.) Famous Phonies: Legends, Fakes, and Frauds Who Changed History is the first book in a new nonfiction middle grade series that will explore the underbelly of history, making you question everything you thought you knew about history’s finest. Follow the fake lives of these twelve history-changers to uncover the fabrications of the famous, and the should-be-famous! Famous “Phonies”: Confucius • George Washington • Pythagoras • Hiawatha • Gilgamesh • Major Wi...