Dig Into History - Kirkwood July Staff Picks!Like this list

10 items

• Black Heroes of the American Revolution

  Davis, Burke, 1913-2006

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  "This book introduces readers to heroes like Edward Hector, a courageous wagoner at Brandywine; Austin Dabney, an enslaved artilleryman; and William Lee, George Washington's trusted aide. Their stories reveal the bravery and sacrifice that helped…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Show Me a Sign

  LeZotte, Ann Clare,

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  "Meet Mary Lambert: a creative, thoughtful girl growing up deaf in an early 19th-century Martha's Vineyard community where hearing and deaf neighbors share a common sign language (Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, or MVSL). But tensions rise between…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Path Lit by Lightning

  the Life of Jim Thorpe

  Maraniss, David,

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  “Olympic champion. All-American footballer. Major League Baseball player. Jim Thorpe was the original all-around athlete and a Native American man navigating a white-dominated sports world. This book traces his extraordinary achievements alongside…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Medgar Evers and the NAACP

  Jeffrey, Gary

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  “I chose this title to highlight a little-known American Civil Rights leader and to honor his birthday on July 2: my cousin, Medgar Evers. He and my late grandmother were first cousins. And she had just left his home in Mississippi before he was…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Lesson Before Dying

  Gaines, Ernest J., 1933-2019

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  "I read this historical fiction novel in high school, and I remember it being one of the most wonderfully written stories. Also coming from a family of educators made the story even more impactful for me." -AW

• Nat Turner, Black Prophet

  a Visionary History

  Kaye, Anthony E.,

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  "This book is a historical biography and intellectual study by the late historian Anthony E. Kaye and co-author Gregory P. Downs. It explores the life of Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher who led the largest and deadliest rebellion of enslaved people…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lady From the Black Lagoon

  Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

  O'Meara, Mallory,

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  "Part lost Hollywood history, part modern memoir, "The Lady from the Black Lagoon" tells the story of Milicent Patrick, the artist responsible for the design of Universal's Gill Man, more commonly known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Writer…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Baseball's Leading Lady

  Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues

  Williams, Andrea,

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  "I was born in Newark, NJ, into a family of baseball lovers, but I only learned of Effa Manley three years ago. Manley was an enigma from birth, which makes her story even more fascinating. It’s not clear whether she was a biracial woman or a white…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Matriarch

  a Memoir

  Knowles, Tina, 1954-

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  "This memoir has quickly become one of my favorite books about a prominent American. Although it was released a year ago, it has already made a huge cultural impact. Tina Knowles is most famously known as the mother of two of music's biggest stars:…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gather Me

  a Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me

  Edim, Glory, 1982-

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  "This memoir spoke to me as a young woman who also found much of herself and her community through the written word. It is a worthwhile read that emphasizes the power of literature. I am also a fan of Edim's work through Well-Read Black Girl; she's…Read moreRead more of this annotation