Biddy Mason's life began as an enslaved person. She had to walk 2000 miles to reach California, but once there, she gained her freedom. She became a successful nurse, midwife, and land owner, and left behind a legacy of caring and charity. This primary source reader integrates literacy and social studies content knowledge, and uses maps, letters, images, and photographs to engage students and develop their curiosity about the people and the world...

Frederick Douglass, nacido en la esclavitud, confió en su propia determinación e ingenio para abrirse camino hacia la libertad. Una vez libre, dedicó su vida a mejorar la vida de los demás y a luchar por la justicia y la igualdad. Esta inspiradora biografía en español utiliza fuentes primarias para involucrar a los estudiantes en el aprendizaje de la fascinante vida de Frederick Douglass. Los estudiantes desarrollarán sus habilidades de alfabetización...

This classic of the Jewish-American immigrant experience was an instant critical and popular success upon its 1912 publication. Author Mary Antin arrived in the United States from Russia in the 1890s at the age of 12. Her memoir vividly recaptures scenes from both Old and New World cultures, chronicling the poverty and oppression of Czarist Russia as well as the excitement and challenges of her assimilation into American life at the turn of the twentieth...

"Traveling across the country, journalist Karla Cornejo Villavicencio risked arrest at every turn to report the extraordinary stories of her fellow undocumented Americans. Her subjects have every reason to be wary around reporters, but Cornejo Villavicencio has unmatched access to their stories. Her work culminates in a stunning, essential read for our times. Born in Ecuador and brought to the United States when she was five years old, Cornejo Villavicencio...

Frederick Douglass was born a slave, he escaped a brutal system, and through sheer force of will educated himself and became an abolitionist, editor, orator, author, statesman, and reformer. This three-in-one omnibus edition of Frederick Douglass autobiographies provides the quintessential narrative of his life. 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass' is one of the most influential autobiographies ever written. This classic did as much as or...

Learn about American Indian tradition and the important part it has on American culture. This nonfiction book shows how American Indian changemakers work to preserve their cultures and promote fairness. The book includes a short fiction piece related to the topic, a glossary, a meaningful activity, and other great tools. Students will learn about and appreciate the dedication of American Indian leaders. This 32-page full-color book explains the important...

Back in 1981, publisher Ed Danner took a chance, hiring Nancy Besonen, a rookie reporter from Chicago's South Side, for his weekly newspaper, the L'Anse Sentinel. Her humor column, "Off the Hook," was ostensibly all about fishing, but she quickly cut loose, writing about anything relevant to life, especially in the Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as long as it made her readers smile. There's something for everyone with a strong sense of the ridiculous:...

High on the Vine features cousins Tami & Evi Maki, who often contemplate the shortcomings of their respective spouses, Toivo and Eino. The story is told through a series of short stories set in Upper Michigan. The Maki women contemplate how their lives may have fared (certainly better) had they not married the two louts. After a hideous winter survival weekend sponsored by the Maki men, Tami & Evi take over the boys' hunting camp as punishment. After...

The story of Australia's almost-250-year love affair with alcohol told with yarns, verse, anecdotes, and surprising historical narratives "It seemed like a good idea . . . at the time." -the lament of many a morning after Rum, beer, scotch, wine, beer, and more beer. For nearly 250 years, Australian history has been punctuated with stories of booze and boozing. From Cook's voyages and the First Fleet to the Rum Rebellion, the mutiny of the 99th Regiment,...

By turns reflective, tragic and hilarious, Turn Left at the Devil Tree is the story of a visiting teacher in remote Aboriginal Australia. Accompanied by a 'rough-tough hunting dog' named Turkey, Derek Pugh founded several outstation schools in the most isolated parts of Arnhem Land.Spending many years among the people and wildlife of the Top End of the Northern Territory, Derek Pugh reveled in the lifestyle and freedom of the bush and gained an insight...