Books with author Milton Meltzer

The Story of America’s Peace SeekersWhile terrorists kill in pursuit of their goals, there are people whose goal is never to kill, no matter what the situation. Here, Milton Meltzer explores Americans’ long tradition of pacifism. From the Quakers of colonial times to the conscientious objectors of Vietnam, Americans have risked much to stand against violence in any and every form. First published in 1985, Ain’t Gonna Study War No More is now fully updated and revised by the author.

A valiant fighter in the war against ignorance, Samuel Gridley Howe epitomized the generous, versatile spirit of the nineteenth century. He was a pioneer in social reform and education, and his zeal for a good cause was combined with action and intelligence. Like many young men of his generation, Howe was stirred by the Greek War of Independence, but unlike them he brought more than enthusiasm to the aid of the Greeks. After finishing Harvard Medical School, he served in Greece as military surgeon as well as guerrilla, and when his six adventurous years of fighting were ended he remained to help rebuild the country. When he returned home to Boston, a second phase of his career began. As the first director of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, he studied, invented alphabets and teaching devices, created a whole new science, and saw it bring light and life to pupils who had been thought unteachable. This remained his lifework - and the almost miraculous education of the deaf and blind Laura Bridgman was his greatest triumph. But it was impossible for a man of Sam Howe's energy and talents to limit himself to one area. Public education and the training of teachers, humane treatment for criminals and the insane, were some of his concerns. He wrote and spoke against slavery, and, as chairman of Boston's Vigilance Committee, aided in the rescue of fugitive slaves. He was one of the "Secret Six" who sponsored John Brown's raid. Author Meltzer has here brought Howe to life, in all the richness and complexity of his character and ideas, and given us a picture of a stormy age and a man who was a hero of action and ideas.

A landmark work for teens chronicling the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and the treachery of the U.S. during that time. A ragged, starving handful of guerrillas, the Seminoles and blacks resisted the invading U.S. Army ten times their number. Meltzer explores the Seminoles' choices and the sacrifices they made by resisting in the longest and costliest of the Indian Wars. The book reveals America's terrible racial history, the consequences of which we are only beginning to understand.