Books with author Stuart A. Kallen

The Mayan pyramids that stand today on the Yucatan Peninsula are a stunning reminder of a powerful civilization that ruled the people of southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize for more than 6,000 years. The Mayans comprehensively explores the politics and culture of the Mayan Empire in vivid detail from 1500 BC to the 16th-century arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

This popular Lucent Books series has been updated to make music of all genres even more accessible, popular and culturally relevant in the 21st century; the set focuses on the history, music, musicians, and instruments behind specific musical styles.; Rock and roll: Those three words are understood by people in almost every nation on Earth. They describe a type of music—and an attitude—that made history and continues to change the musical landscape. The music style started out in the United States as a new type of dance music for teenage baby boomers during the mid-1950s. By the 1960s, the music transformed the cultural—and political—landscape of much of the world. Never before in history has a style of music come along that so quickly and so completely changed the world. From the very beginning, rock and roll and the musicians who performed it challenged existing social norms, provoking defiance, disrespect for authority, and, at times, revolution among fans. In the modern world, rock-and-roll music continues to define what it means to be a young person. Rock stars and their songs affect the way people look, dress, act, and talk. In this new addition to the Music Library, author Stuart Kallen traces the history of rock and roll from its early 1950s beginnings through its most significant developments to date.; This new edition of the popular Lucent Books series has been updated to make music of all genres even more accessible, popular and culturally relevant in the 21st century. The set focuses on the history, music, musicians, and instruments behind specific musical styles -- from blues to indie rock to rap and more. It also addresses music videos, the advent of digital music stores and new portable digital delivery systems. Each title provides a historical overview of the development of a specific music genre; explores the roots and influences of the genre and the key components that are definitive of the style; discusses the pioneers of the music; and considers the changes the genre has undergone from its inception to its present status on the world scene. Informative sidebars, a glossary of music terms, a selective discography, an annotated bibliography, and a subject index provide readers with additional tools for discussion and research.

Under cover and in secret during World War II, Allied spies and secret agents worked behind the scenes to send messages, take pictures, and find out about the enemy's plans. These spies broke codes and stopped weapons programs. Eventually, their work helped the Allies win the war. These brave men and women risked their lives to fight back against the Axis powers who invaded their homes and interrupted their lives. Learn more about these hidden heroes of World War II: a famous singer, a major-league baseball player, a well-known writer, and many others who helped change the course of history.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed west from Europe and landed on a Caribbean island in what he thought was India. Over the next twelve years, Columbus made several voyages to the New World, seeking gold and power and bringing other Europeans to start colonies. How can we know what the journey was like for Columbus, his shipmates, and the Taino people he met in the Caribbean? We can study maps and tools Columbus used, excerpts from his journal, and carvings and jewelry created by the Taino. Explore primary sources from his time to learn more about his famous journey.

October 9, 1967. World-renowned revolutionary Che Guevara is dead at the age of thirty-nine. The charismatic Argentinian revolutionary had been leading guerilla fighters in the jungles of Bolivia and was captured by the Bolivian army. Mario Terán, a sergeant in the Bolivian army, volunteered to execute the prisoner. He carried out the bloody assignment with nine point-blank shots to Guevara's body. Around the globe, reactions to the assassination were mixed. In Cuba, where Guevara had helped overthrow a brutally repressive dictatorship in 1959, more than one million people mourned openly. But in the United States and elsewhere, many business leaders and government officials were relieved. Guevara's anti-capitalist movement sought to strip big businesses of their land and power. He wanted to set up socialist systems to spread wealth and resources among ordinary workers―in Latin America and all around the world. To the rich and powerful, Guevara was a dangerous threat. In this chronicle of an assassination, find out what inspired the myth of Che Guevara and what brought him to this bloody crossroads of history.

"The only way we could win was to keep fighting for a long time...the only way we could win was by staying with it."―Cesar Chavez As the sun rose on September 8, 1965, in Delano, California, thousands of acres of ripe grapes hung heavy on the vine. But instead of harvesting the crop, Filipino farmworkers on nine large ranches laid down their tools and walked out of the vineyards in protest of their low wages and dangerous working conditions. The strike quickly caught the attention of Cesar Chavez, who had been organizing Mexican American farmworkers through the United Farmworkers Union. Together, thousands of California agricultural laborers fought for their rights through strikes, boycotts, and a 250-mile (400-kilometer) protest march, the longest march in U.S. history. For more than five years, their struggle had the support of the American public and led to labor laws and agricultural practices that ensure the rights of all farmworkers to decent pay, safe working conditions, and other benefits. In this compelling story of the rise of Cesar Chavez from local organizer to national civil rights hero, we'll learn how he and other leaders of the grape strike endured violence and fought corruption to win rights for workers. And we'll see how the story continues in the twenty-first century as the United Farmworkers Union works to protect the civil rights of every agricultural laborer in the nation.