Books in American Icons series

Tyler Perry's path to success was anything but easy. His childhood was marred by constant abuse—physical and emotional. To escape from the pain, Perry found an outlet in writing. But the first play he wrote did not draw huge audiences. Even after years of failure, Perry never quit. He forged ahead, committed to getting his message out. And he sure did! Perry, now with many hit movies and television shows to his credit, is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Author Marty Gitlin explores the amazing life of this entertainment icon.

In TONI MORRISON: A BIOGRAPHY OF A NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING WRITER, author Barbara Kramer explores the life and career of this talented writer. From her childhood in Loraine, Ohio, to her creative expressions of African-American culture, Morrison has always remembered her past. She has taught at several universities, as well as being the author of novels, short stories essays, and a play. Morrison invites readers to participate in her stories and enables them to enter into the characters' lives.

Tyler Perry's path to success was anything but easy. His childhood was marred by constant abuse—physical and emotional. To escape from the pain, Perry found an outlet in writing. But the first play he wrote did not draw huge audiences. Even after years of failure, Perry never quit. He forged ahead, committed to getting his message out. And he sure did! Perry, now with many hit movies and television shows to his credit, is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Author Marty Gitlin explores the amazing life of this entertainment icon.

From the child raised by her grandmother in a small village in Arkansas to the writer known as National Treasure, Angelou has lived a remarkable life. She rose from pain and poverty to achieve success as a dancer, an actress, a teacher and an award-winning author. Readers of Donna Brown Agins's compelling new profile will understand and appreciate why Angelou is one of the best-loved and most fascinating American writers.

This riveting study of Joe DiMaggio offers a more sympathetic look at his life beyond the baseball field, a reversal of how the legendary sports icon has been portrayed in recent years As the New York Yankees' star centerfielder from 1936 to 1951, Joe DiMaggio is enshrined in America's memory as the epitome in sports of grace, dignity, and that ineffable quality called "class." But his career after retirement, starting with his nine-month marriage to Marilyn Monroe, was far less auspicious. Writers like Gay Talese and Richard Ben Cramer have painted the private DiMaggio as cruel or self-centered. Now, Jerome Charyn restores the image of this American icon, looking at DiMaggio's life in a more sympathetic light.DiMaggio was a man of extremes, superbly talented on the field but privately insecure, passive, and dysfunctional. He never understood that for Monroe, on her own complex and tragic journey, marriage was a career move; he remained passionately committed to her throughout his life. He allowed himself to be turned into a sports memorabilia money machine. In the end, unable to define any role for himself other than "Greatest Living Ballplayer," he became trapped in "a horrible kind of minutia." But where others have seen little that was human behind that minutia, Charyn in Joe DiMaggio presents the tragedy of one of American sports' greatest figures.

His voice blaring in the recording, Sean “Diddy” Combs says, “We won’t stop!” He repeats the motto in many of his famous songs—three words that Diddy lives by. When it comes to his rise to superstardom in hip-hop and his pursuit of dominance in the entertainment industry, Sean Combs has never stopped. The Harlem-born music mogul has achieved success as a producer, rapper, and entrepreneur, including the massive success of his Sean John clothing line. Author Jen Jones explores the meteoric rise of this entertainment icon.

From the child raised by her grandmother in a small village in Arkansas to the writer known as National Treasure, Angelou has lived a remarkable life. She rose from pain and poverty to achieve success as a dancer, an actress, a teacher and an award-winning author. Readers of Donna Brown Agins's compelling new profile will understand and appreciate why Angelou is one of the best-loved and most fascinating American writers.

From silly kid to Grammy-winning rapper, Will Smith has taken the fast track to superstardom. His popular rap music opened doors for Smith, who became a TV star on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR. After years of balancing rap and television, Smith emerged as a serious actor in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION and as a profitable, crowd drawing star in BAD BOYS. Readers get a rare peek behind the scenes of stardom at this tremendously popular actor, rapper and family man.

This series introduces beginning readers to some of the many places, people, and symbols that have become American Icons. With easy to read text and captivating visuals, each book in this series explores the symbols that helped shape the nations identity. Beginning readers will learn the history of each symbol, how it became important to the United States, and the role it continues to play in society today. American Icons is a series of AV2 media enhanced books. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. These books come alive with video, audio, weblinks, slide shows, activities, hands-on experiments, and much more.