Books in My Name is... series

The brother of an anti-war demonstrator, a young marine is fighting a war no one understands while his sister is fighting on the home front to end the war in Vietnam and bring her brother home.An agonizing dilemma plagues these brother-sister diarists. He is a Marine stationed in Vietnam. She is at home in America, far away from her brother's war zone, fighting for peace. As the marine writes in his journal about his experiences as a soldier, fighting an enemy he can't see, his siter seeks peace. In these gripping installments of DEAR AMERICA and MY NAME IS AMERICA, Ellen Emerson White captures the unique time period when America was at war both in a far-off place, and at home where adults and children alike marched in the streets for peace and freedo. Poignant and comlex, these two characters will give readers glimpse into perhaps the most tumultuous time in modern American history.

This is the remarkable story of Phillis Wheatley, who is born into an African family of griots, or storytellers, but captured by slave raiders and forced aboard a slave ship, where appalling conditions spell death for many of her companions. Numerous sharks follow the ship, feeding on the corpses of slaves thrown overboard. Weakened by the voyage and near death in a Boston slave market, Wheatley is bought by a kind family who nurses her back to health and teaches her to read and write. Soon her mistress recognizes that the girl is a quick learner and talented. At the age of 12, a torrent of poetry begins to flow out of Wheatley. Proud of her achievements, her mistress organizes readings in Boston's finest parlors and drawing rooms, and Wheatley's fame spreads. But even when many in Boston are calling her a prodigy and a genius, some remain unsure that a slave should be able to write, much less write poetry. When Phillis travels to London she is a media sensation, feted by the cream of English society. A book of her poems is published, and she finally gains her freedom. This amazing story, wide in scope, is based on fact and told convincingly from young Wheatley's point of view.

Often shocking, always compelling, Afua Cooper's novel is based on the life of Henry Bibb, an American slave who after repeated attempts escaped in 1841 to become an anti-slavery speaker, author and founder of a Black newspaper. Cooper takes painstakingly researched details about slavery and weaves an intimate story of Bibb's young life, which is overshadowed by inconceivable brutality. At nine years old, Henry is separated from his mother and brothers and hired out, suffering abuse at the hands of cruel masters so severe he almost dies. Henry's courageous life is described in intimate detail and young readers will learn about everyday slave life on a plantation and in towns and cities, the coded language of slave escapes and the dangerous routes over land and water to safe houses. As Henry Bibb moves from boyhood to manhood, he knows that one day he will "fly away" as in the old legend of the Africans who flew away to freedom. The first-person narrative, convincingly told in Henry's voice, traces Bibb's boyhood, marriage, fatherhood and the developing awareness of his bondage and his determination to break free of it or die.

Critically acclaimed author Joseph Bruchac's exciting JOURNAL OF JESSE SMOKE is now in paperback with a dynamic repackaging!In 1838 in Tennessee, the Cherokee Nation is on the brink of being changed forever as they face the Removal -- being forcibly moved from their homes and land, in part because of a treaty signed by a group of their own people. Sixteen-year-old Jesse Smoke has been studying at the Mission School, but it has been shut down and turned into a fort for the ever-increasing number of soldiers entering the territory. Now Jesse has returned to his home to live with his widowed mother and two younger sisters. All hope lies on the Cherokee chief, John Ross, who is in Washington, D.C., trying to delay the Removal. Then one night, family members are suddenly awakened, dragged from their homes, and brought at gunpoint to a stockade camp. From there, Jesse and his family are forced to march westward on the horrifying Trail of Tears during the long, cold winter months. It's a difficult journey west, and Jesse's not sure if he and his family can survive the journey.

Today more than ever, the image of the Goddess of Willendorf is a relevant one. Women and girls are bombarded with Photoshopped images of an "ideal" body shape that is quite literally unattainable. Remembering Willendorf's powerful story reminds us of the beautiful abundance of the female body, with all of her hills and valleys, lush softness, and fertility. You don't want to miss this body-positive celebration of the Great Mother Goddess!Praise for My Name is Goddess of Willendorf“At last—the truth about the Goddess of Willendorf, Mother of All. No, we Her daughters are not all skinny like some male standard demands. Yes, some of us Her daughters have soft thighs. Yes, we Her daughters are of many colors and speak many languages. Our own daughters will be inspired by this beautifully illustrated book to see themselves more clearly and more gently.” -Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., Author of Goddess Meditations, Practicing the Presence of the Goddess, and Finding New Goddesses“Counters the toxic message of patriarchy...sets a new tone, a new and healthy narrative for women and girls. Liberates us all from the shackles of self doubt and shame. Promotes our own unique authenticity.” -Rev. Dr. Karen Tate, Author, Activist, Radio Show Host of Voices of the Sacred Feminine“The Upper Palaeolithic Venus of Willendorf is lush and curvy, the opposite of what society believes women’s shape should be: rail-thin, boyish. This gorgeously illustrated book honors this Goddess, a perfect role model for young women and girls.” -Miriam Robbins Dexter, Ph.D., Author of Whence the Goddesses: a Source Book“What if the Goddess of Willendorf spoke to us? What would She want Her children, young or old, to understand? Surely She would speak with images, feelings, and heart-truths, as well as with words—as does this sublimely-illustrated book, designed to awaken an abundance of rich Goddess-power in the psyches of children and adults alike.”-Annie Finch, Author of Spells: New and Selected Poems and Among the Goddesses

The Morrigan remains one of the most misunderstood goddesses of the Celtic pantheon. Her mythology is a tangled web of various guises, deeds, and battles--and even her name is a bit of a mystery! Dive into the world of the Goddess of Death, and learn about what The Morrigan really has to teach us--and, maybe you'll find that She, and death, aren't so scary after all!Praise for My Name is the Morrigan¨In a society where we’ve been taught to fear death + things coming to an end, this book, through poetic prose + beautiful illustrations, will invite you to meet the goddess Morrigan. Let Morrigan be your guide as she shows you that as sure as spring follows winter, when something comes to an end, there is ALWAYS a new beginning, and that with death there is always rebirth. This is a beautiful and insightful guide helping us to revere The Morrigan + not fear her.¨-Lisa Lister, author of Love Your Lady Landscape + Witch¨We didn’t grow up knowing the Goddess. Her names and powers have been forgotten, and we’ve learned to fear Her sacred mysteries of darkness and death.My Name Is The Morrigan, a stunning addition to The Girl God series, changes this. Together Jessica Johnson and Arna Baartz give wondrous life and voice to the The Morrigan. She reaches outward from each divine page: stark and powerful, gentle and loving, gathering Her lost children back to Her side, and Her natural cycles of death and new beginnings.¨ -Karen Clark, Author of Tale of the Lost Daughter and The Path of She Book of Sabbats

Leonardo was one of the greatest figures of the Italian Renaissance. Born in 1452 in the town of Vinci, he first made his reputation as an artist in Florence. But he was also a pioneer in modern science, a student of human anatomy, and an inventor of devices that were used in his day as military weapons. He is perhaps best known today for his painting of the Mona Lisa, which now hangs in the Louvre in Paris, and for his fresco of The Last Supper, located in Milan. Older boys and girls will find hours of reading pleasure in the very accessible biographies in the My Name Is ... series. The narratives are substantial, averaging roughly 7,500 words each, as they recount their subjects’ accomplishments in the context of their times and historical backgrounds. Each book’s narrative is supplemented with handsome full-color illustrations, including some of full-page size. Titles in this series make ideal additions both to school and home libraries, and can serve as supplementary reading for classroom discussion and essay projects. A two-page time line at the back of each book summarizes the subject’s life, as well as important cultural and historical events that occurred during his lifetime.

When his father dies, Finn Reardon must support his family by selling newspapers on the streets of Manhattan, where he finds himself in the middle of the Newsie Strike of 1899.When Finn Reardon's father dies, he decides to support his mother and eight siblings by peddling newspapers on the streets corners of New York City. But when the two biggest newspaper publishers, Hearst and Pulitzer, raise the wholesale price that Finn and his friends pay for the papers they sell, the boys band together and go on strike. Susan Campbell Bartoletti brings humor and wit to this classic David and Goliath struggle between the Newsies and the newspaper publishers.