Books in Our Century Series series

In I Wonder as I Wander, Langston Hughes vividly recalls the most dramatic and intimate moments of his life in the turbulent 1930s.His wanderlust leads him to Cuba, Haiti, Russia, Soviet Central Asia, Japan, Spain (during its Civil War), through dictatorships, wars, revolutions. He meets and brings to life the famous and the humble, from Arthur Koestler to Emma, the Black Mammy of Moscow. It is the continuously amusing, wise revelation of an American writer journeying around the often strange and always exciting world he loves.

James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction. The first fictional memoir ever written by a black, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has also given white readers a startling new perspective on their own culture, revealing to many the double standard of racial identity imposed on black Americans. Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to "pass" for white, the novel describes a pilgrimage through America's color lines at the turn of the century--from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast. This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, "the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year."

In Media in the 20th Century, explores the extraordinary rise of power of the different forms of media-print and electronic-through the 20th century and the issues of censorship, regulations, influence and manipulation through the decades. Read about the rise of "yellow journalism" in the 1900s, the boom years of radio in the '20s, the coming of television in the '30s, the coverage of wars in the different decades, the rise of "media screening" and the V-chip in the '90s, and much more! From Nightline to the community affairs column of you local newspaper, we are being bombarded with more and more information-coming to us at a faster and faster speed. Media in the 20th Century chronicles the different ways in which information has been disseminated and the influence it has had upon the political, social, and economic structure of the U.S. and the world. Miliestone media events and implications are explored, such as the Kennedy/Nixon presidential debates, The Cold War, Watergate, McCarthyism, Iron Hostage Crises, and Neil Armstrong's walk on the surface of the moon. Media in the 20th Century is jam-packed with fascinating information presented in an accessible format highlighting, along the way, interesting facts and figures, people, 20th century vocabulary, obsolete necessities, and more! The vast range and speed of media has made the world relatively small-we are now capable of communicating instantaneously on a global scale. At this pivotal point in time, when two millenniums collide, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to evaluate our achievements and peek over the horizon.

The classic history of women on America's frontiers, now updated and thoroughly revised. FRONTIER WOMEN is an imaginative and graceful account of the extraordinarily diverse contributions of women to the development of the American frontier. Author Julie Roy Jeffrey has expanded her original analysis to include the perspectives of African American and Native American women.

Bluewood books is proud to introduce In The 20th Centuries Series, an important and compelling look into distinct aspects of life in the 20th century. Each book in the series will focus on a different topic, providing the reader with an extraordinary chronicle of our past 100 years and insight towards the challenges of tomorrow. They are designed to give a clear and concise overview of the actual events that have contributed to our development in the U.S. and the world. The first two titles in the series are Media in the 20th Century and Technology in the 20th Century.In Technology in the 20th Century, read about the birth of aviation technology in the 1900s, technology advanced by the World Wars, the arrival of the electronic brain in the '60s, the Information Age of the '80s, and more! Technology in the 20th Century chronicles the inventions and discoveries that have changed the political, social, and economic structure of the U.S. and the world. Owning a Walkman, flying an airplane, or speaking to someone over a videophone were considered impossible at the beginning of the 20th century, but are now taken for granted. We are on a constant quest that will never be satisfied: seeking improvement over what has been accomplished. Technology in th 20th Century is bursting with remarkable information presented in an accessible format highlighting, along the way, interesting facts and figures, people, inventions, 20th century vocabulary, obsolete necessities, and more! We are at a pivotal point in time when two millenniums collide and we are presented with once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine our achievement and peek over the horizon.

Law & Order in the 20th Century is the perfect book for anyone interested in the history of law, law enforcement, and justice. You'll read about landmark and sensational trials; organized and white collar crime; and the struggles for civil rights, women's rights, labor rights, environmental justice, and workplace rights. Along the way you'll meet the lawmakers, judges, and lawyers; the police and special agents; and the accused, innocent, and guilty.