American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This graphic novel relates the difficulties Jin Wang, an American born child of Chinese immigrant parents, faces in a majority White cultural environment - a public school. Alongside Jin's story the author portrays a Chinese tale of the thousand year old monkey king who wants to take a place in Heaven with the immortal gods but is not allowed no matter how hard he tries.

Hanging Mary: A Reimagining of Lincoln's Assassination

Hanging Mary: A Reimagining of Lincoln's Assassination by Susan Higginbotham

After John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Licoln, Mary Surratt, who owned a boarding house in Washington, was arrested as one of the members of the conspiracy. After a military trial she was found guilty, and was the first woman to be hanged by the federal government. This book takes a sympathetic look at the events surrounding the assassination from Mary Surratt's point of view. Staying true to the historical facts as revealed in the court testamony, the author builds Mary's story of the events leading up to the assassination and the resulting investigation, trial, and death that followed.

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall

Dr. Rebecca Hall, the granddaughter of slaves, is a historian and is sensitive to the legacy of slavery that still surrounds us. Her research on women-led slave revolts is brought to life for the non-academic reader in graphic novel form describing her pioneering historical research into the women who took part in and led slave revolts. She also shares the obstacles she faced doing her research in the wake of the institutionalized racism of our society.