AMERICAN TRAILBLAZERS
50 Remarkable People Who Shaped U.S. History
By: Lisa Trusiani
Published: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Rockridge Press
Non-Fiction
In honor of March being Women’s History Month, I’m sharing books that feature women in history. Even though this book features both male and female trailblazers, there are plenty of amazing women to learn about.
Fifty Americans of different races, genders, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses all left a mark on our history. Some died much too young and others lived long and prosperous lives. But, their impact has been recorded in brief biographies perfect for upper elementary readers.
Each bio offers an illustration, their birth and death dates, a quote and what made them memorable. Each bio ends with a tip for learning more or doing something that particular person would be proud of.
Some of the women featured include those who are well-known like Louisa May Alcott, Sacagawea, Georgia O’Keefe, and Elizabeth Coolidge. Other featured women include Wilma Rudolph, the 20th of 22 children, a survivor of polio, pneumonia, and scarlet fever, and eventual winner of an Olympic medal in track and field. She is an amazing inspiration to children with physical challenges and those who face challenges in all sorts of ways.
Maria Tallchief was a member of the Osage Native American tribe. Because of her family’s wealth due to oil on their tribal lands, she was able to take dance and music lessons as a child. She eventually became American’s first prima ballerina and danced with the NYC Ballet for 18 years.
Katherine Johnson, known from the movie and book HIDDEN FIGURES, just recently passed away. Her job in an early laboratory as a “human computer” eventually became NASA. She was hired to check the male engineer’s calculations but also made sure her knowledge was used in other ways.
Not to leave out any of the men featured in this book, Langston Hughes was a jazz poet and activist I had never heard of. His family encouraged him to be proud of his race. In high school, he wrote honest jazz poetry describing the life of black working people. He is well-known for his poetry and they continue to be read by children and adults.
I learned so much about the people featured in this book, I could go on and on about their inspiring stories. Kids with all kinds of interests and backgrounds can find someone in this book to look up to.
Lisa Trusiani loves to research life in the past and often imagines going back in time to meet trailblazers and other fascinating people. Lisa has written award-winning comic book stories for Marvel entertainment and a syndicated newspaper strip. She is happiest when writing for children and teens.
To purchase a copy of AMERICAN TRAILBLAZERS, click the photo below:
March is also a time to feature middle-grade fiction and non-fiction for #MiddleGradeMarch. Check other these other books you might be interested in: