Sponsored by Penguin Kids.
Introducing a new nonfiction series for the next generation of activists, uncovering the hidden history of the United States through an anti-racist lens. The true story of the discriminatory laws and ideas that affected African American life for generations.
Did anyone see that pic of Sarah Jessica Parker reading during the Super Bowl, because I don’t even know if that was from this year, but it was v relatable. Why are the Bengals called the Bengals? Actually, I assumed the answer was “because tigers are cool” and it turns out it’s actually because the Cincinnati Zoo had a white Bengal tiger. So that’s neat. I mean, not for the tiger; it probably wanted to be in India. But I’m glad the name wasn’t just chosen out of nothing.
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
We got new books! Here we go:
Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, Daniel Minter (Illustrated by)
It’s a nonfiction picture book! Brew-Hammond is an American-Ghanaian author/novelist and illustrator Minter is a Caldecott Honoree. It covers the history of the color blue, how it was made over time, and the human labor that has gone into making it. But also how it’s been used in cultures throughout the world! Super neat, love nonfiction for younger people.
Running Sideways: The Olympic Champion Who Made Track and Field History by Pauline Davis, T. R. Todd
Davis grew up running to get water for her family in The Bahamas, going sideways to avoid bullies. She navigated astonishing challenges to compete in five Olympics and win two Olympic gold medals, becoming the first individual gold medalist in sprinting from the Caribbean. She went on to become the first Black woman on the World Athletics council. Did I mention she didn’t win her gold medals until age 34? 34! Amazing.
Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick by William Elliott Hazelgrove
Well this looks fun. Chadwick was a late nineteenth century con artist who defrauded banks for literally millions of dollars. This was when women weren’t even allowed to get loans from banks. Because of sexism. She also opened a brothel in Cleveland because sure. Her biggest con was saying she was Andrew Carnegie’s “illegitimate” daughter. She got millions of dollars from banks based on this lie! To learn more including how she got away with this for eight years check this out.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
For more nonfiction reads, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.