Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Biographies

How does a kid grow up to become a scientist? This enthralling nonfiction book from New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner explores the unexpected beginnings behind some of the most fascinating discoveries in scientific history. This book of unexpected beginnings powerfully shows that the great scientists of the future could be practically anyone . . . including you.

Roberto Clemente always loved baseball. Growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he swung tree branches (since he didn’t have a bat) and hit tin cans. He was always batting, pitching, running, sliding. His dedication paid off when, at the age of 19, he was tapped for a major league team. First stop: chilly Montreal . . . where he warmed the bench and himself, longing to play baseball. Months later, he finally got his chance with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Walt Whitman is celebrated as an iconic American poet, but few know of the crucial and heroic role he played tending to the wounded and dying in Civil War hospitals. This nonfiction book highlights Whitman’s compassion and teaches an important lesson about empathy. New York Times-bestselling author Gary Golio and Caldecott Honor artist E. B. Lewis bring Whitman’s story and his passion for America to life.

A chic biography about Eunice W. Johnson who brought elegant and contemporary fashion to Black America through the annual EBONY Fashion Fair! Eunice W. Johnson believed in the power of fashion and beauty to inspire people. After she and her husband, John H. Johnson, founded EBONY magazine, it quickly became the premiere lifestyle publication for mid-century Black readers. Among the many hats she wore, Eunice delighted in writing a fashion column describing the latest styles. In 1958, Eunice launched a project that would change fashion forever—the EBONY Fashion Fair.

Written by the author of the Caldecott and Newbery Honor–winning book Watercress, here is the true story of a man of indomitable spirit. In the mid-nineteenth century, an impoverished father from Canton, China, sold his young son to an American sea captain, Amos Peck. The boy, dubbed “Joe,” worked on the ship for months, not knowing if his fate was to do so forever. Or would he be sold again?

At a young age, Yo-Yo Ma discovered a remarkable gift for the cello, playing Bach from memory by age four. His technique was far beyond his years, but even as he grew and became a world-class musician—studying at Juilliard, performing at Carnegie Hall at a young age, even playing on television before the president of the United States—he wanted to use his gift for something deeper, something bigger. As he asked question after question, trying to understand his place in the world, he discovered something that every culture has in common: music.

Sarah Brenner was always one of a kind, even with four sisters who dressed just like her. Growing up in an immigrant family on New York City’s impoverished Lower East Side, Sarah’s life was full of things that weren’t fair. It wasn’t fair that her parents had to leave Europe because of their religion. It wasn’t fair they worked hard all day and the family barely had enough to eat. It wasn’t fair how girls were treated in her school. When she grew up, Sarah gave herself a modern name, Sydney, just right for a woman who was going to forge her own path and continue to fight for a fairer world.

Mary Myers always dreamed of flying, but she lived when women were often told to stay put and stay quiet. Determined and fearless, Mary wouldn’t stay tied down. With the help of her husband, she transformed into Carlotta, the famous aeronaut, and took to the skies. Carlotta performed much more than aerial feats in her gas balloons. A skybound scientist, she collected information on currents, weather, and atmospheric pressure.

Formaldehyde, borax, salicylic acid. Today these chemicals are used in embalming fluids, cleaning supplies, and acne medications. But just over a hundred years ago, they were routinely added to all kinds of food by unregulated and unethical companies. Noted science and history writer Gail Jarrow introduces listeners to the relentless work of U.S. government chemist Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who mounted a thirty-year campaign to protect consumers from harmful food and drugs. As part of his research, he tested food additives by serving them to a squad of volunteers—the poison eaters.

Katie Sandwina was the strongest woman the world had ever seen. In her circus performances, she bent steel bars, broke chains, and carried a cannon! She could lift men with one hand and twirl them around! In an era when “proper ladies” were expected to be helpless and frail, Katie showed everyone that women could be powerful. She also spoke up for women’s equality and the right to vote.

One stray dog. One loving family. One cold winter's night. One Christmas miracle. It was two weeks before Christmas, and a stray dog wandered alone in the snow. When she discovered an open front door, she stepped inside with a hopeful heart, wondering what she would find.

In the mid-nineteenth century, most women who weren’t raising families became teachers or nurses. But Clara Driscoll longed to be an artist, drawing inspiration from nature: from every flower, weed, dragonfly, and even cobweb, on her family’s farm. In 1888, Clara was hired at the renowned Tiffany Glass Company, where Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany was known for creating gorgeous stained-glass windows for churches, theaters, and libraries. Impressed by her talent at choosing and cutting glass, Mr. Tiffany eventually put Clara in charge of her own staff of 35 women designers.

Whenever young Carol sang along to her family’s music, her heart felt light and full of joy. Learning from her great-grandfather, Moshum, Carol listened closely to the drums’ heartbeat until one day, Moshum made her a drum of her very own.

Once Mariam decides to start a food business in the refugee camp where she’s spent her whole life, she must see her dream through. She will need money. She will need the right papers. People will tell her it’s impossible. They will tell her not to risk it. But with the women of the camp behind her, she is determined to make it happen.

Written by Aixa Pérez-Prado, this is the powerful biography of Argentinean folksinger and human rights advocate Mercedes Sosa. Affectionately known as La Negra, Mercedes used her musical talents and powerful voice to speak out against poverty and inequality in her home country. In the face of a cruel dictatorship, Mercedes refused to be silenced. She bravely stepped on stage to lend a “voice to the voiceless” with uplifting songs of empathy and empowerment. Her unforgettable music and messages of hope continue to resonate with people across the world to this day.

Tiger Slayer showcases the gifts of historian Ruby Lal to uncover the vibrant and diverse culture of Mughal India and tell the compelling story of a daring, brilliant woman who achieved unequaled power and fame.

In this biography collection, meet over twenty people with Down syndrome who have accomplished amazing things in their lives. Excelling in film, sports, business, photography, and more, these people are changing hearts and minds about their disability. Hear about Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon, and Isabella Springmuhl Tejada, the first designer with Down syndrome invited to showcase her work at London Fashion Week. Learn about the Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and other organizations who support the Down syndrome community. 

Celebrate 50+ artists who broke barriers, took risks, and changed the world of entertainment forever! While these creatives came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better artistic world.

Venomous spiders, delicate silk, and science experiments filled Nan Songer’s days and nights—her home in California over flowed with many-legged critters. With inspiration from a friend, Nan began to study how spider silk could be harvested. The finely woven material spiders used to create webs was much stronger than it looked, and Nan was eager to unlock its potential and hopefully help her country at the same time. At the height of WWII, she studied different spiders before landing on the poisonous black widow as the perfect spider to experiment with.