English Heritage

Black Americans who have shaped their country and beyond: We are familiar with a handful of African Americans who are mentioned in American history books, but there are also countless others who do not get recognized in mainstream media. Their actions may not have appeared to shake the world, but their contributions to shifting American culture were just as groundbreaking.

From the perspective of the young adult he was then, Francisco Jiménez describes the challenges he faced in his efforts to continue his education. During his college years, the very family solidarity that allowed Francisco to survive as a child is tested. Not only must he leave his family behind when he goes to Santa Clara University, but while Francisco is there, his father abandons the family and returns to Mexico.

The Compton Cowboys are a group who grew up in the city where Kendrick Lamar and Serena Williams were raised; a city portrayed in the media as ground zero for gang violence. But in 1988, with the creation of the Compton Junior Posse, a youth program set on a horse ranch in the middle of Compton, these men and women found a safe space.

Aidan Foster never wanted to be a hero, and he sure as hell never wanted to be a starship captain. But one led to the other, and now he finds himself and his crew in an all-out war against an alien species that seems to know their every weakness. What is behind the enemy's superior tactics, and is there anything that can be done before they sweep through human space, crushing everything in their wake? In the search for answers, It soon becomes clear that Foster and his small ship might be uniquely qualified for the task - if it's not already too late.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be the best basketball player who ever lived, then Legends in Sports: Michael Jordan is the audiobook for you. In this exciting biography, Matt Christopher, the number one children’s sportswriter in America, puts you on the basketball court with the legendary superstar. Take an inside look at the triumphs, struggles, and statistics of one of the most determined players in National Basketball Association history.

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah's past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

It's 1972, and 12-year-old GJ Philip lives most of the time on the wharves of Wellington, NZ, afraid to go home where his schizophrenic father rules with an iron fist. But GJ carves a life of sorts from the rough-and-tumble world of pubs and railway stations in New Zealand's Capital City, selling fish and sleeping in railway carriages, part of a band of Naenae street urchins that find shelter on the public transport network. GJ joins the Wellington Surfcasting and Angling Club to find acceptance in society and recognition among his fishing peers.

Kofi doesn't care for the backbreaking work of the farm. He would rather be back in the village of mud huts, Lavié, building cars from tin cans, dancing to the rhythms of the nightly drum circle or bathing in the town's stream. But every day when he is not in school, he and his six siblings must make the two-hour trip in flip-flops to clear the African soil and plant the crops his family needs to eat.

Abridged and simplified for young learners by Bharatan Kumarappa, with a foreword by Tushar Gandhi, this book includes additional text and activities for exploring Gandhi in today's world.

During a snowy Cleveland February, newlyweds Muneer and Saeedah are starting their lives in America and expecting their first child. But Muneer harbors a secret: The word divorce has begun whispering itself in his ear. Soon, their marriage will end, and Muneer will return to Saudi Arabia, while Saeedah remains in Cleveland with their daughter, Hanadi. The more time she shares with her daughter, the more Saeedah wants to keep her close, and before long, her fear of losing Hanadi leads Saeedah to think that she and her daughter have no choice but to hide.

1790, French Caribbean: Biracial plantation owner Patrice Beaumont is known as a "kinder" slave master, but his trusted friend reminds him that is no cause for pride. He claims to be committed to ending slavery, but his actions don't back up his words. Is being the "best of the worst" all he's capable of? 1863, New York City: Giant Irish street fighter Patrick Allen is days away from battling it out with a similarly oversized Black fighter.

Milly Kaufman is an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont, until she meets Pablo, a new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo's native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.

A young British Brazilian woman from South London navigates growing up between two cultures and into a fuller understanding of her body, relying on signposts such as history, family conversation, and the eyes of the women who have shaped her - her mother, grandmother, and aunt. Our stubborn archivist takes us through first love and loss, losing and finding home, trauma and healing, and various awakenings of sexuality and identity. Shot through the novel are the narrator's trips to Brazil, sometimes alone, often with family, where she accesses a different side of herself....

No one was prepared for the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, taking over a quarter-million lives, and leaving millions of others homeless. Three thousand miles away, Jacqueline Florestant mourns the presumed death of her parents, while her husband, a former US marine and combat veteran, cares for their three-year-old daughter as he fights his own battles with acute PTSD. Horrified and guilt-ridden, Jacqueline returns to Haiti in search of the proverbial “closure”.

Jiho comes from a long line of forest rangers who protect the Kidahara - an ancient and mysterious wood that is home to powerful supernatural creatures. But Jiho wants nothing to do with the dangerous forest. Five years ago, his father walked into the Kidahara and disappeared. Just like the young Princess Koko, the only daughter of the kingdom’s royal family. Jiho knows better than anyone else the horrors that live deep in the magical forest and how those who go in never come back.

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.

Drummond Lathan has never wished for any form of the strange talents that curse his mother's bloodline. Serving as his father's advisor, negotiator, and second in command, his position as Lathan heir and his highly honed skill as a warrior garner him more than enough attention without the added burden of the hushed whispers his talented siblings have to bear.

In this biographical collection, authors Saadia Faruqi and Aneesa Mumtaz highlight some of the talented Muslim physicians, musicians, athletes, poets, and more who helped make the world we know today. A brilliant surgeon heals patients in the first millennium. A female king rules the Indian subcontinent. A poet pours his joy and grief into the world’s best-selling verses. An iconic leader fights for civil rights. And many, many more.

When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map - and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah's mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts - not even her best friend, Luke.

When she hears that the small town of Heritage, Michigan, is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a storage closet stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans.