American History Nonfiction

As in her fiction, the essays in Out of the Sun demonstrate Esi Edugyan's commitment to seeking out the stories of Black lives that history has failed to record. Written with the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the background, in five wide-ranging essays Edugyan reflects on her own identity and experiences as the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants.

This revelatory and gripping nonfiction middle grade book explores a deeply troubling chapter in American history that is still playing out today: the strange case of Prince Edward County, Virginia, the only place in the United States to ever formally deny its citizens a public education, and the students who pushed back.

Barack Obama is famous for his meteoric rise to the presidency of the most powerful country in the world—the USA. This is the story of how he realized his dreams—a story of success, resilience and perseverance that enabled him to become one of the most admired leaders the world has ever seen. In this children's biography, discover Barack's fight against racial and social injustices, hardships and setbacks in his early career and his personal happiness when marrying Michelle.

Jesse Owens is one of the most famous athletes of all time, but he experienced discrimination throughout his athletic career, such as having to stay at a different hotel to his teammates, because of the colour of his skin. However, he went on to win an incredible four gold medals at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. This biography, ideal for kids aged 8-11, charts the major events of Jesse's life: from his childhood growing up on a farm in Alabama before his family moved to Ohio in search of better opportunities.