Category: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Just the name of history’s original bad boy conjures up connotations of double-crossing and betrayal. Say “Benedict Arnold” to any group of school kids in the country and while they may not be able to come up with his birth and death dates, they can tell you that he was a traitor. In September of 1780, Arnold’s plans to turn over the American fort of West Point to the British were discovered through a series of fascinating mishaps and coincidences, meticulously chronicled in this captivating biography. Though his plot was discovered in time to avoid the capture of West Point, Arnold was forever branded a turncoat. The irony is that Arnold should have gone down in history as a hero. After all, he was known for his courage on the battlefield, his clever attack plans, and his winsome ways with the ladies. But politics, anger and a little thing called ego got in his way. How did one of the bravest champions of the American Revolution end up becoming one of history’s most reviled villains? Rev. War buff and author Steve Sheinkin explains in this detailed, entertaining biography that plots out both the events of Arnold’s life and the life of Major John Andre, the British soldier who also ended up taking the fall for Arnold’s actions. Benedict Arnold: rascally rogue or misunderstood victim? You be the judge after finishing this intriguing biography.

Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg perfectly capture what it’s like to travel the world while simultaneously navigating your first grown-up relationship in this lavishly illustrated travel memoir. Casey, a writer, and Steven, an artist, are in love and can’t wait to start experiencing life post-college. “So here we are, adults. We are no longer required to do anything. It’s liberating! It’s…full of pressure. Because now that we can do whatever we want, we’re constantly asking ourselves: Is this what we want to be doing?” So together they cobble together a year long, grant-funded plan to travel from China, through Southeast Asia and end up in Timbuktu, Mali. On their way, they will work on their art and try to decide what direction their adult lives will take. Of course, it isn’t easy. Casey is plagued by intestinal troubles while Steven is plagued by doubts about his chosen career as an artist. In addition, their travel fortitude is sorely tested by China’s interminable winter, Mali’s exhausting heat, and by trying to stay patient with each other in all temperatures. Still, it’s exhilarating when their Chinese students begin to understand and speak English, or when their neighbors in Bamako, Mali accept them as their own even though they can barely understand each other’s language. But they never stop questioning themselves about their motivations even as they immerse themselves in the culture of the country they’re in. “Oh, the constant paradox of trying to “go native.” How much do you want to live locally? How much do you want to be the foreigner who—look!—does such a good job of living locally?” When they finally get to Timbuktu, you will feel like you traveled right along with them and know them as well as any of your friends. I just loved this book–it’s heart, it’s humor, and especially all the funny little nuggets of information that Casey shares along the way—like how to speak Bamanankan, what to keep in your fanny pack, and where to find the best hand-pulled noodles. A just right summer read even if the furthest place you’ll be going this July is camp.

Yes, we think we know everything there is to know about Amelia Earhart, especially if you saw that movie with Hilary Swank. But since I skipped that film, I was actually surprised by how much I didn’t know about this first lady of flight. For example, did you know that:

She looked uncannily like this man, another early pioneer of flight?

Her “naturally curly hair” wasn’t natural?

Her father was an alcoholic? This caused Amelia to become a caretaker of her family at a young age.

She wasn’t a big fan of marriage? She was engaged in her youth for about four years and then broke it off. Then she fell for a married man. After he was divorced she finally married him, after making him beg her for two years. But only after he agreed to one-year probationary period.

She worked for a while at a settlement house for new immigrants? She taught English and coached a basketball team.

She was a fashion designer? The Amelia Earhart Clothing Company: “Good lines and good materials for women who lead active lives.”

She was the Lady GaGa of her time in terms of self-promotion? There wasn’t a speaking engagement or a parade she wouldn’t attend in order to make more money for flying.

She was best buds with Eleanor Roosevelt?

She wasn’t solo on her final flight? Her co-pilot was Fred Noonan, a former navigation teacher for Pan Am who suffered from alcoholism, but was also considered “a navigational genius.”

Her husband didn’t declare her dead until two years after she disappeared?

I was flabbergasted! (Especially by the hair thing:) Author Candace Fleming also intersperses each chapter with accounts of regular people who claimed to have heard Amelia radioing for help on their home radios, which adds another level of intrigue to this history mystery. Full of great archival pictures, interesting anecdotes, and plenty of speculation about what really happened on that fateful flight, this fascinating biography will be flying into a library, bookstore, or e-reader near you March 2011.

If all you know about John Lennon is from your parents’ Beatles collection, then are you going to be surprised about what you find between the pages of Elizabeth Partridge’s stellar biography of the Fab Four’s darkest member! Partridge examines Lennon’s life from childhood, through angry adolescence and Beatle mania, to his quiet househusband days as the partner of avante garde artist Yoko Ono. World traveler, peace advocate, and passionate rocker, John Lennon’s first priority was always his music, which led to many problems in both his personal and professional life. Though there have been hundreds of books written about John Lennon and the Beatles, Partridge pitches her book directly to teens, focusing on the aspects of Lennon’s life that you guys will find most interesting. Whether you are a seasoned fan or a Beatles neophyte, you will find something to love in this gorgeously made book about one of the most complicated popular culture icons of our time.

Maybe all you know of Eleanor Roosevelt is that she was sort of tall, wore a lot of hats, and was first lady to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was one of the more, well, famous presidents. While all those things are true, Eleanor was also a scrappy, tireless advocate for human rights, incredibly loyal to her friends, and one of the most radical president’s wives EVER. Don’t let the pearls and long skirts fool you, Eleanor did things no other first lady had done before her. She held the first ever press conference just for women, wrote her own newspaper column, and resigned from the prestigious DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) when they wouldn’t allow African American opera singer Marian Anderson appear in Constitution Hall. And that’s just in the first few chapters! Flirty, fascinating, and just plain fun, Candace Fleming’s chatty scrapbook approach to this American icon makes Eleanor seem more like a wonderful acquaintance you’d love to get to know better as opposed to a distant political figure. Fleming is careful to address all aspects of Eleanor’s full and often controversial life, including the question of her sexuality, and apathetic attitude concerning Jewish refugees during WWII. Full of personal stories and Eleanor’s witty quotes, this book will pull you into the inspirational life of this phenomenal woman who was way ahead of her time!

What would you say if someone offered you $10,000 just to help sail a ship from the island of St. Croix to New York City? I’m willing to bet you’d probably say yes even if you never sailed before in your life. That’s some serious pocket change. Now, what if you found out there were drugs aboard? Still keen on deck duty? Reckless teenaged Jack Gantos decided that the risk was worth it. He was tired of dead end jobs and just reading about other people’s exciting lives, he wanted to live his own adventure. This sailing job sounded like just the ticket–for very little work, he’d have enough money to go to college and start his life as a writer…except the unbelievable happened–he got caught. Stuck in a medium-security prison with hardened criminals, Gantos turned to the one thing he knew he could count on to get him through–his writing. This is the story of his arrest and scary time behind bars where surprisingly, he learned the discipline needed to become the amazing author he is today.(and if you’ve never ever read any of his other books, this is a great one to start with) Don’t miss this Hole in One–it’s my favorite book of 2002.

Of course, you’ve been singing the song around campfires and in school assemblies since kindergarten. But did you ever wonder about where those famous words originated from? Folksinger and songwriter Woody Guthrie wrote over 3,000 songs in his lifetime, including that famous one we all know by heart. Did you know that it actually started out as a protest song against “America the Beautiful”? Or that Guthrie was haunted all his life by what he believed to be a “fire curse” that killed several of his loved ones? Did you know that he lived the wandering life of a hobo, was married three times, helped orkers across the country set up unions, and inspired some of the greatest songwriters ever like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan? Or that he died with who knows how many songs left in him at age 55 from Huntington’s Disease? You didn’t? Well, I guess you’d better read Elizabeth Partridge’s amazing biography and discover, like I did, that all of today’s modern musical roads lead back to Woody.