by Tracy Briseño

I have always loved biographies. I love learning about people and the time they live in. I think it is a really interesting glimpse into other’s thoughts and decisions within the context of place and history.

Last year, my daughter became enamored with reading about women scientists. She read through everything her teacher had and was working her way through her school library, too. We visited the public library together to pick out books and ended up taking home over 50 biographies, extending well beyond her original focus of female scientists. We read some together, some separately, and some we never made it through. But all of them were interesting and engaging. Here are some I’d recommend to you.

“Amelia Lost" by Candace Fleming – Oh my gosh. I read this book and kept forgetting that I knew how it ended. Fleming alternates chapters telling about Amelia Earhart’s life with chapters detailing the search for her. There were several points in the book I was sure she was going to be found!

“The Voice that Challenged a Nation” by Russell Freedman – This is a fabulous story about acclaimed singer Marian Anderson. It shares her influence in desegregating concert spaces and her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt.

I just browsed the shelves for more books to share with you, and there are so many interesting people to learn about! Here are just a few more:

“Surfer of the Century” by Ellie Crowe tells the story of Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimmer who is also considered the father of surfing.

“A Sporting Chance” by Lori Alexander follows Ludwig Guttman, the Jewish doctor who fled Nazi Germany and changed the course of treatment for paralyzed individuals, eventually starting the Paralympic Games.

“Pies from Nowhere” by Dee Romito tells the story of how Georgia Gilmore organized the Club from Nowhere, a group of women who baked and cooked to raise funds and support the people involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

“Wangari Maathai” by Franck Prévot tells the journey of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maathai and her Green Belt Movement to save Kenyan forests.

The best things about biographies is that you can read about so many different kinds of people. You can look for someone you’ve heard of to learn more about your life; you can find someone who lived during a period of history you enjoy, or did a job you are interested in; or you can just pick one at random and be surprised! Explore the biography section yourself in the 920s (in the Dewey Decimal system).