National Network for Equitable Library Service

The founder of Blackwater, the world's most controversial military contractor, describes how the company took on high-risk security jobs around the world, completing nearly 100,000 missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, only to have opponents tarnish their reputation.

Readers learn about Mattel Toys and the background behind Barbie's concept and development, how it was a solution for girls who wanted to imagine adult roles rather than just play mother, and details about inventor Ruth Handler.

When acclaimed Washington Post writer Wil Haygood had an early hunch that Obama would win the 2008 election, he thought he'd highlight the singular moment by exploring the life of someone who had come of age when segregation was so widespread, so embedded in the culture, as to make the very thought of a black president inconceivable. He struck gold when he tracked down Eugene Allen, a butler who had served no fewer than eight presidents, from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan.

Draws on Red Cloud's autobiography, which was lost for nearly a hundred years, to present the story of the great Oglala Sioux chief who was the only Plains Indian to defeat the United States Army in a war.

A revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin's youngest sister and a wholly different account of the founding of the United States.

A biography of the first Tudor queen, who was the only living descendant of Yorkist King Edward IV and the mother of the infamous Henry VIII.

Presents a revelatory account of the transformation of the CIA and America's special forces into competing covert paramilitary agencies responsible for the defeat of Osama bin Laden and other strategic war efforts, offering insight into the new ways that the nation is fighting wars.

Chronicles the events, politics, and personalities of that pivotal day in World War II, shedding light on the strategies of commanders on both sides as well as the ramifications of the battle.

Draws on decades of field work in the Pacific islands and other world regions to illuminate the degree to which modern society reflects traditional cultures from earlier and ancient time periods.

A personal account of the vitality and bravery of the U.S. Marines at the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa.