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LILLIAN WALD

AMERICA’S GREAT SOCIAL AND HEALTHCARE REFORMER

A fascinating introduction to the “angel of Henry Street” for a new generation.

Lillian Wald, revered in her lifetime, is little known today. But she was responsible for many of the social and health related programs we take for granted.

She came from a comfortable German-Jewish middle-class family in Rochester, New York. Lillian always wanted to do something more than marry a suitable man and raise a family. She found her calling when she met a nurse who attended her ill sister. She lied about her age to get into New York Hospital’s School of Nursing, where she rebelled against meaningless regulations and menial training. Her first visit to a tenement apartment on the Lower East Side opened her eyes to what would become her life’s work: to find practical solutions to the health needs of the immigrant tenement dwellers. From that point she lived among the people and nursed them in their own homes. From this beginning she founded the Visiting Nurse Service, the Henry Street Settlement, and the first city playground; she also fought to have nurses in schools and for school lunches, established camps in the country, and so much more, connecting with wealthy, like-minded people for funding. Kaplan has meticulously researched Wald’s life and achievements and sets them carefully in context, with many references to contemporary events and people. The book employs sidebars where necessary and is illustrated with archival photographs; all is presented in a conversational, greatly admiring tone.

A fascinating introduction to the “angel of Henry Street” for a new generation. (preface, acknowledgements, notes, references, suggested reading, index) (Biography. 12-adult)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4556-2349-5

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Pelican

Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018

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Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali

A thoughtful, engaging history for intermediate students interested in Africa.

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Oliver’s debut, about one of West Africa’s most powerful and charismatic leaders, delivers a vibrant mix of history and historical fiction for young adults.

The book introduces the medieval empire of Mali with several short narrative essays on trans-Atlantic exploration, trade and mining and soon narrows its focus to the compelling life story of the emperor Mansa Musa, who ruled Mali in the early 1300s. Oliver shows how Musa gained influence while making a lavish, politically important trip to Mecca, and his deft explanation of how Musa crossed the vast Sahara Desert briefly but skillfully conveys the difficulty of the lengthy voyage. This enjoyable work smoothly blends historical text with memorable anecdotes from primary and secondary sources, photos and sketches of replicas of ancient and medieval African art, and well-drawn maps. The book moves at a fast pace, and the author’s clear, straightforward style is likely to appeal to young adults. He easily switches between topics, discussing history (how Musa gained recognition in Egypt and North Africa), religion (how Islam shaped Musa and his empire), architecture (the methods of construction for Malian mud-brick buildings) and fables (the legend of the Malian “gold plant”). However, Oliver always strives for historical accuracy; even his fictional account of a young sandal maker who travels to Niani’s great market contains period-appropriate language and scenery. The book also includes a lengthy glossary that is amply illustrated with drawings and photographs of West African boats and buildings. The work’s one shortcoming is its abrupt ending after Musa returns home; it lacks a thorough explanation as to how and why the empire of Mali eventually dissolved.

A thoughtful, engaging history for intermediate students interested in Africa.

Pub Date: March 26, 2013

ISBN: 978-1468053548

Page Count: 128

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: July 31, 2013

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THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Preaching to the choir, perhaps, but an invigorating sermon all the same.

Zinn-ian conspiracy theories, propounded engagingly and energetically by filmmaker and gadfly Stone and Cold War scholar Kuznick (History/American Univ.).

If you’ve read Howard Zinn—or if, like Jeff Lebowski, the Port Huron Statement is still current news for you—then you’ll have at least some of the outlines of this overstuffed argument. Premise 1: Though the United States may pretend to be a nice, cuddly sort of democracy, it’s the font of much trouble in the world. Premise 2: When, post-9/11, neocons began pondering why it wouldn’t be such a bad idea for the U.S. to become an imperial power, they were missing a train (or Great White Fleet) that had pulled out of the station long ago. Premise 3: We like European fascists better than Asian fascists, as evidenced by propaganda posters depicting our erstwhile Japanese foes as rats and vermin. Premise 4: War is a racket that benefits only the ruling class. Premise 5: JFK knew more than he had a chance to make public, and he was gunned down for his troubles. And so forth. Layered in with these richly provocative (and eminently arguable) theses are historical aperçus and data that don’t figure in most standard texts—e.g., the showdown between Bernard Baruch and Harry Truman (“in a colossal failure of presidential leadership”) that could only lead to a protracted struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union for post–World War II dominance. Some familiar villains figure in as well, notably the eminently hissable Henry Kissinger and his pal Augusto Pinochet; the luster of others whom we might want to think of as good guys dims (George H.W. Bush in regard to Gorbachev), while other bad guys (George W. Bush in regard to Saddam Hussein) get worse.

Preaching to the choir, perhaps, but an invigorating sermon all the same.

Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4516-1351-3

Page Count: 784

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012

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