Beautiful Biographies

"Growing up on a dusty farm in central California, Aiko Ruth Asawa lived between two worlds. She was Aiko to some and Ruth to others, an invisible line she balanced on every day. But when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, thrusting the world into war, suddenly she was Aiko, no matter how much her family tried to cut the lines connecting them to Japan. Like many other Japanese Americans, they were taken to a prison camp. The same barbed wire that now separated...

It's 1983, and American artist Joan Mitchell is in her studio outside Paris, transforming her emotions and memories into a symphony of colors and shapes. Inspired by her friend's description of an idyllic hidden valley in France, Mitchell creates 21 massive paintings-her Grande Vallee series -bursting with vibrant, energizing hues. But she doesn't paint the valley's flowers and meadows. She paints a feeling about them-abundance, freedom, liveliness-creating...

A chronicle of how author Margery Williams was inspired to write The Velveteen Rabbit.

George Washington and artist Gilbert Stuart didn't always see eye-to-eye, but both men knew the importance of legacy and the power of art. Though George disliked having his portrait painted -- which took days and days to complete -- he knew his place in history would require people to know his face. Fortunately, Gilbert Stuart's unique way of painting didn't compel his subjects to sit for hours on end -- in fact, he encouraged them to move around...

"In the mid-nineteenth century, most women who weren't raising families became teachers or nurses. But Clara Driscoll longed to be an artist, drawing inspiration from nature: from every flower, weed, dragonfly, and even cobweb on her family's farm. After moving to New York City in 1888, Clara was hired at the renowned Tiffany Glass Company, where Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany was known for creating gorgeous stained-glass windows for churches, theaters,...

As a young girl, playwright Lorraine Hansberry walked everywhere with a notebook, eager to capture the sights, sounds, and stories of the people around her. First Lorraine watched her parents triumph in the Supreme Court case of Hansberry v. Lee. Then she discovered the magic of theater. Next, she unlocked the power of her voice, crafting A Raisin in the Sun. Her play went on to influence generations of artists and the world was never the same.

"Maurice Stokes was 6'7" and could play offense and defense like no one else his size in the NBA in 1958. After experiencing a career-ending injury during a game, other players rallied to support Stokes"-- Provided by publisher.

"A picture book autobiography celebrating the life, trials, and trailblazing victories of Jacci Gresham, the first Black woman tattoo artist in the United States"-- Provided by publisher.

"Even from a young age, Katie Brumbach was BIG and STRONG. She could lift heavy weights, bend steel bars, and lift several men at once. She boldly named herself "Katie Sandwina" after Eugen Sandow, the world's strongest man, and her women's record for an overhead lift of 296 pounds remained unbroken for over 75 years. In 1912, at the height of her American fame, she publicly rallied with her fellow circus performers for women's suffrage. Hailed as...

"Toypurina grew up in the village of Japchivit, where everyone had a role to play. She loved to gather elderberries from the woods, weave baskets, and listen to her grandmother tells stories. But all that changed when the Spanish came. As Toypurina grew and became medicine woman of her tribe, she learned about the harsh conditions of the San Gabriel mission. Tongva people who lived there were renamed and no longer allowed to speak their native tongue....