(4) YA Crowe's novel in haiku respectfully acknowledges each of the 16,592 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War in 1968 by using that exact number of syllables in this work. The story showcases a melodramatic breakdown of seventeen-year-old narrator Ashe's home life and his parents' marriage. Though the historical and fictional dilemmas may resonate, supporting characters tend toward stereotypical political ideologues of the time.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Benny. Less well known than Jackie Robinson's, Doby's career as the American League's first African-American player was equally plagued by racism. Young baseball fan Homer is thrilled when the Cleveland Indians acquire Doby; the story focuses on Homer's family listening to games on the radio while the large-scale, intense acrylics shift from capturing the family's rapturous involvement to Doby in action. A historical note is appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) YA With casual yet informed narrative voices, these biographies offer insight into three well-known public figures, providing multifaceted understandings and allowing readers to form their own opinions. Marshall and Reagan delve into the men's early lives, while Gates focuses largely on the computer tycoon's adult years. All volumes include source notes. Marshall and Gates have websites; Marshall includes a reading list. Bib., ind. Review covers these titles: Bill Gates, Thurgood Marshall, and Ronald Reagan.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(2) YA This is a sobering and insightful account of the 1955 Mississippi murder trial of two white men for the killing of a fourteen-year-old black boy from Chicago. The drama in the book comes from the reconstruction of a national social climate that finally allowed for widespread denouncement of the "Southern way of life." Many effective black-and-white photos are included. Timeline, resources. Bib.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003

(3) YA Hiram, who spent his early years in the Mississippi delta, returns at age sixteen to visit his widowed grandfather. After a local boy makes threats against a black teenager, Hiram informs the authorities. When Emmett Till is kidnapped and murdered, Hiram is subpoenaed. Documenting a shameful event in American history, the solid novel also thoughtfully charts the protagonist's evolving emotional growth.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta