Perhaps the best written of all the slave narratives, Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of fast money, then drugged and beaten and sold into slavery. He spent the next twelve years of his life in captivity on a Louisiana cotton plantation. After his rescue, Northup published...

It's 1960, and Ruby Bridges and her family have recently moved from Mississippi to New Orleans in search of a better life. When a judge orders Ruby to attend first grade at William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children to school with her. This moving picture book captures the spirit of a little girl standing alone in the face of racism.

Documented during the American Civil War, A Confederate Girl's Diary provides a thorough account of civilian life in Louisiana during and after the war through the diary entries of Sarah Morgan Dawson, who used her diary to record her thoughts and experiences from 1862 to 1865. Unwittingly, Dawson's revelations about the Confederacy and her role as a refugee woman in a Union-occupied Louisiana have become imperative in our understanding wartime conditions...

"A heartbreaking and inspiring true story of a New Orleans high school football team and their head coach's mission to protect his players' lives"-- Short on hope but big on dreams, the mostly poor and marginalized residents of the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers find joy on Friday nights when the Cougars of Edna Karr High School take the field. For years, this football program has brought glory to Algiers, winning three consecutive state championships...

Tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York who was captured in the United States and sold into slavery in Louisiana. Drawing from primary source documents, this book is packed with the action of Solomon's 12-year odyssey as a slave and historical perspective on the human experience of buying and selling human beings.

Ruby Bridges was just six years old when she was chosen to be the first (and only) black child in the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in 1960. At the time, Ruby was too young to understand how the simple act of attending school would change the lives of many to come. Her courageous act left the legacy that given a chance, anyone at any age can make a difference in the world.

Get to know the life and legacy of Ruby Bridges. Vivid photographs and easy-to-read text give early readers an engaging and age-appropriate look at her brave role in ending segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Features include sidebars, a table of contents, two infographics, Making Connections questions, a glossary, and an index. QR Codes in the book give readers access to book-specific resources to further their learning. Aligned to Common...

In 1948, Horace "Hoss" Logan, a young radio producer in Shreveport, Louisiana, started booking talent for a new weekly music show called the Louisiana Hayride. Performed for a live audience and broadcast nationally over the CBS Radio network, the show became known as the "Cradle of the Stars." In this affectionate memoir, Hoss Logan recalls the Hayride's heyday with behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the dozens of musicians he knew and nurtured, including...

"Experience the Louisiana Purchase from President Thomas Jefferson's perspective. Learn about the challenges he faced, how he responded to difficult issues, and how he shaped the country during this pressing time in office"--Publisher's website.

Ruby Bridges tells the story of how she helped end racial segregation in the New Orleans public school system when she was in the first grade.