As a young Mexican American boy in a migrant worker family in Texas, future author Tomás Rivera enjoys going to the library and listening to his grandfather's stories.

"A nonfiction picture book about The Green Book, a travel guide for African Americans during segregation, and the man who wrote it"--

An unusual and irresistible look at Maya Angelou's life as well as her myriad interests and accomplishments by the people who know her best--her longtime friends Marcia Ann Gillespie and Richard Long, and her niece Rosa Johnson Butler. Features over 150 sepia portraits, family photographs, and letters.

The author recalls his experiences playing basketball with whites and African Americans in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, describing how African Americans slowly but surely changed the nature of the sport.

In the early eighties, the peaceful, reclusive life of poet and writer Alice Walker was interrupted by the appearance of three extraordinary gifts: a widely praised best-selling novel (The Color Purple), the Pulitzer Prize, and an offer from Steven Spielberg to make her novel into a film that would become a major international event. This last gift, which Walker identifies as "the knock at the door," led her into the labyrinth of a never-before-experienced...

A brief biography with emphasis on the early years of the noted author and humorist.

Discusses the life and work of this popular author, including her writing process and methods, inspirations, a critical discussion of her books, biographical timeline, and awards.