Maryann N Weidt

Taken from her family in Africa at the age of seven, Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston as a slave in 1761. After she was purchased by the Wheatley family, Phillis quickly learned to speak and read English. The bright young girl soon began writing poetry. By 1771, her poems had been published in newspapers all over the colonies, and critics were praising the "extraordinary negro poetess." In this engaging biography, author Maryann Weidt tells the...

Eleanor Roosevelt is perhaps best known for her role as First Lady, wife to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But this strong-willed woman was a skilled politician in her own right, who overcame her own prejudices to fight for the rights of women, blacks and the poor. This inspiring biography tells of Eleanor Roosevelt's development from a lonely, orphaned teenager to a determined, socially conscious woman, beloved in the United States and throughout...

Born a slave, Frederick Douglass grew up facing hunger, hard work, and terrible beatings. After overhearing that reading was the key to freedom, Frederick became determined to learn to read. Against all odds, he did learn and escaped from slavery. A powerful and inspirational speaker, Frederick spoke and wrote about his remarkable life and fought for the freedom and equal rights of African American men and women.