Carole Boston Weatherford

"Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father's Detroit church. Aretha sang with a soaring voice that spanned more than three octaves. Her incredible talent and string of hit songs earned her the title "the Queen of Soul." This Queen was a multi-Grammy winner and the first female inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there was even more to...

Negro league baseball players didn't always get the respect that major leaguers received. And yet many, including Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Roy Campanella, quickly became standouts in the major leagues after 1947. Others didn't get to prove their mettle in the majors at all, or not until long past their prime. Leroy “Satchel” Paige mixed his blazing fastball with 29 other devastating pitches to win 42 games and...