Description
Book 1: The American Revolution
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, shouting, “The British are coming!” to start the American Revolution. RIGHT?
WRONG! Paul Revere made it to Lexington, but before he could complete his mission, he was captured!
The truth is, dozens of Patriots rode around warning people about the Redcoats’ plans that night. It was actually a man named Samuel Prescott who succeeded, alerting townspeople in Lexington and then moving on to Concord. But the Revolutionary War didn’t officially start for more than a year after Prescott’s ride. No joke.
Book 2: Experience the American Revolution
It’s the late 1700s. Tensions are brewing between the American colonies and Great Britain. The Revolutionary War is about to begin. Will you: Help the network of patriot spies in your city? OR Fight for independence as a patriot soldier? OR Work to keep the colonies under British rule?
Book 3: The Underground Railroad
Before the Civil War, there was a crack team of abolitionists who used quilts and signal lanterns to guide enslaved people to freedom. RIGHT? WRONG! The truth is, the Underground Railroad wasn’t very organized, and most freedom seekers were on their own.
With a mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels, acclaimed author Kate Messner and coauthor and Brown Bookshelf contributor Gwendolyn Hooks deliver the whole truth about the Underground Railroad.
Book 4: Experience the Slave Abolition
The Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War have brought an official end to slavery, yet some Southern slave owners are refusing to comply. The road to freedom is still long and hard for many African-Americans, but you’re not giving up. Will you: Overcome obstacles as you make your way north from Texas, looking to begin a new life of freedom? Seek out your family, from whom you were separated as a child, after emancipation? Fight back when you take work as an apprentice but find that you’re still treated as a slave? When YOU CHOOSE, history gets real.
Book 5:
In 1920, Susan B. Anthony passed a law that gave voting rights to women in the United States. RIGHT?
WRONG! Susan B. Anthony wasn’t even alive when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. Plus, it takes a lot more than one person to amend the constitution.
The truth is, it took millions of women to get that amendment into law. They marched! They picketed! They even went to jail. But in the end, it all came down to a letter from a state representative’s mom. No joke.
Book 6:
You’re a U.S. citizen, so why are you being denied your right to vote? Even after civil rights legislation passes, many minorities are still being turned away from polls. It’s not fair, and you will fight for your right to have a say in your government. Will you: Brave violence while registering voters during the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi? Witness brutality as you protest in the 1965 Selma March? Join the Chicano Movement to secure voting rights for Hispanic immigrants? When YOU CHOOSE, history gets real.
Book 7: Pearl Harbour
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a completely unpredictable attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Right? Well, that’s not quite the real deal. Some military experts had suggested that Pearl Harbor was a likely target. There were other warning signs, too, but nobody paid much attention. From the first wave of the Japanese bombers to the United States’ internment of thousands of Japanese Americans, acclaimed author Kate Messner smashes history by exploring the little-known truths behind the story of Pearl Harbor and its aftermath.
Book 8: Experience
Book 9: Christopher Columbus discovered the Taino people
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? WRONG! Columbus never actually set foot in what is now the United States. His voyages took him to islands in the Caribbean and along the coast of South America.
The truth is, when Columbus first arrived, Indigenous peoples, including the Taino, had been living there for thousands of years, raising their families, running their societies, and trading with their neighbors. He didn’t “discover” the lands at all! And his name? Not even really Christopher Columbus! Cowritten by bestselling author Kate Messner and our country’s premier Taino scholar, this fascinating addition to the series is the one that teachers have been asking for and that kids need to read.
Book 10:
During the Black Death in the 14th century, plague doctors wore creepy beaked masks filled with herbs. RIGHT?
WRONG! Those masks were from a plague outbreak centuries later–and most doctors never wore anything like that at all!
With a mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels, acclaimed author Kate Messner delivers the whole truth about diseases like the bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, polio, influenza, and COVID-19.
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