Most Popular Books by Ouisie Shapiro

From John Florio and Emmy Award-winning writer Ouisie Shapiro comes a monumental YA nonfiction book about the heartbreaking case of Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants who were wrongfully executed for murder. In the early 1920s, a Red Scare gripped America. Many of those targeted were Italians, Eastern Europeans, and other immigrants. When an armed robbery resulting in the death of two people broke headlines in Massachusetts, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti—both Italian immigrants—were quick to be accused. A heated trial ensued, but through it all, the two men maintained their innocence. The controversial case quickly rippled past borders as it became increasingly clear that Sacco and Vanzetti were fated for a death sentence. Protests sprang up around the world to fight for their lives. Learn the tragic history we dare not repeat in Doomed: Sacco, Vanzetti, and the End of the American Dream, an action-packed, fast-paced nonfiction book filled with issues that still resonate today. Praise for Doomed “A riveting true crime story—but who are the criminals? As relevant today as it was a century ago.” - Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb and Fallout

It was 1976 when Leon and Michael Spinks first punched their way into America’s living rooms. That year, they became the first brothers to win Olympic gold in the same Games. Shortly thereafter, they became the first brothers to win the heavyweight title: Leon toppled The Greatest, Muhammad Ali; Michael beat the unbeatable Larry Holmes. With a cast of characters that includes Ali, Holmes, Mike Tyson, Gerry Cooney, Dwight Qawi, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and dozens of friends, relatives, and boxing figures, ONE PUNCH FROM THE PROMISED LAND tells the unlikely story of the Spinks brothers. Their rise from the Pruitt-Igoe housing disaster. Their divergent paths of success. And their relationship with America. The book also uncovers stories never before made public: the big paydays, the high living, the backroom deals. It’s not afraid to tackle an issue rarely discussed: Does the heavyweight title deliver on its promise to young men in the inner city? This is the definitive story of Leon and Michael Spinks. And a cross-examination of heavyweight boxing in 20th century America.

One Nation Under Baseball highlights the intersection between American society and America’s pastime during the 1960s, when the hallmarks of the sport—fairness, competition, and mythology—came under scrutiny. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro examine the events of the era that reshaped the game: the Koufax and Drysdale million-dollar holdout, the encroachment of television on newspaper coverage, the changing perception of ballplayers from mythic figures to overgrown boys, the arrival of the everyman Mets and their free-spirited fans, and the lawsuit brought against team owners by Curt Flood. One Nation Under Baseball brings to life the seminal figures of the era—including Bob Gibson, Marvin Miller, Tom Seaver, and Dick Young—richly portraying their roles during a decade of flux and uncertainty.

1971. Brooklyn, New York. Undercover cop Frank Serpico is knocking on a drug dealer’s door. His partners are there to back him up, but when the door opens, he’s staring down the barrel of a gun—and his partners are nowhere to be found. For more than a century, the New York Police Department had been plagued by corruption, with cops openly taking bribes from gamblers and drug dealers. Not Serpico. He refused to take dirty money and fought to shed light on the dark underbelly of the NYPD. But instead of being hailed as a hero, he became a target for every crooked cop on the force. In Marked Man, John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro bring this true story of police corruption to life. Join Frank Serpico on his one-man crusade to clean up the largest police force in the United States. And discover the price he had to pay for being an honest cop.

If you see a kid with autism on the street, don''t yell at her if she''s doing something wrong. She can''t help it. Autism is really challenging, explains Christian, who tells about life with his sister, Mary Gwen, a beautiful girl who loves to swim. In these moving essays, Christian and many other kids tell what it''s like to live with siblings who have autism. Sometimes they can''t talk much. Sometimes they have tantrums. It can be tough for a family, but there are happy surprises, too. "Autism has helped us to become a better family," adds Christian. "It teaches us patience and understanding."

Educational resource for teachers, parents and kids!

2011 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Honor Book Bullies made Andrew''s whole seventh-grade year a nightmare. Bullies forced Jaevon to change schools and get into fights. Emily''s "friends" picked at her until she was a carcass. From all kids of backgrounds, kids and grownups talk openly about their experiences of being bullied. Their honest, moving stories will resonate with the many children who have undergone bullying of all kinds - emotional and physical - and who have tried to deal with it alone or with help. Arresting photos by Steven Vote draw us into the lives of these brave people.

War in the Ring presents a riveting nonfiction book for kids about a boxing match that represented the growing tensions between the United States and Nazi Germany in the lead up to World War II. Joe Louis was born on an Alabama cotton patch and raised in a Detroit ghetto. Max Schmeling grew up in poverty in Hamburg, Germany. For both boys, boxing was a path out and a ladder up. Little did they know that they would one day face each other in a pair of matches that would capture the world''s attention. Joe grew into a symbol of inspiration to a nation of Black Americans hoping to carve a slice of the ''American Dream'' in a racially fractured country. Max, on the other hand, became a Nazi symbol for the superiority of the Aryan race. The battles waged between Joe and Max still resonate, and the cultural implications of the international sensation continue to reverberate far past the ring.

A BATALHA DE UM HOMEM CONTRA A CORRUPÇÃO NA POLÍCIA DE NOVA YORK. Brooklyn, 1971. O policial disfarçado Frank Serpico encontra-se à porta de um traficante de drogas. Outros policiais que o acompanham parecem estar ali para dar o suporte necessário. Contudo, ao abrir a porta, ele se depara com uma arma apontada em sua direção – e os colegas permanecem imóveis enquanto apenas observam a cena. Por mais de cem anos, o Departamento de Polícia de Nova York enfrentou inúmeros problemas de corrupção, com policiais recebendo propinas de traficantes ou de casas de apostas. Frank Serpico ingressou na polícia em 1959. Seus objetivos eram: não se desviar do caminho certo, deter o crime e ser um policial honesto. Quando optou por não se envolver em esquemas de suborno, passou a ser transferido de uma delegacia para outra, até ser baleado numa emboscada. O policial lutou por transparência dentro da polícia e passou a informar repórteres e membros da equipe do prefeito para esclarecer os eventos questionáveis. No entanto, em vez de ser reconhecido como herói, acabou tornando-se alvo de todos os policiais corruptos da instituição. Em O homem marcado, John Florio e Ouisie Shapiro narram a história real de Frank Serpico, celebrizado no cinema por Al Pacino, cujo objetivo era desmascarar a corrupção sistêmica da maior força policial dos Estados Unidos.