Most Popular Books by Susan Goldman Rubin

A developmentally-disabled fourteen-year-old faces the challenges of her classes at a "regular" high school, a new job, and a budding romance.

This comprehensive biography explores the tumultuous and passionate life of activist, singer, and actor Paul Robeson. When faced with the decision to remain silent or be ostracized, Paul Robeson chose to sing, shout, and speak out. Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson explores how Robeson''s love of African American spirituals and deep empathy towards the suffering of others drove his long, fervent mission as a civil rights activist and his career as an artist. Although he was also an actor, singing was Robeson''s defining talent and where he could best express himself. After exploring socialism, Robeson was targeted by the U.S. government for speaking out about discrimination against African Americans and for his political views. He was labeled a communist during the height of the Cold War and found himself stripped of his U.S. passport. But Robeson never gave in and continued to perform and speak out. The book is based on author Susan Goldman Rubin''s extensive research, including fieldwork in Harlem, NY, in Princeton and Somerville, NJ, and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Includes an author''s note, resources, source notes, index, and a preface by author Harry Belafonte.

A leader of the American art movement known as Pop, short for "popular culture, " Warhol changed the way we think of art. Assisted by photographs taken of Warhol throughout his life, and examples of his early drawings and best-known works, author Rubin traces his rise from poverty to wealth, and from obscurity to fame. After attending art school in Pittsburgh, Warhol started a career as a commercial artist in New York, and quickly won acclaim for his creative advertisements. When he turned to "real" painting, he used his background in commercial illustration and blurred the line between high and low art. Some critics have said that Warhol''s pictures of Campbell''s soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles represent American life. But Warhol said, "I just paint those objects in my paintings because those are the things I know best. I think of myself as an American artist."--From publisher description.

On May 6th, 1945 when the 11th Armored Division of the U.S. Army marched into the Mauthausen Concentration camp, they were presented with an extraordinary gift. Despite their desperate and starving conditions, a group of prisoners had surreptitiously sewed scraps of sheets and jackets together to make a U.S. flag. Even though the inmates had added an extra row of stars, Colonel Richard Seibel had the flag flown over the camp as a tribute to the humanity, perseverance, and spirit of the survivors of Mauthausen. The meticulously researched paintings by Bill Farnsworth poignantly depict the events. Source notes, a biography, further resources and a reproduction of the actual flag are included.

When Daniel Hernandez was twenty years old, he was working as an intern for US Representative Gabrielle Giffords. On January 8, 2011, during a "Congress on Your Corner" event, Giffords was shot. Daniel Hernandez''s quick thinking before the paramedics

Uses Henri Matisse''s cutout collages to introduce contemporary art and movement.

An award-winning author chronicles the story behind the landmark Supreme Court decision in this fascinating account for young readers. In 1954, one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions of the twentieth Century aimed to end school segregation in the United States. The ruling was the culmination of work by many people who stood up to racial inequality, some risking significant danger and hardship, and of careful strategizing by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin tells the stories behind the ruling and the people responsible for it. Illustrated with historical photographs, this well-researched narrative account is a perfect introduction to the history of school segregation in the United States and the long struggle to end it. An epilogue looks at the far-reaching effects of this landmark decision, and shows how our country still grapples today with a public school system not yet fully desegregated. Detailed backmatter includes a timeline, primary source texts, and summaries of all mentioned court cases. An ALA Notable Children''s Book A Patterson Prize Honor Book A Bank Street Best Children''s Book of the Year

A fascinating exploration of the healing power of art. Children and adults alike find comfort in making things, but never has the act of creating been so poignant as when it is done during times of duress, such as in concentration camps and prisons, during extreme drought and poverty, or while battling mental illness. In this fascinating collection, Susan Goldman Rubin has captured the essence of creating as a way to momentarily escape horrible circumstances. From the drawings of a child imprisoned in Terezin to quilts created by slave women in the United States, history repeatedly shows us people finding solace in crafting beautiful things. This striking introduction to outsider art is illustrated in full color with examples from each time period.

“How homemade quilts created in rural Alabama became modern art . . . A handsome volume to enchant a new generation of readers and artists.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Since the early nineteenth century, the women of Gee’s Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. In the only photo-essay book about the quilts of Gee’s Bend for children, award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin explores the history and culture of this fascinating group of women and their unique quilting traditions. Rubin uses meticulous research to offer an exclusive look at an important facet of African American art and culture. In the rural community of Gee’s Bend, African American women have been making quilts for generations. They use scraps of old overalls, aprons, and bleached cornmeal sacks—anything they can find. Their traditions have been passed down through the decades. Much to the women’s surprise, a selection of the quilts was featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 2002. The exhibition then traveled to the Whitney Museum in New York City. “Eye-poppingly gorgeous,” wrote a critic for the New York Times about the exhibition. He continued, “Some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art also exhibited its newly acquired collection of Gee’s Bend quilts in 2017. “Rubin tells the story of a folk art form passed down through generations in a small corner of the Deep South . . . a celebration of fellowship and ingenuity.” —Publishers Weekly “A colorful introduction to a uniquely American subject.” —Booklist (starred review) “[A] fascinating portrait of an indomitable community.” —School Library Journal

Welcome to Roy''s house! Come on in and take a look around. There is a big sofa with room for lots of friends, three red fish swimming in a bowl, a yellow chair for reading, and, of course, Roy''s studio, filled with paintbrushes. Susan Goldman Rubin pairs her simple narrative style with the energetic works of Roy Lichtenstein to create an early concept book that is also a fun and accessible introduction to one of the twentieth century''s most iconic artists.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is one of the most famous pieces of civic architecture in the world. But most people are not as familiar with the reserved college student who entered and won the design competition to build it. This accessible biography tells the story of Maya Lin, from her struggle to stick with her vision of the memorial to the wide variety of works she has created since then. The carefully researched text, paired with ample photos, crosses multiple interests—American history, civic activism, art history, and cultural diversity—and offers a timely celebration of the memorial''s 35th anniversary as well as providing an important contribution to the current discussion of the role of women and minorities in society.

Story of artist Wayne Thiebaud, whose paintings of tasty hot dogs, delectable cakes, dizzy streets, and sleepy deltas have become icons of twentieth-century American art.

The corruption, activism, heroic efforts, and ongoing struggles for the right to vote are chronicled by an award-winning nonfiction author. For over 200 years, people have marched, gone to jail, risked their lives, and even died trying to get the right to vote in the United States. Others, hungry to acquire or hold onto power, have gone to extraordinary lengths to prevent people from casting ballets or outright stolen votes and sometimes entire elections. Perfect for students who want to know more about voting rights, this nonfiction book contains an extensive view of suffrage from the Founding Fathers to the 19th Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to today''s voter suppression controversies, and explains the barriers people of color, Indigenous people, and immigrants face. Back matter includes a bibliography, source notes, texts of the Constitution and amendments, a timeline, and an index. A Junior Library Guild Selection Selected for the CBC Champions of Change Showcase A Bank Street Best Children''s Book of the Year!

Shocking pink—hot pink, as it is called today—was the signature color of Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) and perhaps her greatest contribution to the fashion world. Schiaparelli was one of the most innovative designers in the early 20th century. Many design elements that are taken for granted today she created and brought to the forefront of fashion. She is credited with many firsts: trompe l’oeil sweaters with collars and bows knitted in; wedge heels; shoulder bags; and even the concept of a runway show for presenting collections. Hot Pink—printed with a fifth color, hot pink!—explores Schiaparelli’s childhood in Rome, her introduction to high fashion in Paris, and her swift rise to success collaborating with surrealist and cubist artists like Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. The book includes an author’s note, a list of museums and websites where you can find Schiaparelli’s fashions, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

Covers the years during which Frieda dicker, a Jewish woman from Czechloslovakia, taught art to children at the Terezin concentration camp. Includes art created by teacher and students, excerpts from diaries and interviews with camp survivors.

The life of pioneering Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole gets its dramatic due in a sweeping and stunning biography. Mary Seacole spent much of her life on the front lines of the Crimean War, ministering to the wounded, caring for soldiers, and making her mark on the world of medicine. This fascinating biography honors Mary Seacole’s life, from her childhood in Kingston, Jamaica, and her encounters with racist Americans to her treatment of cholera patients in Panama and her bitter run-in with Florence Nightingale, who declined to work with her in Crimea because she wasn’t white. But Mary Seacole knew that the sick and wounded needed her compassion and care, and despite all obstacles, she answered the call to help them. Author Susan Goldman Rubin gives voice to this fearless nurse and healer through captivating details drawn from Mary Seacole’s own writings, while debut illustrator Richie Pope vividly captures her service at the bedside and on the battlefield. Inspiring and engaging, this biography introduces a compelling heroine who rose above barriers to earn a place in history.

Based on interviews with the director and his family, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the movie-obsessed creator of "E.T.," "Schindler''s List," "Jaws," and other masterpieces.

Through Edgar Degas’s beloved paintings, drawings, and sculptures, Susan Goldman Rubin conveys the wonder and excitement of the ballet world. Degas is one of the most celebrated painters of the impressionist movement, and his ballerina paintings are among the most favorite of his fans. In his artwork, Degas captures every moment, from the relentless hours of practice to the glamour of appearing on stage, revealing a dancer’s journey from novice to prima ballerina. Observing young students, Degas drew their poses again and again, determined to achieve perfection. The book includes a brief biography of his entire life, endnotes, bibliography, where to see his paintings, and an index.

Introduces young readers to Haym Salomon, the Jewish immigrant from Poland credited with being the "Financier of the American Revolution."

"Life without music is unthinkable."—Leonard Bernstein, Findings When Lenny was two years old, his mother found that the only way to soothe her crying son was to turn on the Victrola. When his aunt passed on her piano to Lenny’s parents, the boy demanded lessons. When Lenny went to school, he had the most fun during "singing hours." But Lenny’s love of music was met with opposition from the start. Lenny’s father, a successful businessman, wanted Lenny to follow in his footsteps. Additionally, the classical music world of the 1930s and 1940s was dominated by Europeans—no American Jewish kid had a serious chance to make a name for himself in this field. Beginning with Lenny’s childhood in Boston and ending with his triumphant conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic when he was just twenty-five, MUSIC WAS IT draws readers into the energetic, passionate, challenging, music-filled life of young Leonard Bernstein. Archival photographs, mostly from the Leonard Bernstein Collection at the Library of Congress, illustrate this fascinating biography, which also includes a foreword by Bernstein’s daughter Jamie. Extensive back matter includes biographies of important people in Bernstein’s life, as well as a discography of his music.

She risked her life while helping to spirit Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

Coinciding with the 350th anniversary of the first recorded Jewish settlement in North America, this lavishly illustrated introduction to Jewish life is a compilation of compelling first-person reports and well-documented facts that provide readers with examples of North American Jewish life. Illustrations.

An inspiring, uplifting picture book biography about iconic doll creator, Madame Alexander, whose love for dolls and bringing joy to others began at a young age and only continued to grow. Someday, she thought, I will make dolls that don’t break so children will never be unhappy. Beatrice Alexander’s family ran a doll hospital in their home in New York’s Lower East Side, where she grew to love fixing and making dolls. Beatrice dreamed of becoming an artist, but her family couldn’t afford to send her to sculpting school. She never stopped dreaming, even as she stayed home, graduated from high school, and got married. When World War I broke out, she came up with the idea to make unbreakable, cloth dolls modeled after nurses to support the war effort and help keep children happy. After the war, Beatrice founded Madame Alexander and redefined the doll industry, creating some of the first plastic and collectible dolls, dolls that never break. With beautiful, vivid art by Sarah Dvojack, author Susan Goldman Rubin tells the powerful story of savvy, feminist entrepreneur Beatrice Alexander, who founded the Madame Alexander Doll Company and became one of America’s most celebrated toy makers.

“An intriguing, well-rounded portrait of a fascinating woman whose many important contributions to art and fashion remain popular today.” —Kirkus Reviews Award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the most well-known fashion designer in the world, Coco Chanel. Beginning with the difficult years Chanel spent in an orphanage, Goldman Rubin traces Coco’s development as a designer and demonstrates how her determination to be independent helped her gain worldwide recognition. Coco Chanel focuses on the obstacles Chanel faced as a financially independent woman in an era when women were expected to marry; as well as her fierce competition with the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; and some of her most memorable firsts for the fashion industry, including the little black dress, the quilted purse with gold chain, and the perfume Chanel No. 5. The book includes a bibliography, a list of where to see her work, and an index. “Rubin’s biography is clear-sighted about Chanel’s faults while extolling her fashion genius. Her source notes and bibliography are meticulous, as is the book’s design . . . This will attract young fashion mavens eager to learn about design history.” —Booklist “Rubin expertly chronicles Chanel’s life in this biography . . . Rubin captures the authenticity of Chanel alongside her psychological need to portray a luxurious lifestyle.” —VOYA “A well-researched primer packed with details on a significant trailblazer.” —School Library Journal “Well-designed biography of a fascinating woman.” —School Library Connection “A succinct, balanced portrayal of controversial haute couturière Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel.” —Publishers Weekly

Once one of the most famous and glamorous women in America, Margaret Bourke-White was a celebrated photographer. In her long and diverse career, spanning the 1920s through the 1950s, she covered landmark events of the twentieth century. Dining with dictators, flying on bombing missions, recording the birth of new nations, she courageously took on every challenge. She loved her work, and no assignment was too difficult. This book presents a fresh look into the exciting life and career of a pioneering female photojournalist whose work rose to the level of art. Chronicling her early life, the book discusses Bourke-White''s close relationship with her father -- an inventor who was also interested in photography -- and her love of nature. It then goes on to explore her college years, her use of soft-focus, her industrial photographs, and her eventual assignments for major magazines. As Bourke-White''s jobs took her across the United States and around the world, she created compassionate records of the poverty in the American South, the Nazi concentration camps, the caste system in India, and racism in South Africa. Her driving ambition to succeed in a male-dominated field continually placed her in adventurous and dangerous situations, and ultimately led her to become the first female photographer for Fortune and Life, the first woman accredited as a war photographer, and the first woman to fly on a bombing mission. Drawing on first-hand research, including interviews with those who knew Bourke-White, and illustrated with more than fifty of her photographs as well as archival images of Bourke-White and her family and friends, this new biography presents a moving introduction to a legendaryphotographer whose work is as meaningful today as when it was first published.

The story of British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and her exotic bohemian life.

Ela Stein was eleven years old in February of 1942 when she was sent to the Terezin concentration camp with other Czech Jews. By the time she was liberated in 1945, she was fifteen. Somehow during those horrendous three-and-a-half years of sickness, terror, separation from loved ones, and loss, Ela managed to grow up. Although conditions were wretched, Ela forged lifelong friendships with other girls from Room 28 of her barracks. Adults working with the children tried their best to keep up the youngest prisoners'' spirits. A children''s opera called Brundibar was even performed, and Ela was chosen to play the pivotal role of the cat. Yet amidst all of this, the feared transports to death camps and death itself were a part of daily life. Full of sorrow, yet persistent in its belief that humans can triumph over evil; this unusual memoir tells the story of an unimaginable coming of age.

Uses simple text and examples of Andy Warhol''s art to teach young readers about color and art.

From award-winning kids’ nonfiction author Susan Goldman Rubin, and radiantly illustrated by Susanna Chapman, the picture book Dragonflies of Glass celebrates the innovation, determination, and ambition of the brilliant woman artist behind the world-famous Tiffany glass In the mid-nineteenth century, most women who weren’t raising families became teachers or nurses. But Clara Driscoll longed to be an artist, drawing inspiration from nature: from every flower, weed, dragonfly, and even cobweb, on her family’s farm. In 1888, Clara was hired at the renowned Tiffany Glass Company, where Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany was known for creating gorgeous stained-glass windows for churches, theaters, and libraries. Impressed by her talent at choosing and cutting glass, Mr. Tiffany eventually put Clara in charge of her own staff of 35 women designers. These “Tiffany Girls” sketched intricate patterns, chose dazzling colors and precise shapes, and carefully soldered and placed each piece of glass to create stunning lamps, murals, windows, vases, and clocks. Yet their names weren’t always credited on the finished pieces, and when Clara designed the “Wisteria” lamp that would become Tiffany Studios’ most famous, everyone assumed that Mr. Tiffany had designed it. Today, Clara Driscoll‘s work lives on in museums, galleries, and private collections around the world. Dragonflies of Glass celebrates the innovation, determination, and ambition of the unsung women behind many of Tiffany Studios’ masterpieces. Includes a list of places where Driscoll’s Tiffany art can be found; examples of Driscoll’s Tiffany lamps and archival photographs; endnotes; and a bibliography.

Provides a glimpse of life during World War II in both the Netherlands and the United States through the correspondence of Anne Frank and her Iowa pen pals. In the fall of 1939, ten-year-old Juanita Wagner of Danville, Iowa, picked a name from a list of pen pals provided by her teacher. She chose a girl her own age who lived in Amsterdam. The girl''s name was Anne Frank. Through firsthand reports and interviews with Juanita''s sister, Betty, friends of both Juanita and Anne Frank, as well as never-before-published photographs, Susan Goldman Rubin weaves the story of two girls -- one in America and one in the Netherlands -- against the backdrop of pending World War II, its brutal reality, and its aftermath. In alternating chapters, Goldman Rubin describes the lives of Juanita and Anne before the war begins, then continues to tell their stories, as well as those of their sisters, Betty and Margot, as the war progresses. Juanita, Betty, and their mother witness the war from afar, aware of its presence only through radio, film clips, rationing, and watching schoolmates and friends leave for armed service. In tragic contrast, Anne, Margot, and their parents go into hiding, are discovered, and are sent to concentration camps. Only Anne''s father survives. Although the girls only had the opportunity to correspond briefly, their letters and contrasting experiences offer a poignant and timely look at lives during wartime. The existing correspondence between Anne and Margot Frank and their pen pals in Iowa is on permanent display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California.

In 1964, Mississippi civil rights groups banded together to fight Jim Crow laws in a state where only 6.4 percent of eligible black voters were registered. Testing a bold new strategy, they recruited students from across the United States. That summer these young volunteers defied segregation by living with local black hosts, opening Freedom Schools to educate disenfranchised adults and their children, and canvassing door-to-door to register voters. Everyone involved knew there would be risks but were nonetheless shocked when three civil rights workers disappeared and were soon presumed murdered. The organizers'' worst fears were realized as volunteers, local activists, and hosts faced terror on a daily basis. Yet by the middle of August, incredible strides had been made in spite of the vicious intimidation. The summer unleashed an unstoppable wave of determination from black Mississippians to demand their rights and helped bring about a new political order in the American South. Fifty years after this landmark civil rights project in Mississippi, an award-winning author offers a riveting account of events that stunned the nation. Includes over 75 photographs, drawings, original documents, a timeline, source notes, bibliography, maps, and an index.

A history and background of women''s contributions to the development of the American movie industry.

People call me the painter of dancing girls,Ó said Edgar Degas, & during his career he created more than a thousand beautiful ballet pictures. Working at the Paris Opera, watching the young students called petits rats,Ó Degas discovered that ballet training was very much like creating art: It takes hard work & hours & hours of practice. As the petits ratsÓ repeated their steps, Degas drew their poses again & again . . . for like the ballerinas, he was determined to achieve perfection in his art. In his sketches & paintings, Degas captured every moment, from the relentless hours of practice to the excitement & glamour of appearing on stage. With more than 30 of Degas''s original artworks in color, this biography offers an invitation to the dance.

When speaking of the American Revolution, there are many unsung heroes whose brave efforts made a huge difference. Haym Solomon was one such man. He risked his life and his finances, went to prison, and was forced to abandon his home and family -- all for the sake of American Independence. During the war, he was given the honorary title of ¿Financier of the American Revolution¿! His knack with people and money helped make his business successful. But when he was asked to contribute to the Revolutionary effort, he left his comfortable life and joined a group called the Sons of Liberty, who supported the soldiers fighting against the British. ¿The story of one of America¿s first true patriots.¿ Full-color illustrations. Reinforced binding.