Anne Schraff – författare

The spirit of adventure has long driven Americans to explore the unknown and broaden the knowledge of the world. All of the men and women in this book are American heroes from the twentieth century. Some trekked to the North or South Poles, others ventured into the sky and flight, while some even journeyed into space and to the Moon. They all succeeded in accomplishing historic feats of exploration or flight. Some died doing what they love most. They all captured the hearts and imagination of millions of others. Adventurers profiled in this volume: Orville and Wilbur Wright, Matthew Henson, Robert Peary, Richard Byrd, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Neil Armstrong, and Sally Ride.

Despite being a slave, Douglass learned to read and write. At age 21, he escaped from slavery and forged a new life for himself as a free man. Intelligent and charismatic, Douglass became the leading voice against slavery in the 1800s. "There is no way a nation can call itself free and accept slavery," said Frederick Douglass. Middle-grade readers and up will respond to Anne Schraff''s fresh, lively retelling of Douglass'' story.

Sorting myth from truth in this amazing tale of courage and heroism, Anne Schraff breathes new life into the story of the most famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. "I grew up like a neglected weed, ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. Now I''ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is." Harriet Tubman ran away from slavery in 1849, walking one hundred miles to freedom in the North. For the next sixteen years, Tubman risked her newfound freedom, and her life, to help about three hundred other slaves escape. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse and a scout for the Union army, and in her later years, she joined the struggle for the education of her people and for women''s rights.

Today, thanks to the work of a brilliant young doctor, blood banks and successful blood transfusions are commonplace. Dr. Charles Drew''s pioneering research with blood plasma and storage made this possible. At a time of crippling racial segregation and prejudice, Drew proved that black doctors were equal to white doctors. During World War II, he created the first large-scale system for preserving blood, shipping seventeen thousand pints overseas for soldiers in Great Britain. Since then, millions of men, women, and children worldwide owe their lives to his work. In this page-turning account, author Anne Schraff demystifies Drew''s extraordinary research and dispels the false rumors around his tragic and untimely death.