Spaceshots and Snapshots of Projects Mercury and Gemini: A Rare Photographic History Hardcover – June 1, 2015 by John Bisney (Author), J. L. Pickering (University of New Mexico Press)

Like a pair of archaeologists discovering lost bits of history, John Bisney and J.L. Pickering took years to visit official NASA archives, as well as retired NASA and contractor employees who could give the backstory and identify people in photographs lying dormant in government file cabinets, attics and basements. This book is a wonderful compilation of the early Mercury and Gemini pioneers who helped America fly in space - from astronauts and NASA officials to lower-level types that did the real work of ensuring a safe flight. The attention to detail is amazing, naming individuals who would otherwise never be credited. My favorite is on page 44, showing the woman who hand-painted the insignias on three of the Mercury spacecraft. These were the people that Neil Armstrong mentioned in just about every speech he gave, insisting to audiences he stood on the shoulders of the over 200-thousand men and women who supported the space program.

This is the story of the people and events of Projects Mercury and Gemini, told through hundreds of unpublished and rare color and black-and-white photographs. Unlike other publications, which have illustrated the Space Race with well-known and easily accessible images, this history draws from the authors' private library of more than 125,000 high-resolution photos of the first two U.S. manned space programs from 1961 to 1966. 

Collected over a lifetime from public and private sources--including NASA archives, fellow photo collectors, retired NASA and news photographers, and auction houses--the images document American space missions of the Cold War era more comprehensively than ever before. Devoting a chapter to each flight for the first time, the authors also include richly-detailed captions, providing new insight into one of America's greatest triumphs.

Moonshots and Snapshots of Project Apollo: A Rare Photographic History Hardcover – September 15, 2015 by John Bisney (Author), J. L. Pickering (Author) (University of New Mexico Press)

J. L. Pickering and John Bisney have done it again! . . . Moonshots and Snapshots of Project Apollo comes with SpaceFlight Insider’s highest recommendation. It is an excellent follow-on to Spaceshots and Snapshots of Projects Mercury and Gemini: A Rare Photographic History as well as an exceptional addition to any space enthusiast’s library

In this companion volume to their extraordinary book of rare photographs from the Mercury and Gemini missions, John Bisney and J. L. Pickering present the rest of the Golden Age of US manned space flight with a photographic history of Project Apollo.

Beginning in 1967, Moonshots and Snapshots of Project Apollo chronicles the program's twelve missions and its two follow-ons, Skylab and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The authors again draw from rarely seen NASA, industry, and news media images, taking readers to the Moon, on months-long odysseys above Earth, and finally on the first international manned space flight in 1975.

The book pairs many previously unpublished images from Pickering's unmatched collection of Cold War-era space photographs with extended captions--identifying many NASA, military, and contract workers and participants for the first time--to provide comprehensive background information about the exciting climax and conclusion of the Space Race.

Que vivan los tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (Diálogos) Paperback Jeffrey M. Pilcher (university of New Mexico Press) (IBRCookBooks)

Connections between what people eat and who they are--between cuisine and identity--reach deep into Mexican history, beginning with pre-Columbian inhabitants offering sacrifices of human flesh to maize gods in hope of securing plentiful crops. This cultural history of food in Mexico traces the influence of gender, race, and class on food preferences from Aztec times to the present and relates cuisine to the formation of national identity.

The metate and mano, used by women for grinding corn and chiles since pre-Columbian times, remained essential to preparing such Mexican foods as tamales, tortillas, and mole poblano well into the twentieth century. Part of the ongoing effort by intellectuals and political leaders to Europeanize Mexico was an attempt to replace corn with wheat. But native foods and flavors persisted and became an essential part of indigenista ideology and what it meant to be authentically Mexican after 1940, when a growing urban middle class appropriated the popular native foods of the lower class and proclaimed them as national cuisine.

Pickled Watermelon Esty Schachter; Alex Orbe, illus. Kar-Ben Pub 2018 144 Pages $8.99 ISBN: 978-1512499902

Instead of spending the summer with her friends at camp, Molly goes to Israel for a month for a family wedding. She is nervous about the trip, not wanting to leave her beloved Bubbe to go to a foreign country and stay with family she’s never met, who speak a language she barely knows. However, Molly is pleasantly surprised by Israel and the people she meets there. She learns to communicate with her family on the kibbutz through laughter, smiles, and splashing in the pool. Her aunt and uncle speak English with her and tell her about her family’s roots and the sights and history of Israel. She even learns to understand her grandparents, Safta and Saba,who don’t speak English but are loving and want to connect with their granddaughter.

This sweet story offers vivid descriptions of Israel in the 1980s, and offers history lessons woven in through family lore, along with a healthy dose of Jewish education.

Recommended for ages 8 to 13.

Joe's Market: A Story About How One Man Changed His Community Ilana Danneman; Debra Sifen, illus. Married to a Yid 2017 26 Pages $9.99 ISBN: 978-0986074967

With only a dime in his pocket, Isidore Sirota, an immigrant known as “Joe the Jew,” moved to Atlanta and opened a grocery store. Joe didn’t only sell food in his store; he also created a community. Through acts of charity, like bailing one customer out of jail and saving another from eviction, Joe became a beloved member of the neighborhood. Told from his granddaughter’s perspective, Joe’s Market is written with love, every word penned with affection and respect.

Debra Sifen’s comic-like illustrations are endearing. The smiling characters and detailed groceries enliven the story. Included in the book are a recipe for chicken soup and a photo of Joe the Jew.

Although this book could have used a tighter proofread, it is a sweet biography that may encourage children ages 4 to 8 to explore their own family histories.

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey Paperback – June 7, 2016 by Rinker Buck (Simon & Schuster)

Enchanting . . . Interspersed with the story of his westward journey,Rinder . Buck entertains and enlightens with discourses on American history and culture. . . . He has delivered us a book filled with so much love—for mules, for his brother, for America itself. . . . Long before Oregon, Rinker Buck has convinced us that the best way to see America is from the seat of a covered wagon.

Rinker (the author) and his brother decided on a whim to build a covered wagon, buy a set of mules to pull it, and head out on the Oregon Trail. They started In Missouri and travelled through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon to get there - over 2000 miles. They essentially traced the route the settlers took, over 400,000 of them made the trip in the middle of the 1800's.

The book consists of several things - the story of the trip I great detail, ruminations about Rinker's father and how he made him who he was, and passages about the West. These included, among others, information about the importance of mules, how the wagon business prospered as a result of the Trail, the impact of the trail on the Native American population, and how the Mormons (LDS) affected the trail and its history.

In the beginning the sheer amount of information is a bit off-putting. After the first few chapters are complete it sort of becomes part of the scenery and blends in. Additionally he and his brother become humanized and there is often a warm feeling present.

They actually do make it after making their way through many hair-raising adventures. All of those are told with a breathless spirit that adds to the interest. If you have an interest in the West and how it came to be, you will enjoy this wonderful book.

The Calculus of Change Jessie Hilb Clarion Books 2018 336 Pages $17.99 ISBN: 978-0544953338

Romance. Drinking. Drugs. Bad grades. Troubled relationships. The Calculus of Change has it all. Aden, a high school senior, is a great student with a beautiful voice who hopes to go to Brandeis. Overweight and not cool, she’s never experienced love until she starts tutoring the handsome, charismatic, yarmulke-wearing Tate in calculus. They meet after school at Ike’s, the local coffee shop, to study calculus, and end up learning about friendship and romance.

The characters in this book—Aden, her lacrosse-playing brother Jon, her party girl best friend Marissa, and Tate—are complex and interesting. They face a multitude of difficulties, from a deceased mother and a withdrawn father to teen pregnancy. While the problems are solved a bit too simply to be true to life, the lessons and struggles in The Calculus of Change are relevant to today’s teens and the story is an engrossing read.

Recommended for ages 14 and up.