CRP's Blog

Behind the Scenes

September 21, 2016

Harry Haskell’s Maiden Flight explores the life and love of Katharine Wright, Wilbur and Orville’s sister »

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Harry HaskellHarry Haskell is the author of Maiden Flight, a novel tracing the life and love of Katharine Wright, sister of famous inventors Wilbur and Orville. In the book, Haskell shares Katharine’s path as she painfully separates herself from supporting Orville in order to pursue a romantic relationship wit…

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September 14, 2016

Ben Montgomery’s The Leper Spy reveals the unlikely WWII heroism of Josefina Guerrero »

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Ben Montgomery Author PhotoBen Montgomery is the author of the New York Times bestseller Grandma Gatewood’s Walk and the forthcoming The Leper Spy: The Story of an Unlikely Hero of World War II (October 1), which reveals the nearly lost-to-history accomplishments of Josefina Guerrero, a Filipina spy who undertook daring mis…

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September 8, 2016

CRP tell-all: summer intern edition »

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Francesca

Labor Day has come and gone and school is back in session, which means we had to say goodbye to our summer intern, Francesca Kritikos.

Before she left, we asked her to complete one final project: share her thoughts on spending the summer at CRP and answer some requisite bookish questions

&…

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September 8, 2016

Mary Wisniewski’s Algren is the first biography of writer Nelson Algren in more than a quarter of a century »

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JL1_3608It’s been more than 25 years since the last biography of Nelson Algren came out, and Chicago journalist Mary Wisniewski spent about half that time crafting her own book on the famed author. In the evenings, on the weekends and between articles for her day job as a transit reporter for the Chicago

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September 7, 2016

Meet the author-photographer duo behind Treecology »

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Treecology authorsMonica Russo and Kevin Byron are the married author-photographer duo behind Treecology, the newest children’s book in our Young Naturalists series. Their previous book, Birdology, received positive reviews in Kirkus and Booklist and a feature in the Chicago Tribune. For the past 30 years, Monica a…

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August 31, 2016

Do you think the 2016 election is a circus? Ronald G. Shafer explores the 1840 origins of the modern presidential race in The Carnival Campaign  »

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SHAFER1In 1840, Americans were largely unhappy and unemployed, fighting their way back from an economic slump and ready for a fresh face in the White House. Along came William Henry Harrison, a former general of great wealth and power who portrayed himself—with the help of his Whig Party colleagues—as …

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August 30, 2016

Shawn Shiflett: Why I Wrote Hey, Liberal! »

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Author photo2I say up front that Hey, Liberal! is a work of fiction. However, it is inspired by true events that I experienced. The story is about a white boy, Simon Fleming, who, like me, was sent by his socially activist parents to a predominately African American and Hispanic school in the Lincoln Park neighb…

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August 29, 2016

On Michael Jackson’s birthday, Shana Mangatal shares a playlist capturing memories of her time with the King of Pop »

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ShanaColorHeadshot

As a member of Michael Jackson’s inner circle, Shana Mangatal witnessed firsthand his chart-topping hits, groundbreaking albums, and subsequent world tours—as well as his scandals, lawsuits, and addictions. She felt both the pleasure and the pain of being romantically involved with the most fa



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August 12, 2016

M.R. Cordell highlights the exploits of Courageous Women of the Civil War »

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Melinda author pic colorM. R. Cordell’s Courageous Women of the Civil War: Soliders, Spies, Medics, and More, the most recent addition to our Women of Action series, has been called “An excellent addition to history collections” by School Library Journal, “a solid resource” by Kirkus and “a rousing account



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July 29, 2016

Ellen Mahoney’s Gandhi for Kids makes the leader’s ideas relevant for today’s kids »

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Ellen Mahoney_July 2016Ellen Mahoney, the author of Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids and co-author (with astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who passed away in February) of the YA memoir Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronauttackles a big subject in her new book Gandhi for Kids: His Life and Ideas, w

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