This book of biographical profiles and stories chronicles the astonishing courage and imagination of young people. The lives of the seventeen young men and women profiled here, who range in age from twelve to twenty-three at the time of their heroic deeds, spread across oceans and continents, cultures, races, and ethnic groups throughout 250 years. Each of their lives offers testimony to the human capacity to endure, overcome incredible obstacles, and choose honor, integrity, compassion, and service. The stories of many are told here for the first time.

Among the lives depicted here are those of Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the first African American students to attempt to integrate a formerly all-white high school in Little Rock in 1957; Vladimir Bukovsky, a teenager whose activities on behalf of the human rights movement in the Soviet Union landed him in prison; Marianne Cohn, who paid the ultimate price for her courage as a resistance fighter in World War II France; Charles Eastman, raised as a Sioux, who was thrust at age fourteen into an alien white world and who later returned to his people as a physician and saved many lives at Wounded Knee; Olaudah Equino, a West African sold into slavery in the eighteenth century whose autobiography offers an unflinching portrayal of the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade; and Chai Ling, a slip of a girl who assumed leadership of the student rebellion in China's Tiananmen Square. The heroes profiled in this book represent ten nations-Africa, China, Cuba, Denmark, France, Germany, Pakistan, Soviet Union, Thailand, and the United States. Each profile concludes with a bibliography for further reading. These engagingly written stories of young people's courage will inspire and instruct.

Jane Addams is best known as the founder of Hull-House, one of this country's first settlement houses, in the immigrant heart of late Victorian Chicago. This biography chronicles her privileged childhood in rural Illinois, her thirst for a first-class education, and her search for purpose and self-fulfillment, although constrained by notions of the proper role for females. It chronicles Addams' tireless work to better the lives of urban immigrants and her growing national and international role in social reform. The narrative of her family travails, deep friendships, reading, writing, travels, beliefs, and accolades and changing public perception of her causes is consummately woven with historical context of her times--from the Civil War Era to the Great Depression.

The range of Addams' concerns, of her active social and political involvement, is astonishing. She belonged to and helped to found many organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She championed women's suffrage and equality and believed in their moral strength in reform. At one point, she was cast in the role of middle class secular saint, and she became the most honored woman in the United States. As the United States entered World War I and later, Addams was called a dangerous radical and unchristian scoundrel and vilified for her outspoken pacifism and championing of free speech, human rights, and other progressive causes and groups. Her profound contributions to society began to be recognized again in the 1960s, and this biography reveals her greatness to a new generation.

These 35 little known heroes and heroines of American history from across the ethnic spectrum have been virtually ignored in traditional history books. Their inspiring, biographical profiles reveal the struggle, in the face of entrenched opposition, for a just, equitable, and humane society. They spoke for racial and social justice, women's rights, safe working conditions, and freedom of conscience and religion. More than half of the profiles are of women, one fourth are of African-Americans, and Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latino and Chicano Americans are also represented. Each profile integrates the individual life with a detailed explanation of the historical context, and each entry provides excerpts from primary sources--speeches, writings, and interviews--and is followed by broad bibliographical references. An alternative perspective on American history for students is offered in this work. The 35 men and women profiled here all defied the social and moral conventions of their times, frequently facing opposition and condemnation. Their voices were often stilled, muted, or lost, but their ethically grounded courage, their clarity of vision, and their willingness to stand up to injustice provide role models for Americans of all ages. One third of these people cannot be found in standard biographical references and others have never before been the focus of biographical sketches. Subject lists by chronology, gender, ethnicity, and focus of the biographee's concern will enable the student to select an appropriate subject for investigation and reports.