‘Ella: A Novel by Diane Richards’

For Adults

In 1934, Ella Fitzgerald, the first lady of jazz, was discovered in a talent contest at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre. By 1948, she would make her first of many appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. When she reached 1967, she was named the first woman recipient of the Bing Crosby Lifetime Achievement Award. However, in 1932, Ella Fitzgerald was just a fourteen-year-old girl whose mother copied a poem on loose-leaf for her titled “Keep Going”. The poem ended with the line “You Mustn’t Quit”.

“Ella: A Novel” is a narrative non-fiction book detailing the remarkable four years it took for Ella Fitzgerald to become the American icon we know her as today. Starting the day Fitzgerald’s destitute but idyllic childhood is upended by the sudden death of her mother, author Diana Richards guides us through her journey in the darkest parts of 1930s America. Abuse, racism, and violence test her spirit, but Richards brings Fitzgerald’s great strength and passion to life as she sees her dreams through.

Although this book is written like a fiction novel, Richards uses extensive research to create a rich depiction of historical Harlem’s culture, language, politics, and more. The gripping tale of historical urban America makes “Ella: A Novel” a perfect read for fans of “The Devil in the White City,” and its deep dive into the complexities of discrimination makes it a fantastic piece to read along with “James." Fitzgerald’s nail-biting journey is inspiring enough to make any reader dance!

‘Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen’ by James Robinson

For Middle Schoolers and Up

Filmmaker James Robinson was born with strabismus , an eye misalignment that resulted in difficulty with sports, reading, and other vision-related activities, plus a visible difference on his face. Through innovative storytelling and illustration, readers experience a small sample of what the world is like for Robinson. Optical illusions mimic his vison. Text placement replicates what a page in a book looks like to him. Robinson tells a story of being in school and pretending to read for several minutes, then being informed that his book has been upside down the whole time. The reader can share in a bit of that awkwardness when the text of the book is inverted and they are instructed to read it—apparently upside-down, to outside observers—in a public location.

“Whale Eyes” cleverly achieves its goal of building the reader’s empathy for Robinson and, by extension, for other people with disabilities. At the same time, Robinson explores the feeling of discomfort one may feel when witnessing the unfamiliar, such as a visible disability, and how readers can respond to this feeling in a way that makes people feel seen and respected. This glimpse into Robinson’s personal experience offers a larger perspective on the importance of being seen , and how everyone can learn to see others clearly.