KDL Recommends

Chronicles the life of America’s second president, including his youth, his career as a Massachusetts farmer and lawyer, his marriage to Abigail, his rivalry with Thomas Jefferson, and his influence on the birth of the United States.

An illustrated profile of one of America’s best-loved writers pays tribute to the life, illustrious theatrical and literary careers, and activism of Maya Angelou, providing a remarkable scrapbook of an extraordinary woman who is renowned as a poet, author, playwright, and humanitarian.

Describes the life of Marie Antoinette from her betrothal as a fourteen-year-old girl to the future King Louis XVI, through her life in the French court, to her courage in the face of revolutionaries who sent her to the guillotine.

A masterful portrait of a mythic American hero offers a sweeping study of Daniel Boone in terms of his larger-than-life role in the early history of America.

A gripping portrait of the ultimate double agent draws on recently declassified documents to recount the remarkable exploits of the enigmatic Eddie Chapman, Agent Zigzag, a criminal, con man, and philanderer trained by the Nazis as a spy who became a British agent at the heart of the German Secret Service.

Presents the life of the American comedian, from his tumultuous childhood with an abusive mother, to his early fame as a performer on “Saturday Night Live,” his movie career, and his involvement in social and political causes.

Traces the childhood, college years, and political accomplishments of the controversial 2008 presidential candidate.

A biography of the popular actor explores his rise from a difficult childhood to become one of the most powerful celebrities in Hollywood, his successful movie career, his three marriages, and the importance of Scientology in his life.

Takes an intimate look at the life and career of the singer and actress whose image was of “the girl next door.”

A portrait of the late Princess Diana examines her relationships with the various women in her life, including her sexually charged mother, scheming grandmother, hated stepmother, competitive sisters, and the “other woman,” Camilla Parker Bowles.

A narrative portrait based on the complete body of Einstein’s papers offers insight into his contributions to science, in an account that describes the influence of his discoveries on his personal views about morality, politics, and tolerance.

A dual portrait of Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi describes their forty-year struggle against each other for the future of Indian independence, detailing their influence on each other, as well as their lasting legacy for the British empire.

Examines the life and achievements of the head of the chocolate factory empire, describing his fatherless upbringing by a strict Mennonite mother, his failures with two early candy companies, and his construction of the utopian Hershey village.

Explores the life and literary career of Harper Lee, the woman behind the creation of To Kill a Mockingbird, describing her struggle to create her famed novel, and her contributions to her lifelong friend Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.

Recounts the life and achievements of the troubled 1970s basketball star, from his relationship with his obsessive father and unbroken college scoring record to the personal demons that challenged his life and his evangelical Christian faith.

Traces the rise of the iconic country-music artist from humble Depression-era roots to one of the genre’s most famous figures.

Traces the inspirational story of the late celebrity couple’s early marriage, describing their passionate shared years prior to Christopher’s paralyzing accident as based on interviews with people who knew them best.

Presents a multi-faceted study of the complex American president, detailing his diverse roles as commander-in-chief, leader of a social revolution, and statesman, and exploring his personal life and the physical disabilities that he hid from the general public.

A heavily researched portrait of the late creator of the “Peanuts” strip evaluates how his career was shaped by his midwestern working-class origins, family losses, and wartime experiences, offering insight into how familiar storylines closely reflected Schulz’s private life.

A portrait of Elizabethan England and how it contributed to the making of William Shakespeare discusses how he moved to London lacking money, connections, and a formal education and rose to became his age’s foremost playwright.

A critical biography of one of America’s greatest writers describes Wharton’s adventure-filled travels in Europe, the literary and artistic circles in which she lived and worked, her heroism during World War I, and the evolution of her writing.

Traces the life story of England’s foremost abolitionist, from the religious conversion in 1784 that led to his life of activism, to his twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, to his successful role in ending slavery in the British colonies.