These seven nonfiction books, recommended for middle- and /or high school readers, highlight individuals and groups who have led the way in their fields or for their causes.

The Salt Thief: Gandhi’s Heroic March to Freedom
by Neal Bascomb; illus. by Mithil Thaker
Middle School, High School    Focus/Scholastic    272 pp.
9/24    9781338701999    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781338702002    $19.99

In his latest work of narrative nonfiction, Bascomb (recently The Race of the Century, rev. 3/22) delivers a clear and absorbing account of Mohandas Gandhi’s (“or, as many of his countrymen called him, ‘The Mahatma’ [Great Soul]”) Salt March and its impact on the world. The book details how Gandhi (1869–1948), educated in London, spent two decades in South Africa developing and applying his theory of nonviolence before returning to India. When he devised his civil disobedience campaign of marching to the sea to collect salt in protest of the heinous British salt tax, he was accompanied by several dozen devout followers. The 1930 march helped to unite the diverse country behind Gandhi and brought attention to the unjust violence of the British occupiers. The book provides perspective on how the Salt March transformed the Indian independence movement in important ways, although complete independence would not happen for another fifteen years. Bascomb covers a lot of ground in these pages, in terms of both chronology and geography. A map would have been welcome, but portraits of the leading characters preface the narrative, and occasional black-and-white illustrations add visual interest. A bibliography, source notes, and an index (unseen) are appended. JONATHAN HUNT

Star Sailor: My Life as a NASA Astronaut
by Charles F. Bolden Jr. and Tonya Bolden
Middle School    Candlewick    112 pp.
10/24    9781536216325    $19.99

Charles Bolden credits Ron McNair, NASA’s second Black astronaut, with encouraging him to apply to be an astronaut. Despite having been a Marine pilot and holding a master’s degree in a STEM subject, Bolden did not think NASA would consider a five-foot-seven Black man — but to his surprise he was accepted into the astronaut program. An accessible, conversational text, written with veteran nonfiction author Tonya Bolden (no relation), covers the subject’s training, his first mission (to deploy a communication satellite), and his appointment as head of the Johnson Space Safety Division after the Challenger flight explosion. Three years after that tragedy, Bolden and his crew went back into space to deploy the Hubble telescope. Color photos from his four missions support the text and reinforce the scientific information. An author’s note provides more detail about Bolden’s life before and after his NASA career, along with a timeline and personal photos. NICHOLL DENICE MONTGOMERY

Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote
by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau
Middle School, High School    Little, Brown    256 pp.
9/24    9780759557062    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780759557055    $12.99

Dyson and Favreau (Unequal: A Story of America) explore the history of the right to vote in the United States, presenting the complexity of America’s election system in an accessible manner. This approach can inspire readers to dig deeper, see their communities reflected in past struggles, and make connections that help inform current events, finding ways to participate in the electoral process. Organized into three sections — Promises, Awakening, and Two Roads — the book features tales of famous and lesser-known voting-rights advocates to explain how countless Americans have been denied the right to vote, in contradiction to the modern understanding of the country’s founding vision. The personal stories provide examples of courageous leaders who helped disenfranchised voters have their rightful say in government while also exploring how social justice movements, such as women’s suffrage in the late nineteenth century, often left underserved communities behind. The authors avoid a specific partisan lens for their commentary; however, they affirm that for this country to live up to its promise as a democracy “of the people, by the people, for the people,” all Americans must protect the right to vote. Black-and-white photographs and archival images ably support the text. Back matter includes suggestions for “What You Can Do,” a timeline, further reading, and an index (unseen). NICHOLAS A. BROWN-CÁCERES

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien
by John Hendrix; illus. by the author
High School    Abrams Fanfare    224 pp.
9/24    9781419746345    $24.99
e-book ed.  9781683359630    $22.49

In this ambitious tandem biography of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, we are presented with two approaches to the lives and friendship of these noted writers. A straightforward linear biography, accompanied by copious illustrations, places the men in their historical contexts using dense and sophisticated prose. (“Militarism, intertwined alliances, and a mis-placed nationalism fomented a desire for adventure on the field of battle.”) A second route through the book involves two guides, a cartoon lion and wizard, who begin by leading us, in meandering graphic-format style, through the wide-ranging subject of mythology (the book ends with a similar examination of fairy tales) and later take their turn carrying the biographical material. In the individual life stories, Hendrix chooses well-worn through lines: Lewis’s movement from atheism to Christian belief and Tolkien’s struggle to be taken seriously as a writer of fantasy. It is, however, the story of platonic male friendship between “Jack” and “Tollers” that packs the biggest emotional punch. Hendrix captures, in this portrait of a meeting of minds, the particular joys of their friendship, its intensity, and its tragic unraveling. What went wrong? Professional jealousy? The inevitability of touchy writerly egos? Lewis’s marriage? Readers are left to wander back through the pages, or consult other sources ­suggested in the exhaustive scholarly back matter (including extensive source notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index), to draw their own conclusions. SARAH ELLIS

Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes
by Gail Jarrow
Middle School, High School    Calkins/Astra    176 pp.
9/24    9781662680236    $24.99
e-book ed.  9781662680243    $14.99

Narrative nonfiction veteran Jarrow (recently American Murderer, rev. 9/22) digs into the history of the greedy hucksters and charlatans who defrauded naive and grieving people for decades, as spiritualism began in the mid-1800s and gained popularity in the postwar periods that followed. The book shows how these mediums employed parlor tricks and sleight of hand to deceive seance-sitters into believing the dead could communicate from beyond the grave. Each rise in the practice’s popularity brought renewed skepticism, with a curious alliance of journalists, magicians, scientists, and detectives working diligently to convince the public that mediums were merely con artists. The book spends much of its time with famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, who used his expertise and experience to disprove mediums’ deceptions, performing their tricks himself during his touring shows. This intriguing deep dive into an underexplored period of history shows readers how obvious lies can cement into passionately held beliefs that can stand up to scrutiny if the believer is sufficiently motivated. Frequent visuals include photographs and advertisements; “How Did They Do It?” sections detail mediums’ secret methods. The thorough back matter includes a timeline, a glossary, additional resources, an author’s note, source notes, an extensive bibliography, and an index. ERIC CARPENTER

Spying on Spies: How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis’ Secret Codes
by Marissa Moss; illus. by the author
Middle School, High School    Abrams    224 pp.
3/24    9781419767319    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781647009786    $16.19

Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892–1980) and her husband, William Friedman, “are now recognized together as the two most influential code-breakers in American ­history.” Elizebeth, however, remains largely underappreciated, so Moss shares a fine-spun account of her career and its many impressive contributions (some of which are still classified by the U.S. government). Moss follows the trajectory of this fascinating, singular woman’s life (with details about William’s work as it parallels Elizebeth’s, but without shifting the focus from her) as she solves supposedly unbreakable codes containing enemy plans during both world wars. In between wars, Elizebeth’s job at the Treasury Department requires her to risk her safety testifying at high-profile organized-crime trials, gaining unwelcome notoriety in the press. She faces sexism throughout her career, often not receiving proper pay or credit. But Moss emphasizes that Elizebeth — who proudly leads her own code-breaking team — doesn’t let any of these challenges deter her from doing the work she loves. As in Moss’s The Woman Who Split the Atom (rev. 7/22), chapters begin with brief comics by the author that provide visual context for the historical scenes. Hand this to fans of Fleming’s recent The Enigma Girls (rev. 5/24). Archival photographs, a helpful “What Are Codes? What Are Ciphers?” section, a glossary, a timeline, notes, a bibliography, and an (unseen) index are appended. CYNTHIA K. RITTER

 A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond
by Elizabeth Rusch
High School    Greenwillow    336 pp.
7/24    9780063220904    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780063220928    $9.99

In tracing the battle for equal pay and equal treatment waged by the United States Women’s National Team against the U.S. Soccer Federation, Rusch (The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change, rev. 11/23) pulls off quite a feat: she keeps readers riveted by edge-of-their-seats descriptions of individual World Cup and Olympic games while educating them about gender bias, Title IX, the effects of concussion, contract negotiations, grass versus turf fields, class action lawsuits, and more. The book proceeds chronologically, from the Women’s National Team’s 1985 creation (with players like Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm, who were told that it was enough just to play for their country); through 1999 when the team won the World Cup (notorious for Brandi Chastain’s post-win sports-bra celebration) but the women made about $15,000 apiece; to the early 2000s with the entry of players like Abby Wambaugh, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan, fierce fighters both on and off the pitch; and ultimately to 2022 when, after protracted and brave efforts, pay parity between the men’s and women’s national teams was finally achieved. For such a thorough and comprehensive account, the telling is remarkably lively, peppered throughout with (uncensored) quotes and memorable descriptions (Rapinoe is the “firecracker forward with pink-dyed hair”) and filled with drama, sheroes, and villains; even granular descriptions of legal proceedings are compelling. Impressive front- and back matter include a list of major characters, a diagram of a soccer field outlining basic positions, an extensive bibliography, and twenty-six pages of source notes. Index unseen. MARTHA V. PARRAVANO

From the November 2024 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.