Larry Tye captures history and writes books about transformation, like the progress brought about by the black musicians who captured hearts in the USA. Larry's latest book is The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America, a combination of legends, deep examination, and inspirational story-telling. This is the 9th book by Larry, all of which open hearts and minds with real-life stories.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish

Monica Tetzlaff is an associate professor of history at the University of Indiana of South Bend, and her special interest is in African-American history.

Selika Ducksworth-Lawton is Professor of History at UW-Eau Claire and an educator & activist, raising awareness and working for our civil rights. From a rural black Louisianan upbringing, Selika has an incisive perspective on race & cultural dynamics in the USA.

Katherine van Wormer's book, The Maid Narratives: Black Domestics and White Families in the Jim Crow South draws on interviews from black maids and white women who had maids, to understand the reality of segregation, its norms, and its consequences.

In writing this book, Chris Tomlinson asks himself the question, "What crimes had my ancestors committed to maintain their power and privilege? Did they know what they did was wrong? As an American and Texan, I wanted to understand the sins of our fathers."

Larry Tye's recent book is SATCHEL: The Life and Times of an American Legend. Satchel Paige was a trail-blazer in the times when African-Americans were segregated from whites in their neighborhoods, schools, drinking fountains and on the ball field and Larry Tye chronicles Satchel's long march to color-blind recognition with the feel of an gripping adventure.