Teaching Cleveland’s 2022 Holiday Book Buying Guide
Ballots and Bullets: Black Power Politics and Urban Guerilla Warfare in 1968 Cleveland
By James Robenalt
Inspired by a shootout in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood on July 23,1968 between police and black nationalists, Ballots and Bullets is an exploration into the revolutionary calls for addressing racism through guerilla warfare in American streets. And, it puts into perspective the resulting political aftermath including the continued call for law and order by many politicians as a way to combat political unrest. Not surprisingly these same politicians ignored the root causes of this crisis — racism and poverty. Local author James Robenalt’s study of this 50 year-old issue is fascinating.
Believing in Cleveland
By J. Mark Souther
Cleveland has been both the “Mistake on the Lake” and the “Comeback City,” Believing in Cleveland chronicles how city leaders used imagery and positive rhetoric to combat urban economic decline. It is an story of restoration, renewal, and resilience resulting in what many think is “The Best Location in the Nation.”
Cleveland in 50 Maps
Edited by Dan Crussman, Cartography by Evan Tachovsky and David Wilson
This is a book for anyone who loves maps. It is the story of what’s happened to Cleveland over time, shedding light on what those changes mean and who is impacted by them. The explanation of both major and minor issues is explored, but it’s done with maps! If you love visuals and being able to understand changes in Northeast Ohio over the years, Cleveland in 50 Maps is 100 pages to be read, reread and shared with everyone, especially students.
Cleveland Then and Now
By John J. Grabowski and Diane Ewart Grabowski
Here is an opportunity to celebrate the historic changes and contemporary beauty of Cleveland. Cleveland Then and Now contrasts archival photographs with contemporary full-color images of the exact same scene. It’s hard to find anyone who knows Cleveland history better than Grabowski, and he and his co-author offer a fascinating look at how time has changed the community we live in.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
By Candice Millard
This is the captivating story of the 20th president of the United States and winner of the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Crime. James A. Garfield rose from abject poverty to become a scholar, Civil War hero, reformist Congressman, and ultimately President (against his will). Shot by a deranged office seeker after only four months in office, Destiny of a Republic is an epic story that chronicles a fragile post-Civil War nation, political power struggles and frightening medical care. Even if you hate political history, you won’t be able to put this book down.
Favorite Recipes from Higbee’s Silver Grille
By Jane Hazen and Judith Karberg
A compact cookbook featuring recipes from one of Cleveland’s most famous restaurants, it features some of the most beloved local dishes that generations of Clevelanders enjoyed. While the iconic cardboard oven may exist only in memory, the Welsh Rarebit and Chicken a la King can once again appear on your table. Favorite Recipes from Higbee’s Silver Grille will delight those who remember the Silver Grille as well as those who are experiencing the incredible recipes for the first time.
Hello Cleveland: Things You Should Know About the Most Unique City in the World
By Nick Perry, illustrated by Jason Look
If you’re looking for a great read about what makes Cleveland, well, Cleveland – this one is a keeper. This small book packs a ton of insights and connections about what makes Greater Cleveland an uncommon and exceptional city among its urban peers. It’s a fun, interesting read that interweaves historical facts and oddities with the present day. Perry’s book effectively captures an ultimate intangible essence of what it means to be from this place. Sort of like when two strangers, somewhere around the world, figure out that they are both from Cleveland. There’s a lot that doesn’t need to be said – and Perry captures a ton of it in this little tome.
Lost Cleveland
By Laura DeMarco
Organized by decades starting in the 20th century, DeMarco identifies markets, factories, parks, transit routes, skyscrapers, churches, factories and much more that have been lost to history. The oversized book features large, clear images of bygone scenes and structures that Clevelanders at the time probably once took for granted. Who could have imagined that Luna Park would be replaced with the Woodhill Homes? Who could have thought the Theatrical, which drew thousands for almost 60 years on Short Vincent, would disappear from the downtown scene? The book is a must for anyone who loves Cleveland history. It’s essential for anyone who wants to dive into Cleveland history and get into a car and travel to sites around town to see what they look like today.
Resisting Segregation
By Susan Kaeser
Change comes because grass roots organizations make it happen. Resisting Segregation documents how in 1964 a group of white and Black citizens, inspired by the civil rights movement, fought for racial equality in Cleveland Heights. Their 12-year struggle ultimately transformed a virtually all-white suburb into an enduring, integrated community. This book is for anyone interested in the evolution of Cleveland Heights or looking for how a community can take a path toward greater racial justice.
Rust
By Eliese Goldbach
A captivating memoir showing the juxtaposition of a twenty-something Cleveland woman with the progression of Cleveland itself during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Although wanting to leave her blue collar past behind, Goldbach is forced to take a job at a steel mill to achieve the financial security she needs. What she discovers is that the people she was so desperate to leave behind are actually the unsung backbone of our nation, just like Cleveland itself. Rust is compelling and thought-provoking and a must read for anyone, especially Clevelanders.
We Made It To School Alive
By Quartez Harris
A collection of 34 poems by local writer and Cleveland Metropolitan School District teacher Quartez Harris, We Made it to School Alive covers the arc of an average day in K-12 education in Cleveland from the first poem, “Walk to School” to the last, “Walk from School.” This book is one of the most meaningful and instantly iconic poetry books published in Cleveland. Like a day at school (at least in its ideal form), you leave this collection a different person than when you entered. Every teacher should read it.
