Russell Freedman, Non-Fiction Author

Author Russell Freedman

Russell Freedman is the award-winning author of 47 books. Russell Freedman is now a well-noted writer of nonfiction for young people.His topics focus on historical eras or people from them, animal lives and behaviors, and other topics that have intrigued him. His books have earned him literary acclaim from many organizations, the most prestigious being his 1988 Newberry Medal Winner Book, Lincoln: A Photobiography. This prize had not been awarded to a nonfiction book since 1956. 

In honor of his birthday on October 11th, we celebrate his non-fiction books.

Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass by Freedman. A carefully researched account of two surprisingly parallel lives and how they intersected at a critical moment in U.S. history. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were both selftaught, both great readers and believers in the importance of literacy, both men born poor who by their own efforts reached positions of power and prominence—Lincoln as president of the United States and Douglass as the most famous and influential African American of his time.

The Boston Tea Party by Freedman. More than any other event, the Boston Tea Party of 1773 has come to stand for the determination of American colonists to control their own destinies. From the arrival of the ships full of controversial taxed tea in Boston Harbor,  through the explosive protest meetings at the Old South Church, to the defiant act of dumping 226 chests of fine tea  into the harbor on December 16, Freedman captures this exciting story. Source notes, a bibliography, a time line, an afterword, a historical map, and index.

The War to End all Wars: World War I by Freedman. The nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. In this clear and authoritative account, the author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first. Numerous archival photographs give the often disturbing subject matter a moving visual counterpart.

Who was First? Discovering the Americas by Freedman. Many generations of American schoolchildren were taught that Columbus discovered America, and a holiday reminds us every October. But historical investigation in recent years has shown us otherwise. There is evidence that adventurers, explorers, traders, and nomads from various parts of the globe set foot on American soil long before 1492. And expeditions that landed in the Americas reported people already living there—indicating that America had been “discovered” before.

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Freedman. The events leading up to it plus the personalities and politics behind its framing. Prints, full-color paintings, chronology, bibliography, index.

Cathy