About this item
The process of inventing something to improve or save lives is not easy. However, African Americans had to face a more difficult road than other inventors. From finding educational opportunities to securing the patents for their work, African-American inventors used determination and curiosity to make contributions that continue to affect us today. Author Jeff C. Young describes their struggles and triumphs. Inventors featured include Patricia Era Bath, George Washington Carver, Lonnie G. Johnson, Percy Lavon Julian, Lewis Howard Latimer, Jan E. Matzeliger, Garrett A. Morgan, Madame C. J. Walker, and Granville T. Woods.
About the Author
Jeff C. Young was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina but he spent his formative years in Lebanon, Indiana. Since graduating from Ball State University in 1971, Young has worked as an editor, journalist, free lance writer and librarian. When he was between writing, editing or librarian jobs, Young delivered pizzas in four different decades. In 1997, he became a published author with the debut of his book, The Fathers of American Presidents. Since then, he has written over 40 nonfiction books for young readers in the fields of biography, sports, politics/government, military
history, American history and transportation. In 2007, Young's book, Bleeding Kansas and the Violent Clash Over Slavery In The Heartland, won the prestigious Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for Best Juvenile Nonfiction Book. Young currently works as the Director of the Learning Resource Center at Meridan College in Sarasota, Florida. He plans to continue his writing as long as he has the mental acuity and physical energy to write and as long as his publishers keep giving him assignments.
