American Ace

This riveting novel in verse, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Toni Morrison, tells the history of the Tuskegee Airmen through the eyes of a teenage boy who realizes that he has a unique connection to them. When Connor s grandmother dies, s... Read more

This riveting novel in verse, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Toni Morrison, tells the history of the Tuskegee Airmen through the eyes of a teenage boy who realizes that he has a unique connection to them. When Connor s grandmother dies, she leaves his father a letter revealing a secret that shakes up their tight-knit Italian-American family: The man who raised Dad is not his birth father. Instead, Dad learns, his father was a U.S. pilot named Ace, a man his mother met in Italy during World War II. With just those facts and Ace s ring to guide him, Connor decides to investigate. Who was Ace, and what does this man s identity mean to Connor, his dad, and their understanding of themselves? A compelling coming-of-age story about genealogy, race, and identity, this poetic novel is also a fascinating approach to American history. The tale of the Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American Air Corps of the U.S. Army, is woven movingly into Connor s family mystery. Marilyn Nelson, a three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor winner, has crafted a masterwork that combines contemporary fiction and history in a unique and thought-provoking way." Less