American Ace Author:Marilyn Nelson 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-Amer... more »ican 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