Mason Crest: 778 books

Young people "coming out" as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT) in the twenty-first century are being welcomed into a community that is proud, diverse, and vibrant! This book examines the history of the LGBT community in America from its roots in the free-thinking seaport cities of the...

Frederick Douglass never knew the identity of his father, though he was probably a white slave owner. His mother was a slave. Frederick was taken from her soon after his birth. He only saw her a few times before she died. It seemed likely that Frederick would live out his life as a slave. But from...

With a six-day workweek, long hours on the job, and the hard labor required to keep house, leisure time was precious in the 1800s. Without recorded music, radio, movies, TV, video games, or the Internet, Americans had to make their own fun, and most of it was simple and very low tech—singing around...

In rough frontier cabins, tidy farmhouses, and elegant townhouses, Americans in the 1800s were dedicated to living as well and as comfortably as their circumstances allowed. The American home was a sacred institution, the seat of family life where the patriarch ruled with Mother at his side as guardian...

America in the 1800s was a very hard-working society. Early in the century, farmers, craftsmen, and housewives worked very much the way they had for centuries—by their own physical labor and "the sweat of their brow." The growing industrial economy brought millions of workers—people leaving their...

As one of the most powerful countries in Europe, France is a key player in the EU. In fact, it was one of the EU’s founding members. France has a long history filled with kings, inventors, and revolutions. Today, citizens are asking what it means to be French, as more and more immigrants move to France. Discover more about this exciting, modern nation!

Although Belgium is a small country, it is a big player in Europe. It was a founding member of the EU back in 1952. Today, Brussels, its capital city, is one of the EU's centers. Despite being divided between French and Dutch speakers, Belgium is a strong country with a lot going on culturally and politically. Discover more about this exciting, modern nation!

The United States' boundaries have expanded over the centuries—and at the same time, Americans' ideas about their country have grown as well. The nation the world knows today was shaped by centuries of thinkers and events. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most important of these thinkers. During...

The federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a national agency dedicated to investigation federal crimes. Founded as a small team of special agents on July 26, 1908, the Bureau was first charged with enforcing the growing body of federal laws covering the United States as a whole. Almost from the...

Few people are as successful in business and music as Sean Combs. Today, Combs (also known as Diddy) makes music fans love and still has time to succeed in business. Combs has even won an Academy Award for producing a movie. It seems there's nothing he can't do! Sean "Diddy" Combs is the story of...

Martial arts students don't just learn how to fight. They also learn lots of other important things they use every day—like concentration, for example. Martial artists are good at focusing on one thing at a time—and by practicing martial arts, you too can get better at concentrating. Concentration...

From his time in the group NWA to his work with Eminem, Dr. Dre has been a major part of hip-hop's history. The rapper/producer has been able to make hit music for years. Today, he's also moving into business with Beats by Dre. It seems there's nothing that Dre can't do! Dr. Dre tells the story of...

Sometimes celebrity families seem to have it all. Whether they're actors, famous athletes, major politicians, or royalty, these families usually have money and a glamorous lifestyle. At least that's the perception. In reality, celebrity families have a lot of the same issues other families have, along...

When Shawn Carter, an aspiring rapper with the stage name Jay-Z, couldn't get his career off the ground at a major record label, he didn't get discouraged. He and his partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke created a hip-hop label of their own. They named the label Roc-A-Fella Records. Originally...