A Reading Guide to America's Many Stories
Since 1990, Diversity Books has helped schools, libraries, and families discover the landmark reference series that tell American history through the eyes of every community that built it — African American, Hispanic, Native, Arab, Jewish, European immigrant, and the famous women and men who shaped a nation.
American history is not a single narrative. It is a chorus — the testimony of enslaved people and abolitionists, of immigrants filing through the registry hall at Ellis Island, of Native nations whose presence on this continent stretches back millennia, of women whose contributions were left out of textbooks for generations. The multicultural reference series profiled on this site were created to put those voices back on the shelf, where students and researchers can find them year-round.
Our reading guide covers nine deluxe reference series — thirty-five hardcover volumes in all — that found their way into thousands of school and public libraries across the United States. Each series balances historical narrative with biographical sketches, supported by photographs, charts, primary documents, and extensive bibliographies that point readers toward further research.
Nine landmark collections, profiled in depth. Select any series for volume-by-volume contents, topics covered, and guidance for using it in a library or classroom.
5 deluxe volumes
Biographical data on an imposing roster of historical and contemporary figures in the African American community — widely considered among the finest sets of Black history references available anywhere.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A remarkable resource on the “Ellis Island experience” of European American immigrants, covering 43 countries of origin and 45 ethnic groups.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A wonderful resource for learning about 650 famous American and international women, from today's headlines and throughout history.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
Biographical portraits of 650 men whose enduring contributions to culture and society earned them international recognition.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A truly remarkable resource for studying Native American life, language, beliefs, tribal nations, and history across the United States and Canada.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A tremendous resource for learning the history, customs, and accomplishments of Arab Americans and the cultures of the Arab world.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A superb resource for learning the history and accomplishments of Hispanic Americans, from early Spanish exploration to contemporary life.
Series details2 deluxe volumes
A tremendous resource for studying the history, religious traditions, and accomplishments of Jewish Americans.
Series details4 deluxe volumes
A landmark scholarly work offering comprehensive, reliable information about the fastest-growing population in the nation — more than 900 articles by leading scholars.
Series detailsCultural diversity, or multiculturalism, is based on the idea that cultural identities should not be discarded or ignored, but rather maintained and valued. The foundation of this belief is that every culture and people has made a substantial contribution to American history.
These multicultural reference sets reached thousands of schools and libraries nationwide, offering in-depth studies of American history from the viewpoint of individual ethnic and racial groups — each one balanced between historical narrative and biographical sketches, with hundreds of articles, pictures, charts, and bibliographies.
How Dr. Carter G. Woodson's 1926 Negro History Week grew into a national February observance — and why its work continues all year.
From harbor fort to the golden door: the island station that processed millions of new Americans between 1892 and 1954.
What scholars mean by multicultural education, and the case for teaching every community's history year-round.