Nellie Bly, the pioneering woman journalist whose breathtaking adventures literally took her around the world. Navy Admiral Grace Hopper, the quotable computer genius who led the way into the age of high technology. George Gershwin, who composed musical masterpieces, and his lyricist friend, E.Y. Harburg (The Wizard of Oz and more). Langston Hughes, whose belief in possibilities drove him to overcome racism and write immortal poetry. Charles Steinmetz, the scientific genius with a giant heart lodged in a body four feed tall. Harry Truman, whose boyhood readings in history later guided his own history-making decisions as President of the United States.

These stories will have you shaking your head in wonder at the vast (and vastly entertaining) variety of ways in which humans can strive for greatness.

This book is part of a book series called The Jim Weiss Audio Collection .

This book has been graded for interest at 9-12 years.

This book was published 2018 by Peace Hill Press .

In 1989, Jim Weiss set out on a mission: to record the greatest stories he knew from world literature and history, and inspire families -- especially young listeners -- with a passionate love of the original classics. In the three decades since then, Jim's narration voice and seemingly numberless character voices have formed foundational entertainment and education for millions of listeners around the world. Winning hundreds of awards, Jim's recordings range on the literary side from fairy tales through stories from Shakespeare, Dickens and Conan Doyle, while his history recordings bring to vivid life major historical events and personalities from the ancient world through the twentieth century. The inspiration for all this began early, with parents and grandparents who told stories and read aloud to him, skills which Jim joyously acquired, and which led him to a degree in Communications and Speech from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Later, his wife, Randy, earned her own national awards as a teacher and counselor, and their shared passion for learning led to forming their company in 1989, long before the explosion of spoken word recordings made this a "sensible" decision. The recordings began winning listeners and national awards from the first. A few years ago, the Weiss's licensed their recordings and business operations to Well-Trained Mind Press, which has successfully introduced Jim's work into still more markets, while Jim continues to write, record, teach and perform. Jenny is an illustrator based in California.

This book has the following chapters:

1. Preface

2. Nelly Bly - I Said I Could, and I Did

3. Charles Steinmetz - A Little Giant Comes to America

4. E. Y. "Yip" Harburg - Painting the Rainbow

5. George Gershwin - My Time is Today!

6. Langston Hughes - He, Too, Sang America

7. President Harry Truman - Beyond Politics

8. Admiral Grace Murray Hopper - Go Ahead and Do It!

Running Time: Approx. 75 Minutes