The author of over forty nonfiction books for young adults, Brent Ashabranner deals with global themes as they affect the United States, his subjects ranging from immigration to ethnic diversity. Closer to home, he has also created a series of books looking at America's most famous monuments and memorials, using such edifices to present social and cultural history as well as the particulars of each monument's design and construction. In all of his work, Ashabranner combines fact and history with personal profiles of those directly involved, crafting readable and informative introductions to complex topics.

Ashabranner's career has taken him across the globe and has provided him with opportunities to study cultures in other countries as well as the United States. As a result, many of his books for young adults address cross-cultural issues involving Africans, Arabs, Jews, Native Americans, immigrants, refugees, and migrant workers. Ashabranner has been praised...