John Florio

1971. Brooklyn, New York. Undercover cop Frank Serpico is knocking on a drug dealer's door. His partners are there to back him up, but when the door opens, he's staring down the barrel of a gun--and his partners are nowhere to be found. For more than a century, the New York Police Department had been plagued by corruption, with cops openly taking bribes from gamblers and drug dealers. Not Serpico. He refused to take dirty money and fought to shed light on the dark underbelly of the NYPD. But instead of being hailed as a hero, he became a target for every crooked cop on the force. In Marked Man, John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro bring this true story of police corruption to life. Join Frank Serpico on his one-man crusade to clean up the largest police force in the United States. And discover the price he had to pay for being an honest cop.

War in the Ring presents a riveting nonfiction book for kids about a boxing match that represented the growing tensions between the United States and Nazi Germany in the lead up to World War II.Joe Louis was born on an Alabama cotton patch and raised in a Detroit ghetto. Max Schmeling grew up in poverty in Hamburg, Germany. For both boys, boxing was a path out and a ladder up. Little did they know that they would one day face each other in a pair of matches that would capture the world's attention. Joe grew into a symbol of inspiration to a nation of Black Americans hoping to carve a slice of the 'American Dream' in a racially fractured country. Max, on the other hand, became a Nazi symbol for the superiority of the Aryan race. The battles waged between Joe and Max still resonate, and the cultural implications of the international sensation continue to reverberate far past the ring.

From John Florio and Emmy Award-winning writer Ouisie Shapiro comes a monumental YA nonfiction book about the heartbreaking case of Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants who were wrongfully executed for murder. In the early 1920s, a Red Scare gripped America. Many of those targeted were Italians, Eastern Europeans, and other immigrants. When an armed robbery resulting in the death of two people broke headlines in Massachusetts, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti--both Italian immigrants--were quick to be accused. A heated trial ensued, but through it all, the two men maintained their innocence. The controversial case quickly rippled past borders as it became increasingly clear that Sacco and Vanzetti were fated for a death sentence. Protests sprang up around the world to fight for their lives. Learn the tragic history we dare not repeat in Doomed: Sacco, Vanzetti, and the End of the American Dream, an action-packed, fast-paced nonfiction book filled with issues that still resonate today. Praise for Doomed"A riveting true crime story--but who are the criminals? As relevant today as it was a century ago." - Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb and Fallout

The debut novel in a “riveting” Prohibition-era crime series “for readers who follow Kelli Stanley’s Miranda Corbie series or Reed Farrel Coleman’s Moe Prager books” (Library Journal). On the streets of Prohibition-era New York, Jersey Leo is one of a kind. A biracial albino known as “Snowball,” he makes his living as a bartender at a mob-run speakeasy. Abandoned by his White mother and frowned upon by his Black father, a former boxing champ, Jersey’s about to discover why he was always warned against working at a dive bar owned by one of New York’s most notorious gangsters. Duped into purchasing counterfeit moonshine, or “sugar pop moon,” with his boss’s money, Jersey must go undercover to track down the bootlegger who took him in—before his boss does him in. The clues lead him to Philadelphia, where his attempt to lure out the cheat nearly gets him killed. With a price on his head, Jersey seeks help from the only man he can trust, his father. But as Jersey and his dad delve into the origins of the mysterious sugar pop moon, stunning secrets about Jersey’s past come to light—truths that could pave the way to a very different future for Jersey. . . . “Funny, poignant, and thrilling. A terrific read!” —Kevin Baker, bestselling author of Dreamland, Paradise Alley, and Strivers Row “Harsh as a slug of 190-proof moonshine.” —Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times–bestselling author of A City of Broken Glass “Authentic period, savvy style, and memorable characters.” —Kelli Stanley, award-winning author of City of Dragonsand City of Secrets “Sure to appeal to fans of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, and . . . Robert Fate’s edgy Baby Shark series.” —Booklist

The latest sequel in the Prohibition-Era crime series is “hard-boiled enough to remind readers of Hammett and Chandler,” featuring the biracial bartender up against a corrupt cop (Kirkus Reviews). Jersey Leo knows what it means to be the underdog. After all, he’s the guy known on the streets as “Snowball,” a biracial albino working the bar at Philadelphia’s Ink Well, a Prohibition joint serving up moonshine to a mostly Black clientele. So when death row inmate Aaron Garvey calls to ask for one last favor, Jersey can’t say no. Aaron may be a convicted cop-killer, but he’s also the childhood friend who stood up to Jersey’s bullies. As a Black kid with the kind of colorless features only the mother who abandoned him could love, Jersey had a lot of enemies. And the numbers keep growing, though this time it’s crooked cops looking to break Jersey’s legs—or worse—after Aaron springs himself from prison just moments after he and Jersey share his last meal. But that doesn’t stop Jersey from hiding the escaped convict while he uncovers the real story about what happened that night Aaron pulled the trigger. Even Jersey’s father, a former boxing champ, is on his side this time, along with Jersey’s childhood crush, Myra Banks. With his dad in his corner and a good-looking dame on his arm, will Jersey uncover the truth before it’s too late? “Compelling. . . . Florio has an unerring feel for the era and people, and we believe in these characters. Readers will cheer for Leo, a tough guy with a heart of hurt.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Hits a comfortable niche between hard-boiled and breezy.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

One Nation Under Baseball highlights the intersection between American society and America’s pastime during the 1960s, when the hallmarks of the sport-fairness, competition, and mythology-came under scrutiny. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro examine the events of the era that reshaped the game: the Koufax and Drysdale million-dollar holdout, the encroachment of television on newspaper coverage, the changing perception of ballplayers from mythic figures to overgrown boys, the arrival of the everyman Mets and their free-spirited fans, and the lawsuit brought against team owners by Curt Flood.One Nation Under Baseball brings to life the seminal figures of the era-including Bob Gibson, Marvin Miller, Tom Seaver, and Dick Young-richly portraying their roles during a decade of flux and uncertainty.

One Nation Under Baseball highlights the intersection between American society and America’s pastime during the 1960s, when the hallmarks of the sport—fairness, competition, and mythology—came under scrutiny. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro examine the events of the era that reshaped the game: the Koufax and Drysdale million-dollar holdout, the encroachment of television on newspaper coverage, the changing perception of ballplayers from mythic figures to overgrown boys, the arrival of the everyman Mets and their free-spirited fans, and the lawsuit brought against team owners by Curt Flood.One Nation Under Baseball brings to life the seminal figures of the era—including Bob Gibson, Marvin Miller, Tom Seaver, and Dick Young—richly portraying their roles during a decade of flux and uncertainty.

John Florio (1553-1625), known in Italian as Giovanni Florio [d o vanni flo rjo], was a linguist and lexicographer, a royal language tutor at the Court of James I, and a possible friend and influence on William Shakespeare. He was also the first translator of Montaigne into English. He was born in London, and in 1580 he married Aline, the sister of poet Samuel Daniel. The couple had three children, Joane Florio, baptised in Oxford in 1585; Edward, in 1588 and Elizabeth, in 1589. He died in Fulham, London in 1625. His Italian and English dictionary, entitled A World of Words, was published in folio in 1598. After the accession of James I, Florio was named French and Italian tutor to Prince Henry and afterwards became a gentleman of the privy chamber and Clerk of the Closet to the Queen Consort Anne of Denmark, whom he also instructed in languages. A substantially expanded version of A World of Words was published in 1611 as Queen Anna's New World of Words, or Dictionarie of the Italian and English.

It was 1976 when Leon and Michael Spinks first punched their way into America's living rooms. That year, they became the first brothers to win Olympic gold in the same Games. Shortly thereafter, they became the first brothers to win the heavyweight title: Leon toppled The Greatest, Muhammad Ali; Michael beat the unbeatable Larry Holmes. With a cast of characters that includes Ali, Holmes, Mike Tyson, Gerry Cooney, Dwight Qawi, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and dozens of friends, relatives, and boxing figures, ONE PUNCH FROM THE PROMISED LAND tells the unlikely story of the Spinks brothers. Their rise from the Pruitt-Igoe housing disaster. Their divergent paths of success. And their relationship with America. The book also uncovers stories never before made public: the big paydays, the high living, the backroom deals. It's not afraid to tackle an issue rarely discussed: Does the heavyweight title deliver on its promise to young men in the inner city? This is the definitive story of Leon and Michael Spinks. And a cross-examination of heavyweight boxing in 20th century America.