USA TODAY Cultural Mosaic

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The Middle Eastern American Experience shines a spotlight on Middle Eastern Americans and their many exciting contributions to U.S. society. From artists and athletes to military and political leaders, Middle Eastern Americans enrich American life. Writers such as Khalil Gibran and Naomi Shihab Nye offer eye-opening glimpses into their lives and cultural history. Football great Doug Flutie and tennis star Andre Agassi climbed to the topmost ranks of professional sports. Artists such as Frank Zappa and Paula Abdul have enriched the U.S. musical landscape, while actors Jamie Farr, Tony Shalhoub, and Natalie Portman excel in television and film. Leaders such as Ralph Nader, John Abizaid, and Donna Shalala influence U.S. political, military, and educational life. Read this informative title to learn more about how Middle Eastern Americans contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The American Indian Experience shines a spotlight on American Indians and their many exciting contributions to American society. From artists and athletes to religious leaders and chefs, American Indians enrich American life. Novelists such as Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie offer enlightening and often humorous glimpses into their life experiences and tribal traditions. Super athlete Jim Thorpe excelled in track-and-field as well as numerous other sports, breaking down cultural barriers to earn gold medals in the pentathalon and the decathalon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. SuAnne Big Crow displayed amazing skills as a basketball player for the Lady Thorpes, her South Dakota high school's team. She became a legend in 1988, when she performed the Lakota Sioux shawl dance on the court in Lead, South Dakota, silencing the crowd who had been shouting anti-American Indian slurs. Buffy Sainte-Marie became one of the nation's best known folksingers, while actor-musician Floyd Westerman captivated audiences in the groundbreaking 1990 film Dances with Wolves. Read this informative title to learn more about how American Indians contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The European American Experience shines a spotlight on European Americans and their many exciting contributions to American society. From architects and athletes to singers and chefs, European Americans enrich American life. In Giants in the Earth, Norwegian American Ole Rolvaag wrote about the struggles of nineteenth-century European Americans. In The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Gary Shteyngart highlights the lives of modern immigrants to the United States. Actress Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in the Oscar-nominated film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Legendary singer Frank Sinatra, the son of Italian immigrants, won ten Grammy Awards, posted thirty-one gold records, and also starred in movies. Known as the Croatian Sensation, Toni Kukoc helped the Chicago Bulls win three NBA championships in the 1990s. Polish American Tara Lipinski is a gold-medal-winning figure skater. Austrian-born celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is famous for his restaurants, cookbooks, and line of prepared foods. Read this informative title to learn more about how European Americans contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The Asian Pacific American Experience shines a spotlight on Asian Pacific Americans and their many exciting contributions to American society. From artists and athletes to filmmakers and chefs, Asian Pacific Americans enrich American life. Novelist Amy Tan has offered insights into the lives of Chinese Americans in books such as The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife. In The Eaves of Heaven and other books, writer Andrew X. Pham has examined the experiences of Vietnamese who came to the United States after the Vietnam War. Filmmaker Ang Lee is famous for movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a martial arts film, as well as historical romances such as Sense and Sensibility, based on the Jane Austen novel. Singer-songwriter Norah Jones inherited her musical talent from her musician father, Ravi Shankar. Korean American Michelle Wie is a champion on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour, while Japanese American speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno has won five Olympic medals. Read this informative title to learn more about how Asian Pacific Americans contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The Hispanic American Experience shines a spotlight on Hispanic Americans and their many exciting contributions to American society. From musicians and artists to actors and athletes, Hispanic Americans enrich American life. Writers such as novelist Sandra Cisneros and playwright Luis Valdez offer insights into social issues and the diverse cultural lives of Hispanic Americans. Baseball superstar Roberto Clemente shared his athletic prowess and belief in charitable giving with the world, supporting poverty-stricken people throughout Latin America until his tragic death in a plane crash in 1972. Outstanding Olympic swimmer Dara Torres wowed the crowds when, at the age of forty-one, she won three silver medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Singers Carlos Santana and Christina Aguilera became pop music sensations, singing in both Spanish and English and climbing music charts in the United States and around the world. Read this informative title to learn more about how Hispanic Americans contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Supplemented with quotes and engaging articles from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, The African American Experience shines a spotlight on African Americans and their many exciting contributions to U.S. society. From musicians and athletes to media and political leaders, African American people enrich American life. Writers such as Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison offer eye-opening glimpses into their lives and cultural history. Baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, tennis stars Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, and golf great Tiger Woods smashed cultural and racial barriers in professional sports. Artists such as W. C. Handy, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson dramatically changed the world's musical landscape, while actor and media mogul Oprah Winfrey shaped television, film, and publishing. Political leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama wrought major shifts in U.S. society and government. Read this informative title to learn more about how African Americans contribute to the United States' cultural mosaic, enriching our nation with a wide range of traditions, customs, and life experiences.