Unlawful Orders: A Portrait of Dr. James B. Williams, Tuskegee Airman, Surgeon, and Activist (Scholastic Focus)

Barbara Binns is an African American author of contemporary, multicultural stories. She was born and raised on Chicago's south side. She writes to attract and inspire readers with stories of real boys growing into real men...and the people who love them.

Her books for middle grade and young adult readers include Pull, Being God, and Courage. Her writing has won an Oregon 2010 Readers Choice award and was chosen for the 2012 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list. In addition to writing, she volunteers with groups from students to senior citizens, and gives lectures and workshops to both experienced and aspiring authors.As the eldest of five children, Barbara learned responsibility at an early age. Her eclectic career path includes work as a clinical chemist at the University of Chicago Hospitals, as a computer analyst for AT&T, and now as an author for her readers. She finds writing for young people an exercise in self-discipline and the perfect follow-up to her life as an adoptive parent and cancer survivor. She lives and writes in a suburb of Chicago. You can find Barbara on Twitter at @barbarabinns, Facebook at @allthecolorsoflove, or on her website at babinns.com.