Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - May 5, 2009

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Social Studies Author Receives Guggenheim Fellowship

BOSTON — May 5, 2009 — Deborah Gray White, Board of Governors professor of history at Rutgers University and textbook author for global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, recently received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for her upcoming book 'Can't We All Just Get Along': The Cultural Awakenings of the 1990s.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation annually awards fellowships to promising scholars and artists who have produced exceptional scholarship or demonstrated extraordinary creative ability. Guggenheim Fellowships enable recipients to perform research within their fields under the freest possible conditions.

White specializes in African-American and American women's history with a particular focus on identity. She has authored several acclaimed works, including Ar'n't I A Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South (Norton) and Too Heavy a Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves, 1894–1994 (Norton), as well as co-authored Holt McDougal's four-book Holt Social Studies: United States History program with University of Southern California Professor William Deverell.

"We congratulate Deborah on receiving this distinguished fellowship," said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K–12 President Mike Lavelle. "Such renowned and accomplished authors like Deborah enhance the quality and integrity of our trusted educational solutions."

'Can't We All Just Get Along' studies turn-of-the-millennium American identity through the lens of mass marches and gatherings. Within the context of events like the Million Man March and the Promise Keepers, White examines the topics of coalition-building, intraracial and interracial faith, marriage and family relationships throughout the nineties and beyond. Her study emphasizes the revelatory nature of these events, particularly how the threads of millennialism and post-modernism connect them to twenty-first-century American identity.

For more information about the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and Guggenheim Fellowship, visit www.gf.org.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.