nKareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBAs alltime leading scorer, champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book. nDid you know that James West invented the microphone in your cell phone? That Fred Jones invented the refrigerated truck that makes supermarkets possible? Or that Dr. Percy Julian synthesized cortisone from soy, easing untold peoples pain? These are just some of the black inventors and innovators scoring big points in this dynamic look at several unsung heroes who shared a desire to improve peoples lives. Offering profiles with fast facts on flaps and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a nod to the minds behind the gamma electric cell and the ice-cream scoop, improvements to traffic lights, open-heart surgery, and more -- inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter. nBack matter includes an authors note and sources.n