Experience

In his instantly recognizable, grandly sweeping style, eL Seed has painted Arabic calligraffiti murals everywhere from Tunisia to Paris, Dubai to New York. Recently, he created his most ambitious project yet: a mural that spans 50 buildings -- and can only be fully seen from a nearby mountain. eL Seed pursued this self-funded project as a way to make a political point, but he describes, the real transformation was personal.

The book "The Gutsy Girl" opens with an author's note that starts, "Dear Gutsy Girl" while all of the drawings inside the book feature girls. But that doesn't mean boys won't learn anything if they pick up a copy, as author Caroline Paul explains.