Reviews (1)

One of the Best
American Government: A Complete Coursebook is a great resource book. I know, as a student, that you can find a lot of topics in this book that aren't even touched upon in any ordinary textbook. This is a wonderful resource, especially for Economic, Legal, and Political Systems (ELPS) students, and U.S. History students. From the definition of "bill", to 105+ Supreme Court cases, this book has found almost all of the information I have needed. Maybe, it will work for you or your student too. ... Read more

Book Description

Kids on Strike! tells the story of children who stood up for their rights against powerful company owners, from a "turn-out" in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1836 led by eleven-year-old Harriet Hanson to the dramatic strike of 1912 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. By the early 1900s nearly two million children were in the United States work force. Their tiny fingers, strong eyesight, and boundless energy made them perfect employees. But after years and years of working long hours every day under harsh and inhumane conditions, children began to organize and make demands in order to protect themselves. They fought for better wages, fairer housing costs, and safer working environments. Susan Campbell Bartoletti tells of labor strikes led by young people throughout the United States. Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs from newspapers and journals as well as with the work of photographer Lewis Hine, this book provides an inside look at the individual and gripping events that shaped t ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One child's response
My seven-year-old daughter is reading this book now. This morning, she said to me, "Daddy, I'm so glad you got me this book from the library.But there's one thing I don't like: those companies were so mean! And why?Because of money, that's why! But those people aren't any better than otherpeople are. It's just the way the black people used to be treated, itwasn't fair. People should be treated nicely, not just the rich people,that's what I think." So if you want to nurture a sense of socialjustice (and maybe a little social rebellion) in your child, this seems tobe a good book. I can't wait to read it when she's done.

Labor History Lives!
Kids on Strike is an excellent introduction to U.S. labor history.The book is well-researched and enhanced by the addition of a chapter-by-chapter bibliography.Bartoletti uses her journalism backgroundto weave an eloquent and powerful narrative.Even adults will learnsomething new.I, for instance, was completely unaware of how a teen-agegirl led a widespread (and successful) rent strike in New York City in1907. A great addition to school libraries. ... Read more

Book Description

You can change the world.

Free Speech. Racism. The Environment. Gay Rights. Bullying and School Safety. Animal Welfare. War. Information about Safe Sex and Birth Control. Free Speech. HIV and AIDS. Women's Rights.

These are the issues you care about -- and now you can do something about them. It's Your World will show you how to act on your beliefs, no matter what they are, and make a difference.

The information inside includes:
• The basics of activism
• Activism projects and outreach ideas
• The 5-minute activist
• How to be an activist at home, at school, and in your community
• Stories from teenagers who have taken on the world -- and won
• Resources including books, movies, and Web sites
• and much, much more

Whether at home, in school, or in your community, you have the power and the ability to create change, even if you aren't old enough to vote. Don't wait until you're eighteen to flex your political muscles -- start right now! ... Read more

Book Description

All elementary school students learn about the history of the U.S. Constitution when they first begin social studies. This book is different. It tells boys and girls about the great American document itself--explaining exactly what the Constitution does, as well as how it affects and protects people today. Kids discover how the Constitution provides for the federal government's three branches--legislative, executive, and judicial. Then they see how it gives all citizens many rights, including the right to vote, to enjoy freedom of speech and the press, to worship--or not worship--according to one's religious beliefs, to disagree openly with government policy, and to defend oneself in courts of law when accused of crimes or civil wrongs. Kids also see how, according to the Constitution, many rights are kept beyond control of the federal government, and are reserved for the separate states, communities, and individuals. This book's language is clear and simple. It cites many examples that relate directly to each student's own experiences. (For grades 3-5) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

one of two
I purchased this book in addition to How The U.S. Government Works, by the same author. I was pleased that the books do not talk down to my middle-schoolers, but instead explain in easily-understood terms how it all is supposed to work. This is a good reference book for a 'tween-ager. I keep both books on my homeschool bookshelf and my children have gone back to them several times. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An outstanding discussion of the Bill of Rights
In my opinion, every public library should have two copies of this book - one for the children/young adult section (its primary audience) and another for the adult nonfiction section. In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights is as straightforward and educational as any book I've seen on the subject, and anyone who was born an American, sought and won American citizenship, or is just thinking about becoming an American would do well to read this book. America's enemies could also learn a lot from this book, as it clearly shows the unprecedented liberties upon which this nation was founded and still abides.

After an introductory chapter or two setting the stage for the birth of the Constitution and the passionate demands for a Bill of Rights to protect the freedoms of every single American, Russell Freedman launches into a cogent discussion of each of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. He refers back to English law as far back as the signing of the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689) for the precedents and origins of the liberties espoused by the Founding Fathers. "We the people" were not asking for concessions and liberties from the new central government; they were codifying the primacy of these individual freedoms and drawing a clear line in the sand over which the new government would not be allowed to cross. The author points out that the freedoms espoused in the Bill of Rights were not enjoyed by every American for many years to come, but he shows how the document was flexible enough to serve an ever-changing nation over the course of time. It is easy to take for granted the Bill of Rights today, but this truly was the cornerstone of a government the likes of which the world had never seen.

Freedman's discussion of each individual amendment is broad and impressive. Not only does he explain the origins of each amendment, he offers examples of challenges to the laws, most often by ordinary citizens, and the historical judgments delivered by the Supreme Court in response. In many cases, the Court reversed decisions it had made in earlier times, and Freedman uses this evolution of policy and judicial determination to show how the principles of the Bill of Rights have been shorn up and strengthened over time. He also refers to hot button questions of the present time, showing that the Bill of Rights is just as relevant now as it ever was. Through the examples of history and the illuminating examples of modern challenges and interpretations of the laws, Freedman makes this aged, weathered document bristle with the life and energy that is required for the nation to remain true to the principles upon which it was founded.

I daresay you will get a much better understanding of the Bill of Rights by reading this book than you ever will from reading a history textbook. In Defense of Liberty is written by only one person, but surely it is written for the people. I should also mention the fact that the author provides a bibliography of recommended readings for young readers in particular. If nothing else, should you run across this book, pick it up and read the back cover because, if you are an American, there you will find your Bill of Rights.

Book for Classrooms
This award winning book gives a brief history of the formulation of the U.S. Bill of Rights. It illuminates the beginnings and flow of Constitutional history in a way that readers can understand the process. I would use this book in the classroom because it would allow the students to learn about the history of the Bill of Rights and how it is a part of the Constitution. The students always learn about how the Bill of Rights and the Constitution apply to their lives today, but not many know the history behind each of them. Teacher can use this book to begin a unit on this topic. I think this book would be good to use as an introduction to a theme cycle. This book could be the first one of several that is read throughout the unit.

Richie's Picks: IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
On April 23, 2003, William Baue reported in SocialFunds.com:

IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY: THE STORY OF AMERICA'S BILL OF RIGHTS is first a brief history of the formulation of the US Bill of Rights. It is also a look at how the black-robed trustees of the "462 words written two centuries ago" which "promise the basic civil liberties that all Americans enjoy as their birthright" have not always kept that promise for all Americans, and it examines how these words are interpreted and reinterpreted as the group of individuals serving on the Supreme Court change, as society, technology, and other factors change, and as new circumstances and new laws come into play.

Interpretation of new laws in relationship to the Constitution is called judicial review. When it comes to the Bill of Rights, judicial review constantly reveals those 462 words to be a living, enduring organism that is relevant today, no matter what day today is. It causes many of us to be forever amazed by the genius of the Founding Fathers in gathering these words/ideas/ideals (particularly when they and their progeny were such jerks in keeping those sacred rights to themselves and their white male moneyed Protestant slave-owning counterparts for so damned long).

For such a book to have some lasting value to a reader and to a library collection, it must illuminate the beginnings and flow of Constitutional history in such a way that readers can understand the process and utilize that understanding as a stepping stone for future exploration as the Bill of Rights continues evolving through new justices and new Court cases.

Russell Freedman's book does just that. It shows how times change and decisions change. It provides juicy, sometimes gross examples of behavior that resulted in the promulgation of the English Common Law, the English Bill of Rights and how those rights and American colonial-period behaviors all contributed to these first ten Amendments to the US Constitution.

Freedman presents many historic decisions--later "corrected" by more-recent Justices--that (hopefully) all of us would agree in retrospect were unfair. Some early examples are a result of a Supreme Court ruling in the early 1800s that the Bill of Rights applied only to the national government. Thus (besides the slaves, the Native Americans, and the boorish treatment of women) you had other situations I wasn't aware of such as:

"In New Jersey, non-Protestants weren't granted full civil rights until 1844. In New Hampshire, Catholics couldn't vote until 1851."

But the vast proportion of the information and cases that Russell Freedman presents involve issues that are relevant and vital to today's teens. Discussion of Japanese Internment is followed by a look at the treatment and roundups of Muslim and Arab men in America following September 11th. Freedman explores many other hot-button issues such as reproductive freedom, high-tech snooping, random drug testing, the Internet, and the Death Penalty. I found his presentation of the modern issues and historic precedents surrounding the Second Amendment to be especially thought-provoking. (I'd love to see classroom discussion of that chapter coupled with a viewing of Bowling for Columbine.)

Accompanying both the historic and current issues are great tie-in photos and other illustrations. For instance, back in February we discussed with our students Bretton Barber, the Michigan kid who was kicked out of school for wearing a shirt with a printed photo of the President captioned "International Terrorist." Barber--who along with the ACLU has a lawsuit pending against the school district--invoked the Tinker v. Des Moines case from the 1960s in asserting his right to wear that shirt. Not only does this book include discussion of the Tinker case, it has a great photo of the two Tinker kids holding their black armbands emblazoned with peace symbols. (In ruling for the Tinker siblings, the Court decreed that constitutional protections "are not shed at the school house gate.")

The more sophisticated history students will consume this book quickly and be hungry for more. They will be able to dig into the extensive bibliographical sources that Freedman provides us, the majority of which have been published within the last decade. But the typical eighth-grade American History student will find this book in itself a wealth of information and a doorway to the beauty and enduring nature of our country's most precious of documents.

Richie Partington
.... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This book is amazing
I was given the amazing opportunity to spend time with Virginia Fry while living in Vermont this past winter. My 14 year old sister had recently passed away after her stuggle against cancer. I was completely lost, and met with Virginia several times. She is one of the most amazing people that I've ever been priviledged enough to have come into my life. This book enveloped every part of her ideas and extremely heartfelt suggestions to get you through the most horrible times. She is such an amazing person and this book reflects that to the fullest extent.

Chapter 5 is about me
My name is Amy Petrucelli and chapter 5 is about me, my sister Betsy and our brother Frankie.
The very first time I read Ginny's story and at that time it was a draft, it brought tears to my my eyes and my late mothers. If it were not for Ginny and Hospice to help us as children to cope with death and dying, I do not think I would be here today. This book is more than helpful and insightful, at least for me. I encourage any person(s) having known a child or know one who is going through death and dying to read this book and share it with that child and help them to work through their loss, questions and fears, Lord knows the author Virginia Fry did that for me.

IT WAS EXCELLENT! I LOVED IT!
I really enjoyed this book. I bought it a few years after my mother died, and it helped me a great deal with what I was feeling, thinking, and seeing. It also helped me deal with the day-to-day struggles that I encountered. Thank you so much for writing this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Kids shouldn’t have to wait until they’re old enough to vote to get caught up in the excitement of presidential elections! From the first primaries, through the party conventions, to the final count at the polls, the race for the presidency is a whirlwind of passionate speeches, sensational campaigns and new beginnings that every American can be a part of! ... Read more

Book Description

Spies explores the undercover world of espionage, part of the intelligence-gathering operations of nations and global organizations. Learn more about the first spies, and find out what motivated these men and women to take such an unusual and often dangerous career path. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is an illustrated history of the civil rights movement, written and designed for ages 10 to adult, that clearly and effectively brings the turbulent years of struggle to life, and gives a vivid and powerful experience of what it was like not so very long ago. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Free At Last
A truly painful story of the civil right movement. The stories of many so far, annonymous heroes and sheroes of the movement. The stories of the victims and their killers. Their amazingly unfair trials and finally the continuation of such in cases like in the four little girls killed in the Birmingham bombing of the 16th Baptist Church. Free At Last gives us a new view of the movement and of how its victims were not just "trouble makers" but innocent people that oppossed segregation non-violently. Also portraying the stories of the innocent ones that were tortured and killed simply for being black, or saying "Bye, baby" like 14-year-old Emmit Till. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Bill of Rights a user's gide
This book leads you to the knolage of the bill of rightss and helps you understand

Highlights the role of everyday citizens
In The Bill Of Rights: A User's Guide, Linda Monk covers the history of the Bill of Rights, amendment by amendment, explaining how the Supreme Court has interpreted (and sometimes re-interpreted) each right. She also highlights the role of everyday citizens in enforcing these rights. Now in a completed updated third edition, the stories of ordinary people who made the Bill of Rights the living document it is today are engagingly presented. Of special note is the foreword by United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Highly recommended for personal, school, and community political science and constitutional studies collections.

A title's promise kept
This book is exactly what the title claims it is. It is easy to read and offers some brief but useful background on the English legal tradition which is handy for those wanting to probe the roots of the Bill of Rights. But what makes this book a success are its brilliantly simple explanations and enlightening illustrations (including a generous number of political cartoons) plus the actual words of people involved in key court cases. The User's Guide presents a winning formula for the ideal civics textbook. The lessons here are poignant, profound and memorable. Just what a teacher needs to cultivate a future of informed citizens. Buy this book! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An informative introduction to America's patriotic symbols
The title of "Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who?: The Stories behind Some of America's Patriotic Symbols" certainly tells you what to expect to find in this book written by Teresa Bateman with illustrations by John O'Brien. The question then is what specific national symbols are included: the Flag, the Eagle, the Great Seal, the Liberty Bell, "The Star-Spangled Banner," Uncle Sam, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the White House, the Capitol, the National Mall, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (I am not sure why that one came last since it was not the last one chronologically speaking). The stories include not only the origins of each symbol, such as the argument over what should be the national bird (Ben Franklin wanted the wild turkey), but the history of the various symbols and buildings (the Philadelphia City Council wanted to haul away the Liberty Bell as scrap metal). Consequently, Bateman and O'Brien get beyond the standard information to provide some more interesting details (who walks through each of the entrances on the four sides of the White House). Young students should find this book quite informative, depending on how much they know about these various symbols (the struggle to get the Washington Monument built covered a lot of new ground for me) and O'Briens drawings represent a nice balance between reverence and humor. "Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who?" is not the final word on America's patriotic symbols, but it is a solid introduction to most of the important ones. ... Read more