This well-organized and written reference begins with the United States v. Miller, a case that was used by lower courts for years to regulate the right to bear arms, although since the government argued the case unopposed it raised as many questions as it answered. Streissguth then goes on to set the stage for the District of Columbia v. Heller case, including the NRA’s lack of support for the case because they had one of their own test cases pending. He also provides the historical background from colonial times. The reference provides readers with all of the necessary background to understand the gun control debate and the cases surrounding it without making judgments. The final chapter, “The Impact of the Decision,” gives information on the some of the results of the landmark decision and potential effects in the future. The book includes a chronology of events, a glossary and additional resources. A good reference on how cases are selected to be test cases, how they are built and move through the system. The author states in the last chapter that the Second Amendment is likely to come under review by the Supreme Court again; since there is such a high likelihood that there will be more decisions on this subject, I rated this an Additional Purchase.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: “Woman Knows the Cost of Life
This solid biography begins with s short description of the defining moment in Cady Stanton’s life – the Seneca Falls Convention. Chapter Two goes back to her childhood and then on to her marriage, giving the reader a clear picture of how and why Cady Stanton developed such a passion for the women’s suffrage movement. While we see Cady Stanton and her close friend Susan B. Anthony as the founders of the suffrage movement, this book shows that their opinions were often opposed by many of their contemporaries, even within the movement, as too radical. The book ends with a chapter on Cady Stanton’s legacy, followed by a chronology of events, a glossary and additional resources. This would be an excellent reference for information on Elizabeth Cady Stanton in particular and the women’s rights movement in general.
Sallie Mae How to Pay for College: A Practical Guide for Families
As other the books written by the Tanabes about how to get into college or earn scholarships, How to Pay for College offers excellent, practical advice on how to manage the cost of a college education. Each chapter begins with an list of what will be covered, making it easy to refer to specific information as needed. Chapters cover topics such as the various types of financial aid available, how to apply for financial aid, how to save for college, and more. There are sample forms and bright ideas, key concepts and money saving tips in sidebars. One of the most useful items in the book is “Straight Talk from Financial Aid Administrators.” Throughout the book there are entries from these administrators on specific topics. Some of them seem self-serving, “Running a college is not cheap,” or “Believe it or not, colleges only raise tuition as a last resort.” But most are practical, ” Rule No. 1: Apply on time,” and “Keep us in tune with changes.” Good resource for high school students preparing to go to college.
Sigmund Freud
Gillam begins with a brief overview of free association, Freudian slips, dream analysis, repressed sexual urges and other ideas developed by Freud and then launches into his childhood. Freud was the favorite son and received the best of everything in his family. Never lacking confidence, after he began studying medicine and psychology he believed that his theories and proposed treatments would rival the discoveries of Copernicus and Darwin. However, he was often ridiculed by his contemporaries, some because they felt threatened by his radical ideas and others because of anti-Semitism. The two World Wars had both positive and negative effects on Freud research and practice; he began the treatment of what was then termed “war neuroses” and is now known as PTSD. His personal life, including his interest in cocaine, is almost as interesting as his career. Although some of his theories have been rejected, some have been modified and are still practiced today. The book includes a timeline, glossary, a list of essential facts, and additional references. The use of excerpts from primary source documents, photos and sidebars give the book visual appeal. I highly recommend the Essential Lives series.
Don’t Spill the Milk
Beautiful, bright folk-art illustrations capture the reader right off the bat, setting the scene for this simple tale set in West Africa. The story tells of a young girl who is trying to bring a bowl of milk to her father who is watching over his sheep in the grasslands. The journey from her home to the grasslands takes her through over dunes, across a river, up a mountain, past camels, a parade, and a herd of giraffes. All along the way she is concentrating hard not to spill any milk, and then just as she arrives, a mango falls and lands in the bowl, splashing the milk all over. Disappointed that she has failed in her task, her father comforts her, by explaining that the bowl held not only milk, but all her love, and that didn’t spill. They share the mango, leaving some for her to carry back to her mother, with all her father’s love. Together, the text and illustrations evoke a far-away land, so different in so many ways for American school children, yet the efforts of a child to do something to show her love for her father are universal.
The Magic Ball of Wool
It’s an okay little story, with a nice lesson about coming together to help someone in need, but there seem to be a few holes in the thread tying the story together. A giant, magical ball of yard shows up one night in the hedgehog’s quills, the spider teaches him how to knit, he knits an assortment of gifts for various forest animals, and every time the gift mysteriously turns into something else that animal likes best. Finally a crab comes inland to find the hedgehog and ask him to knit something to help a beached whale, but he’s all out of yarn, so all the critters return their gifts, which the hedgehog is able to unravel and reknit into a single string which turns into a giant butterfly that is big enough to lift the whale and return him to the ocean. We are never told where the yarn came from, why the transformed gifts are better than the hand-knit ones, how the hedgehog is able to unravel things that are no longer made of yarn, or why a giant butterfly was the best way to get a whale back into the ocean.
Your Muscular System
The design is really nice: shiny cover, sturdy binding, color photos with color blocks setting off the captions, text broken into small enough chunks not to be overwhelming, and labeled diagrams providing visual support for the text. The information is well-organized, clearly explaining the differences between different types of muscles, and substantive enough that I learned things I didn’t know.
Police
The text is clear and concise, with chapters dedicated to describing different kinds of jobs police officers perform, what kind of training they need, the equipment they use, etc. The color photos are well-chosen to support the text and are clearly captioned. This is a high-interest topic for elementary students, and this volume provides plenty of substantive information, while breaking up the flow of information with enough photos, so as not to over-whelm young readers. Solid, sturdy binding, too.
Planet Earth: Preserving Earth’s Biodiversity
A lot of solid, scientific information, presented in very readable, comprehendible text, and illustrated with beautiful paintings. It discusses the inter-connectedness of living things on planet earth, the fragility “The Real World Wide Web,” problems that come from introducing non-native species into new areas, or from over-harvesting, or from climate change. It presents a variety of arguments for the importance of preserving biodiversity, describes efforts underway to keep the earth healthy, and offers suggestions for how individuals (even kids) can make a difference.
Salamander Smack Down
I’m sorry. I’m just not a fan. The same publisher puts out a similar series of early chapter books based on classic super heroes, of which I really am a fan. But this pet spin-off seems pointless. The characters are a speedy turtle who is meant to be the pet of The Flash, and two newts who want to be pets to the villain Professor Zoom. After hiding in Zoom’s bag, the newts find their way into his laboratory and start mucking around with his giant robot, but they’re in over their heads and set it loose on the city without really having it under control. Speedy comes to the rescue by causing the robot to crash into some electrical lines and fry itself. I found the characters undeveloped and the story line a bit lame. Maybe I’m a purist, but there didn’t really seem to be a point to the whole pet angle.