This reference is an excellent source of information on the invasion of Normandy, from the planning and preparation to the launch and what happened after. The photos, maps and text boxes add interest to the text. In addition to the basic information, there are interesting details, such as what the D in D-Day stands for, Enigma and the Code-Breakers, and Douglas Fairbanks and the Beach Jumpers. Like all the editions in this series, D-Day: The Normandy Invasion includes a timeline, glossary, essential facts and additional resources.
Tag Archives: nonfiction
The Great American Dust Bowl
“A speck of dust is a tiny thing.” That is how Don Brown begins his story of the “Dirty Thirties” in graphic novel form. He provides information I never knew – fences for miles were decorated with dead snakes because it was said dead snakes would bring rain – enhanced by wonderful illustrations. While there are a few spots of green and blue in the illustrations at the beginning of the novel, most of the images are in brown tones. The author keeps the story moving, provides interesting details, and uses panels crafted to create just the right mood. An excellent addition to any middle or high school library.
Favorite Words of Famous People
When I picked this up, I assumed it would be the favorite quotations of famous people. But it is not quotations; it is literally favorite words. Yo-Yo Ma’s favorite words are “genuine” and “incredible;” Ann Landers’ is “chocolate” and she is not the only one. Gene Kelly loves “plethora” and Penn Gillete loves “ruckus.” Several people chose “yes.” If the book were simply a list of favorite words, it would be rather dull. However, almost all of the famous people supplied a story about why they love these words. Some love them because of the sound of the words; others because of their meaning. My favorite favorite word – cartoonist Jules Feiffer’s – “Duck!” – provided complete with drawing.
The Hudson Plane Landing
| This account of the emergency landing of Flight 1549 was incredibly moving. I remember watching it on television, wondering how they could possibly survive. The book begins with how the day started for many of the passengers and crew, and then goes back to the life of the man who saved them all, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. After giving some background on bird strikes, the author provides a minute by minute account of the strike and landing. The calm and skill of the crew, the caring and compassion of some of the passengers all make for much more interesting reading than I anticipated. An interesting note: the chronology, included as in other entries in the Essential Events series, is a minute by minute chronology rather than day by day or year by year as in most books. |
District of Columbia v. Heller: The Right to Bear Arms
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.
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.
Relationship Smarts
This book begins with the explanation of the four types of relationships and how to build healthy relationships before going on to describe how to handle conflict and the signs of a bad relationship. There are sidebars on cyberbullying, how to know if you are ready to have sex, how much teen-aged boys lie about sex and more. It ends with a glossary and additional references. There are numbers and websites for teens who are suffering from abuse. The book offers solid advice; I’m just not sure how many teens will seek this advice in a library book.
Brown v. Board of Education
This book begins with background of Civil Rights for African-Americans , from the end of the Civil War to the events leading up to Brown v. Board of Education. The discovery of the events of the Holocaust forced the United States to confront the racism within our own borders. It discusses the division within the Supreme Court before the decision and the resistance of many states to implement it, as well as the progress made in the Civil Rights movement and what is still needed. At the end of the book, there is a list of important individuals, a timeline and additional resources, including a link to related primary source documents.
While the primary source material could be useful to upper grades, this book is definitely intended for grades 4-6.
The Story Behind Maps
This reference on maps gives a brief history of mapmaking and famous mapmakers. It also provides information on types of maps, reading maps and on map projections. It ends a chapter titled, “The Future of Maps” that discusses satellites and sky surveys. There is a timeline, glossary, resources for more information at the end of the book in addition to the beautiful photographs and maps throughout the book. However, the book is aimed at a very young audience, and as a high school teacher, I do not know if it will find an audience in an elementary school.
The Ten Year Century
This book takes stock of the major events that occurred during the first decade of the twenty-first century: “breaking down the decade’s most significant events year by year, from the 2000 presidential election recount to the rise of globalization to the advent of Twitter…” From the dot.com bust, WMDs, the Surge, the Maverick to the Audacity of Hope, the major stories of the period are examined. The epilogue states that “…our constant flow of information from the media makes every crisis seem all the more dramatic.” One of our English teachers looked through this book and said that excerpts from it would be great to use for lessons in reading informational text. That in itself makes it a useful addition to the library.