No comments about Gordon Brown: Past, Present and Future.

No comments about Homer E. Capehart: A Senator's Life, 1897-1979.

2 comments about Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope (Shapers of America) (Shapers of America).

1. Part of the "Shapers of America" series, Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope is a remarkably extensive biography for young adults about the charismatic African-American state senator from Illinois who has become one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures. Tracing the journey of his life from Hawaii and Indonesia to Harvard Law School, Chicago's South Side, and the halls of Congress, Barack Obama is illustrated throughout with black-and-white as well as color photography. Chapter notes and an index round out this highly accessible resource especially recommended for school and community library collections.



2. The bubble has yet to burst on Barack Obama's campaign to get the Democratic nomination for president, but whether he returns to the U.S. Senate or becomes the first president of African-American descent, this juvenile biography will provide a solid introduction to Obama for any young reader who is inspired to find out more about the man. Although copyrighted for 2008, "Barack Obama: The Politics of Home," has already been published and it tells the story of how a "Kenyan Kansan" ended up in Washington, D.C. Author William Michael Davis provides a look at Obama's entire life, spending as much time on when "Barry" was in school (like his young readers) as when Obama starting running for office to "create a better politics."
   
   Davis begins this biography at the moment that many Americans were first introduced to Obama, when the obscure state senator from Illinois delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and suddenly gained a national reputation. Obama's speech was reminiscent of Barbara Jordan's keynote at the 1976 Democratic National Convention and Mario Cuomo's keynote in 1984. Both of those celebrated orations thrust their speakers into national politics--there was talk of putting Jordan on the ticket as vice-president and Cuomo was considered a potential candidate for a decade after his dazzling oration--but only Obama actually became a candidate for the highest office in the land. So even if young readers do not remember the speech or its coverage, telling the story of the impact it made is a great starting point for this biography.
   
   After looking at Obama's speech, chapters are devoted to Barack Hussein Obama being raised in Hawaii by a mother from Kansas, a father from Kenya, and a step-father from Indonesia, going to college, becoming a community organizer, and attending Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the "Harvard Law Review." The second half of the book looks at how Obama set down roots in Chicago's South Side, became a state legislator, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate. The final chapter, "We've Got to Create a Better Politics," covers the decision to run for President, the main opponents he faces for the Democratic nomination, and what running a presidential campaign is like these days. Davis does not get into Obama's political positions, instead focusing more on his optimistic political philosophy.
   
   Reading this book I am reminded of some juvenile biographies of Colin Powell that I read a decade ago when there was speculation that he might throw his hat into the ring and run for President. I remember thinking they should have waited for Powell to decide because there could be more to the story to tell. That did not prove to be the case with Powell, and whether Obama goes on to the White House or simply has a lengthy career in the U.S. Senate, Davis's book explains why so many people are excited about him as a politician. The back of the book includes a Chronology of key events in Obama's life from 1961 to 2007 when he announced his candidacy, Chapter Notes documenting all of Davis's sources, a list of articles about and books by Obama for Further Reading, a trio of useful Internet Resources where readers can go to find out more, and a standard Index. The book is illustrated with dozens of photographs, both color and black & white.
   
   This book is one of the early releases in a series of eight Shapers of America volumes that offers an interesting cross-section of figures from American history. In addition to Obama we have "Jim Beckwourth: The Man Who Opened the West," "John C. Calhoun: Champion of States' Right," "John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Court Supreme," "Billy Mitchell: Evangelist of Airpower (Shapers of America)," "J. Robert Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Bomb," "Sacagawea: Lewis & Clark's Pathfinder," and "Ida Tarbell: Crusading Journalist." Obama hardly qualifies as one of the Shapers of America given that roster of Americans, but there is no question that he is inspiring millions of young kids to becoming interested in politics and to accept the idea that if he can run for president, then maybe we all are created equal in this country.

No comments about American Presidents Eminent Lives Boxed Set: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant.

5 comments about One Man With Courage: The Wayne Cryts Story.

1. Courage indeed, this one man had it for the whole United States! You just have to read this to really understand the trials Wayne Cryts and his family went through and the courage it took to change a horribly unjust law.



2. Having been raised on a farm, I am very aware of the many challenges, obstacles, and difficulties the American farmers have to encounter or overcome. The criminal charges and punishment that was enforced to Mr. Cryts was disheartening and alarming. This book is a must read that you won't want to put down. It will enhance your passion and desire to rally for the American farmer. We all need to ask ourselves the question, where would we be without them?



3. This book was as good as advertised. It is truly amazing, tragic, and scary that this could happen in America. I am sure that there are many untold stories of crooked judges, lawyers, politicians, federal marshals, and government officials that have never been told. This story is about one man and his family against the "system". The "system" wanted to destroy them and they had the guts to stand up for what is right and proper. It is unbelievable that one judge could have so much power and then find that many people to do his dirty work. I loathe crooked and powerful public servants that have no regard for the truth or what is right. This man paid dearly for taking his stand. I know that there are a few good people in government but they are going against the grain to do what is right and this wrong. You will start reading this story and won't be able to put it down. It seems like the courts were out to get Wayne and as the story goes on it became personal to make an example out of him. It is no wonder that people snap and go on a killing spree when treated like this, but thankfully Wayne kept a cool head through it all. This story is a perfect example of how one family telling the truth and 12 good jurors can change bad laws. We all need to learn from this story. You will be on the edge of your seat as you read and at times your heart will be saddened. This man and his family truly went on one wild ride during their fight for what is right.



4. This is a great story about Mr. Cryts struggles to keep the farm going while combating some very unfair laws and court rulings. Should be a must read for government class. Everyone will find it relevant even those outside of the agriculture community. It shows how unjust and out of control our justice system can get. Leaves you in disgust that such things happened in our great country.



5. Wayne Cryts is not a man you will learn about in the public education system, but he is a man you must learn all you can from. His strength to stand up to a corrupt government and win by their rules is simply amazing.
   
   I read his story at least once a year, but more specifically when I am feeling down and need some motivation. When I have kids they will learn about Cryts and the fight he put up to save his way of life, and stand up for what's right.
   
   I especially admire how he used the rules of the system and did not use violence.
   
   This needs to be required reading for entering adulthood.
   
   Wayne is a true American hero, and I hope to one day be able to meet him.

No comments about A Rich Broth: Memoirs of a Canadian Diplomat.

No comments about Serving America Abroad: Real-Life Adventures of American Diplomatic Families Overseas.

No comments about The Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill: A Treasury of More Than 1,000 Quotations and Anecdotes.

No comments about The Bouviers.

2 comments about Stalin's Russia (Reading History).

1. Although the preface says that this book was designed for undergraduates, it is not. It was designed for Chris Ward. The author tends to bypass any explaination of who and what historical figures and organizations were. Just one example: What exactly the Checka was, although Ward mentions it, is never explained at all. The racing "narrative" jumps around from one factoid to another. There is no sense of continutity. I was baffled as to what Ward's point was at the end of the first chapter and found myself more confused about Stalinism than before.

   Even more, Ward's use of an overwhelming amount of tangential footnotes is irritating at best and only serves to confuse the reader at worst. Each chapter is arbitrarily and very post-modernly divided into a "narrative" section, an "interpretations" section and an "explainations" section.

   I wanted to send Ward off to a gulag after reading this.




2. Chris Ward provides a well structured, useful text book that should be welcome to teachers of modern Russian history. His book sets an example of historical writing that currently seems especially serviceable to the field of Stalinism studies. Ward neither presents nor analyzes entirely new data. Nor does he develop a truly novel interpretation of Stalinism. His study essentially constitutes a long review essay on the literature on Stalinism, and an extensive general introduction to the field. This determines his structuring of the book.
   The chapters do not follow an exclusively chronological line, but refer to the issues of contention and various sub debates in Soviet studies. After an outline, in the introduction, of the changes in the source base of Stalinism studies in pre- and post glasnost Russia, the chapters discuss:
   - various explanations of the rise of Stalin, 1917 29 (ch. 1);
   - conflicting assessments of the industrialization campaign,1924 41 (ch. 2);
   - contending accounts of the reasons for and results of the collectivization drive, 1927 41 (ch. 3);
   - diverging views on the origins and nature of the purges, 1928 41 (ch. 4);
   - different evaluations of the sources, successes and failures of Stalinist foreign policy, 1922 41 (ch. 5);
   - opposing appraisals of the war period and late Stalinism, 1941 53 (ch. 6); and
   - competing interpretations of the role of, and changes in, Soviet culture and society during Stalin's rule, 1928 53 (ch. 7).
   The conclusion "History and Stalin's Russia" juxtaposes the consequences of different historiographical approaches for understanding the Stalinist period. It finally gives an outlook where future research into Stalinism may and should go.
   The chapters are uniformly structured into sections called "Narrative," "Interpretations," "Evaluations" and "Suggestions for further reading". The first section links the crucial dates, events, names and numbers; the following two discuss diverging conceptualizations and explanations of the data. The section "Interpretations" reconstructs the respective debate in the - primarily academic English-language - literature. In "Evaluations," Ward criticizes the various approaches and presents his own - sometimes reconciling, sometimes partisan - solutions. In "Suggestion for further reading," Ward lists selected, important books and articles, and summarizes their content or locates them within the debates. The book is thus as much devoted to the historiography of Stalinism as to the phenomenon itself. It is a guide book to the literature, as much as a textbook, on Stalinism.