Smart About the Presidents (Smart About History)
by Jill Weber, Jon Buller, Susan Schade
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jill Weber, Jon Buller, Susan SchadeEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-07-08
ISBN: 0448433729
Number of pages: 64
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Book Reviews of Smart About the Presidents (Smart About History)
Book Review: BEWARE: INDOCTRINATION
Summary: 1 Stars
I first saw this at a book fair at my child's school [...] I should have read it more carefully before purchasing. In all fairness, it is a good introduction to all the presidents and has some interesting facts.
Now, here are the problems I have with this book.
First: Under the description of Richard Nixon, there is no mention of China, the END of the Vietnam war and the END of the draft. Instead, the authors chose to speak ONLY about the Watergate scandal. There was much more to the Nixon Presidency than just Watergate. If they are going to speak about the negative, at least mention some of the positives to show a little balance.
Second: Under the description of Bill Clinton, the book states that "[t]he 1990s were good years for the country - fewer people were out of work and the U.S. was not at war." HELLO! Do the authors not remember Kosovo, the situation in Somalia (i.e. Black Hawk Down), the first bombing of the world trade center, the situation in Haiti, constant activity in the Persian Gulf, planes being shot at in the no fly zone over Iraq, the Oklahoma city bombing, the U.S. bombing of an asprin factory in Africa, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, multiple U.S. embassy bombings, etc? While these were not full-blown wars (of which we have not technically had since WWII - only Congress declares war) they are still significant military endeavors and the infancy of the "War on Terror" that began post 9/11. The Clinton Administration deployed our soldiers more times than any other President, albeit the majority of these actions were "peacekeeping missions." Additionally, the nation's unemployment reached its lows in 1997 through the latter end of 2001. After 9/11, we saw unemployment hit 6.4% in June of 2003, but has since returned to a level of 5.4%, which is where we were from 1994 through early 1997 (This information can be verified at the bureau of labor website: http://www.bls.gov/schedule/archives/empsit_nr.htm#1994). So the point that I am making is that the authors paint a picture that everyone had a job and the whole world was holding hands during the 1990's, which simply is not true. I'm not going to touch (no pun intended) the Lewinsky affair - it is mentioned.
Third (And Final): Under the description of George W. Bush, the authors write that the 2000 election was close, Bush did not win the popular vote and "[t]he U.S. Supreme Court finally decided four weeks after the election that bush was the winner." Again, a myth is being perpetuated. Based on the Constitution, the ELECTORAL COLLEGE decides who is president. However, as it is mentioned under the section on John Quincy Adams, if there is a tie, then CONGRESS votes and decides the outcome. No where, no how did the Supreme Court of the United States `decide' the election. They simply put an end to that ridiculous circus of a recount going on in Florida, of which we found out in March of 2001 that Bush did indeed win Florida, thereby receiving the winning number of ELECTORAL votes required to win. Maybe a section should have been added to the book to describe the electoral process.
I am still debating whether or not to give this as a Christmas present. Maybe I can justify it by recommending that my child become "Smart About the Presidents" by doing independent research to find all the errors and omissions in this book.
Summary of Smart About the Presidents (Smart About History)
Kids will love discovering the floor plan of the White House, a list of presidential perks, and lots of interesting info about all the presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama. (Did you know he is the only president born in Hawaii?) Each page is jam-packed with trivia, fun facts, and information on the historical events of each presidency.
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