THE TEN-YEAR CENTURY

There was great anticipation for the arrival of the 21st century, but few could have predicted the rapid change the first ten years would bring. Stories of a contested election decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, the 9/11 attacks, two wars, natural disasters, the near collapse of the financial system and the election of the nation’s first African-American president are woven with those of the dot.com bust, the rise of social networking, the explosion of new communication tools and the splintering of information media. Following an introduction and prologue that nicely set the stage, each year gets its own chapter, and events with the greatest impact are discussed in a lively manner. Sutherland tries to be evenhanded, although some might take issue with his positioning PBS’s News Hour as liberal opposite conservative Fox News. The author provides the often-missing context for dramatic headlines. However, the unexciting format will do little to attract readers to these stories. There are a few familiar photographs but little else to grab readers who could be enriched by this perspective. Source notes and bibliography are included, as is an index (not seen). (Nonfiction. 12 & up)