A grippingly told story that adeptly makes history fascinatingly relevant to the present.
In an era of alternative facts and fake news, telling the story of the infamous 1938 radio broadcast that convinced thousands of Americans a real-time Martian invasion of Earth was occurring could not be timelier.
In a finely detailed narrative nearly as riveting as the broadcast, Jarrow chronicles how a radio drama based on H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players and broadcast on the night before Halloween, sent thousands of listeners who believed they were hearing breaking news about an alien invasion into a panic. Researchers later found that fewer than one-third of the frightened listeners understood the reports to be about an alien attack; most assumed the reports were about either a German invasion or a natural catastrophe. None listened long enough to hear one of four announcements made during the broadcast that it was a dramatization. Welles and his producing partner, John Houseman, were shocked to learn about the reaction to the program. The broadcast sparked a national discussion about fake news, propaganda, and the role of radio. Members of Congress proposed more government regulation of the medium. Jarrow deftly connects history to current events by comparing the phenomenon to contemporary fake-news controversies and ongoing freedom-of-press debates. Attractively designed, the text is complemented with archival photos of the broadcast and illustrated scenes from Wells’ original story.
A grippingly told story that adeptly makes history fascinatingly relevant to the present. (timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62979-776-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
After surveying “competing claims” for the first Thanksgiving from 1541 on, in Texas, Florida, Maine, Virginia and Massachusetts, Colman decides in favor of the 1621 event with the English colonists and Wampanoag as the first “because the 1621 event was more like the Thanksgiving that we celebrate today.” She demonstrates, however, that the “Pilgrim and Indian” story is really not the antecedent of Thanksgiving as we celebrate it today. Rather, two very old traditions—harvest festivals and days of thanksgiving for special events—were the origin, and this interesting volume traces how the custom of proclaiming a general day of thanksgiving took hold. Yet, since many Thanksgiving celebrations in towns and schools are still rooted in the “Pilgrim and Indian” story, which the author calls “true and important,” but which many Native Americans find objectionable, a more in-depth discussion of it is warranted here. The solid bibliography does include some fine resources, such as 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving (2001) by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac. (author’s note, chronology, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8229-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The complex story of explorer Henry Hudson, who, when remembered at all, is known more for his temper, favoritism and failed expeditions than anything else. Weaver acknowledges his flaws but argues that he was also a courageous, tireless and misunderstood figure who helped further our understanding of the world and the accurate mapping of North America. Not much is known beyond the records kept during 1607-1611, when Hudson first set out to discover a northern passage to Asia. This culminated in a fourth and final voyage in what is now called Hudson Bay, where he was cut loose from his desperate and starving crew. The author draws upon those records and other primary-source material to craft this account. This work will particularly appeal to youth who live near the bodies of water named for him (the Hudson River, Bay and Strait), but the author packs in enough dramatic tidbits to keep any young history buff’s attention, including sidebars on such related topics as navigation, whaling and scurvy. Craig’s poignant illustrations evoke 17th-century style. (historic sites, suggested reading, index) (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88776-814-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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