An exhaustively researched look at the history and political implications of legislating English as our official language. According to Crawford (a Washington-based journalist specializing in bilingual education), the squabble over English as the mother tongue goes back to the Founding Fathers, who argued over choices that included Hebrew and Greek. Nineteenth-century activists, the author explains, pushed for bilingual education and achieved it in many schools, with English and German the two acceptable languages, in deference to the many German-speaking immigrants. German took a dive during WW I, though, and Teddy Roosevelt pronounced that ``A hyphenated American is not an American at all.'' Crawford's thesis is that chauvinism lies at the root of current organized efforts to make English the only legal language in the country. Disturbed by what seems to be a flood of immigrants—from Spanish-speaking countries, Vietnam, China, and Haiti, for instance—who cannot or do not choose to speak English, ``English-only'' proponents, Crawford says, proclaim, ``We learned English, why can't they?'' The author cites studies showing that today's immigrants are, in fact, learning English faster than their predecessors—but he also examines closely the achievements and shortfalls of bilingual programs and of English-only legislation. One chapter looks at both sides of the controversy in Miami and surrounding Dade County, which has strict English-only laws, a predominantly Spanish-speaking population, and tense Anglo-Hispanic relationships. Other chapters, in gripping detail, take up ethnic tensions in California and the Southwest, where Mexican children once were beaten if they spoke English in school. Crawford conveys a strong message: Immigrants will learn English because it's the only way to get ahead in the US. Why not give them a helping hand?
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-201-55044-X
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1992
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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