``Now this is confusing, so pay attention.'' Deftly simplifying difficult issues, Hakim continues her vivacious tour in this fourth volume (of a projected ten) in the Oxford History of US. Covering the half century from Washington's inauguration to Taylor's election, she focuses less on the progression of events than on the play of ideas (e.g., how the Constitution's provisions for checks and balances were wrestled into a working system) and on sweeping trends such as the profound social changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution or the effects of having seven gifted leaders in a row as presidents, followed by five who were mediocre. Hakim hangs her narrative on the theme of leadership—not just that of Washington, Jefferson, et al., but also as provided by John Marshall, Tecumseh, Sequoyah, Samuel Slater, Frederick Douglass, and Daniel Webster, among many others. She firmly points out the paradox of a nation that was founded on the idea of equality but nevertheless condoned slavery and the forced removal of Native Americans. Though the blocks of diminutive type and plethora of small, dark period illustrations have an imposing look, readers young and old will find themselves amused, amazed, and engrossed by this searching, opinionated survey. Chronology; wide-ranging bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: March 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-19-507751-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Tod and Billy are captured by aliens, but brattiness saves the day. The boys are hurrying home, late for lunch, when ZAP!— WHOOSH!—they're beamed aboard an alien spaceship. Captain Zerkfield Thorst is willing to return them to earth, but only after a spaceflight of 30 years. How to escape? Easy: be such pains that the captain can't take it—e.g., teach the 300-pound purple aliens to play touch football. It works, and home they go- -late for lunch, yes, but not 30 years late. This cheerful updating of O. Henry's ``The Ransom of Red Chief,'' with a couple of wise cracking kids who never lose their cool, is spoof, romp, and tall tale, all in one. (Fiction. 10+)
Pub Date: April 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-021605-0
Page Count: 54
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spectacular color photos of planets and moons, many of the latter newly discovered from the Voyager spacecraft, make this a visual delight. While the accompanying text is sometimes technical, the descriptions of never-seen worlds are compelling. NASA originally designed these spacecraft for a ``Grand Tour'' of the solar system, taking advantage of a favorable planetary alignment that occurs only once in 175 years to make ``planet- hopping'' feasible. Both launched in 1977, Voyager 1 sent back data on Jupiter and Saturn while Voyager 2, after continuing on to Uranus and Neptune, is currently traveling beyond our solar system and is expected to send back data until 2010. A fine celebration of science and engineering. Brief list of further reading; glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: April 22, 1991
ISBN: 0-395-55209-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1991
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