RE: A History of World Societies, Vol. B, by McKay, Hill, and Buckler.The following was taken directly from the pages of this text; chapter 14, page 460, last paragraph, left column:

'The average runner could cover about 50 leagues or 175 miles per day ' a remarkable feat of physical endurance, especially at high altitude ' but the larger the empire became, the greater the distances to be covered.'

I had always supposed that genuine scholars wrote textbooks, and that they were intended as works of non-fiction. Instead, this text is more akin to Paul Bunyan; it's a sort of South American version of American Folktales.

Upon reflection, I don't know whether the appropriate response is outrage at the ignorance of the authors, or amusement at the gullibility of the (what ' apparently sleeping?) editors. Is the ubiquitous filter of political correctness the only scrutiny to which textbooks today are subject?

In my view, this passage calls into question the reliability ' indeed, the credibility ' of the remaining information. If such fundamentally simple information as this is worthless, to what level of factual scrutiny were the socio/political ideas subject?

This extraordinarily well written book contains every essential fact with which we all need to be familiar. No other book on the market offers so much information at such a low price. Furthermore, the structure of the book facilitates reading and also makes it more interesting. Needless to say, many history books nowadays present biased accounts of historic facts (after all, it is a well known fact that winners write history books). This book, on the other hand, provides a relatively unbiased and balanced account of world history. I have read a number of history books but none of them is nearly as well written and well structured as this one. In my view, this book should be a part of every student's book collection. Highly recommended.

The book came in good cond.and on time!... Do business anytime..referred them to other classmates

This book comes nowhere close to living up to the claim that "no volume will provide more compelling and inspiring answers to our children's questions" about what it means to be an American. It is important to remember that while we might be tempted to buy into the kind of simplistic view Bennett presents in The Children's Book of America, what America was and is and who the people are who have lived and are living here are far more complex than he seems capable of conceiving. His stereotypic images might resonate with some people who long for simplicity and the "good ol' days" that never really were, but telling a story the way one wants to does not make it so, ignoring things one doesn't understand doesn't make them go away, and buying into ignorance is never a good idea. His sanitized vision of America should offend our sensibilities in light of the reality many of us live, and represents the co-opting of our children's education and future for the perpetuation of a grossly unequal and unjust status quo. Rather than serving up the pablum offered to our children by Bennett, we need to help them understand and critique the society in which they live, and prepare them for the kind of participatory democracy that can bring about the kind of social justice and egalitarian society that will permit each of us to live a bit of the American dream. We need to develop more critical and democratic thought than that evidenced by a BarnesandNoble.com customer-reviewer whose attempt at critique concludes,
"The unintentional irony of juxtaposing Martin Luther King's 'dream' speech with blatantly racist folksongs is typical of Bennett's charmingly naive and confused view of morality and virtue. The inclusion of songs and stories promoting racial harmony appears to have been driven by a simple-minded sense of political correctness. But Bennett nonetheless succeeds in providing the children of America with a much needed lesson in patriotism and morality. God knows that the public has completely lost their sense of morality. Thank you, Mr. Bennett, for teaching my children what is good and virtuous." This is part of what is wrong with America.

I really liked this book, and so did my children.

Bennett has taken familiar vingettes (Pilgrims, Paul Bunyon, Johnny Apple Seed, Martin Luther King, Jr., moon walk, etc.) and presented them in a short form that is perfect for four to seven year olds and above.

Each story teaches lessons based on core values and can lead to good discussions with children in trying to explain the underlying values. The tales are also a wonderful introduction to the story of our country through our history and myths. They cover the range of the American Experience and are exactly the kind of tales that can serve as a launching pad to introduce youngsters to a wider exploration of our national heritage.

The stories themselves are well written and captivating (though my four year old's attention wandered with some -- it is for older than pre-school on the whole). The illustrations are first rate and help younger children understand the written story.

The format is perfect for bedtime stories -- good length for a one story a night reading. It is also one you'll want to return to again.

This is a wonderful book for children to become familiar with the people and events that helped shape this great nation. The stories are inspirational and guided by a moral purpose. Our children need to know what a special and great country they live in!

I am currently reading this book. I am the mother of two children, 2 1/2 years old and 11 months. This book has been very helpful in allowing our family to gage where our 2 1/2 year old is developmentally. My daughter has known her primary colors and ABC's since she was 18 months old. As a parent, I want to understand what a solid based curriculum should 'look like'. We do not want our children to be 'bored' in school and Bennett provides a wonderful checklist of what a preschooler should know. He also outlines what we as parents can do with our children to foster their growth.

Our primary role as parents should be to nurture and teach our children. Too many parents today want their children to be taught by strangers and they want as 'little' involvement in their education as possible. Shame on them! The greatest gift in life is having children --- Our main purpose as parents is to foster their love of learning and teach them to be moral and upright citizens.

In our home, we have NEVER pushed our daughter to 'learn' her ABC's or 'learn' her colors. As an infant, I read to her and drew the letters on a Magna Doodle. After a few months of this, she was able to recognize her letters and colors.

Learning can be fun and creative. We sort clothes together and she loves to help me clean the house. Involve your children in your EVERY DAY LIFE!

I applaud these Authors for their insight in education and how we as parents need to be the PRIMARY source for their education!

As a member of a public school board of education, one thing I look for is parental involvement. I like to see large crowds at school board meetings. This book is a valuable guide for parents of children up to 8th grade. Bennett stresses parental involvement. Parents should get to know their childrens' teachers and inquire about the content of the curriculum. Much of the book sets forth what children should learn in each subject area in each grade level. I found the chapter on social studies particularly interesting because that is the subject area where "multiculturalism" and revisionism can most water down the curriculum. Clearly, we should not white wash warts in our past, but we should teach history in a positive manner, while recognizing that no culture, including ours, has a perfect past. We should teach our commonality as citizens without over empahsizing our differences. Parents should know what is being taught in schools and, where children are not being taught what children should know, the parents should be active in correcting the matter.

Bennett points out that the home, as well as the school, should be a center of learning. He gives examples of activities that parents can do with children to increase their learning. He also discusses dealing with difficulties that may arise in schools, such as disciplinary problems, etc. This book also discusses innovative and controversial issues such as charter schools, home schooling, how religion should be addressed in our schools, etc. I highly recommend this book and hope that it will spur parents on to close involvemet with their children's education.

From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly Former U.S. Secretary of Education Bennett (The Book of Virtues) and his colleagues (Finn, author of We Must Take Charge; Cribb, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education) offer American parents an impassioned and straight-shooting reference for educating their children. In prose free of academic rhetoric, the authors state: "[I]f your school is inflicting a mediocre education on your child, the sooner you know about it the better." They then present a "yardstick" by which to judge the academic quality of any school (public or private). A model core curriculum organized by grade level--primary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), and junior high (7 and 8)--presents the material clearly and logically, and helps readers assess whether a child is getting a thorough dose of English, history and geography, the arts, math and science. While blunt in their criticism of decaying academic standards (evident in grade inflation, lowered expectations for students and terrible international rankings), the authors are unequivocal in their support of dedicated educators and all those willing to hold children to the highest possible standard. Parents may question some of the model curriculum's expectations (e.g., that second graders dramatize the death of Socrates), but the authors are quick to reassure readers that the book's purpose is not to serve as a list of must-haves but rather as "inspiration and general guidance" in gaining a sense of "the knowledge and skills that should lie at the heart of a solid elementary education." Bennett is a controversial figure because of his passionate cultural conservatism. But this book, despite a brief word in favor of school vouchers, is about padagogy, not politics. It's an ambitious and commonsensical guide that will inspire both parents and educators. 100,000 first printing; 25-city radio satellite tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Hey fellas, how would you feel if you knew that hot phone-sex operator you wasted $40 on last night was really a GUY? This memoir of life in the highly profitable adult entertainment industry can be funny, but overall it is very disturbing to read about all the horrible things callers make the "girls" say and do. Lots of mysogyny, horrible cursing, sadistic and pedophilic fantasies...but I guess it's better these losers pay some girl (or guy) to take their abuse over the phone than inflict it upon their loved ones or strangers. A very surreal read, not for the faint of heart.

I couldn't agree more with the last two reader reviews, and would like to add a bit more. This work has two fatal flaws that undermine all of his analysis. It consistenly confuses correlation and causality, and deliberatly ignores portions of counter-arguments inconvenient to Bennett's conclusion.

Even using government funded studies, developed no doubt by Bennett's ideological kin, his defense of marijuana prohibition relies on an abusurd logical extension. First he shows that cocaine is a cause of violence. This is already a tenuous position in and of itself since he does nothing to disprove that cocaine prohibition is not responsible for more violence than the drug's pharmacological properties. The he relies on the long-defunct gateway theory to show that a lax approach to marijuana will generate thousands more violent cocaine addicts. Thus, marijuana must be thoroughly repressed. Yeah, obviously... no other way around that one.

He states with indignation that more 15-18 year olds see marijuana as relatively harmless than any time in the preceeding decade and a half. Well, unfortunately even a moral fiat from the good Dr. Bennett cannot change the fact that the perception of pot as relatively harmless is, for the most part, accurate; no matter how uncomfortable it may make him.

What about the claims that supply side drug interdiction is fatally flawed as a long term strategy? No worries, according to Body Count, since it worked in the very short run in 1992, it must be effective.

The 60% drop in casual drug use between 1980 and 1992 a smashing success, akin to saving 60% of the rainforest or preventing 60% of unwanted pregnancies? You bet, of course Bennett fails to mention that the same period saw an unprecedented rise in drug market violence, an INCREASING number of 'hard core' drug abusers, destruction of civil liberties, a mushrooming prison population, the shredding of urban America's remaining social fabric, the demonization of blacks and junkies as drug war enemies, skyrocketing quantities of preventable and drug related AIDS cases, a burgeoning culture of intolerance, and the list goes on.

To top it all off, in this book Bennett has the gall to criticize the media for not depicting the drug war as a success, when he, himself was frequently the one on national tv using fear-mongering rhetoric to drive the perception of a failing drug war.

Filled with useful information, this book blows away some of the standard liberal myths about crime - such as that "prison doesn't work" and "guns cause crime". But they also prove their even-handedness by dealing to a few standard conservative myths too However, I'd have to add that I disagree with some of the (lesser) conclusions drawn by the authors in the final chapter, particularly regarding "moral poverty" and the war on drugs. All the same, they did succeed in making me re-evaluate my position on drugs considerably. The book was worth buying for all the data in it alone, particularly the appendix with criminal histories of 40 "low-level" offenders - most illuminating! All the rest is a bonus, and it is largely clearly and cogently argued. It does have to be said that the religious viewpoint of the authors does tend to show at times, particularly in the final chapter, which will tend to put some people off (myself included!). Don't let this blind you to the many valid points they have to make, however.

So if it's not the handicaps we've imposed on cops and prosecutors, and it's not institutionalized racism, and it's not material want, then what is the fundamental cause of predatory street crime.

Moral poverty.

...[M]oral poverty is the poverty of being without loving, capable, responsible adults who teach you right from wrong; the poverty of being without parents and other authorities who habituate you to feel joy at others' joy, pain at others' pain, satisfaction when you do right, remorse when you do wrong; the poverty of growing up in the virtual absence of people who teach morality by their own everyday example and who insist that you follow suit. ...

The twin character scars left by moral poverty--lack of impulse control and lack of empathy--reinforce each other and make it far more likely that the individual will succumb to either the temptations of crime, or the blandishments of drugs, or, as so often happens, both. -Body Count

One of the more comforting aspects of conservatism is that you can adopt one set of principles--most elements of which are hundreds (capitalism and republican democracy) or even thousands (10 Commandments, Golden Rule, Sermon on the Mount) of years old, and have stood the test of time--and then stick with it your whole adult life. At any given moment several of the positions you adhere to will certainly be out of favor, but just as surely the tide will eventually turn back in your favor. New ideas and fancy fads will come and go, leaving trend-sucking liberals with their heads spinning, but you can just stick to your guns and ignore them all, secure in the knowledge that folks will eventually return to their senses and come scurrying back to the timeless virtues. This is especially the case when it comes to Crime and Punishment. Few issues, other than the equally intractable Taxation and Education, have been so susceptible over the years to "innovative" thinking and "radical" solutions as the problem of Crime. But time and again we all end up returning to the conservative mantra : what's needed are a societal emphasis on loving families and traditional morality, vigorous law enforcement, and harsh punishments.

This book then is an unsurprising call for a return to these first principles, in particular a clarion call for an effort to combat moral poverty, and, equally unsurprisingly, its policy prescriptions are currently back in vogue. Between the candidacy of Joe Lieberman and the victory of George W. Bush, religious belief is once again a central part of our national debate, morality is a hot topic, and a broad consensus has formed around the idea that faith-based institutions, with their manifest moral component, are better at delivering social services than government bureaucracies. Coauthor John DiIulio has, in fact, been named to be the coordinator of President Bush's Faith Based Initiative. And, what with now former President Clinton mired in a new scandal (which will inevitably come to be known as Pardongate) Bill Bennett is popping up all over the networks and editorial pages, getting to say, "I told you so" and preach the importance of morality in public life.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Rudy Guliani has proven that crime can be reduced and civic manners restored by relentlessly prosecuting even minor infractions. Perhaps most importantly, reforms like building more prisons, Three Strikes and You're Out, mandatory sentencing, and incarcerating even low level drug offenders, have helped to bring about a tremendous reduction in crime rates. It would seem that, in a sense, this book has been made superfluous by the very success of the ideas it advocates.

But never fear, already we hear calls to relax drug laws (many of them fueled by the new movie Traffic) amidst hand-wringing over the burgeoning prison population. Perhaps the best aspect of this book is that the authors actually go beyond just drugs and demonstrate the close connection between alcohol and crime. One of the most effective arguments of those who support legalization of drugs is the comparison to alcohol. The authors head off this line of reasoning by indicting alcohol too. You've got to admire a conservatism so fierce and intellectually honest that it's basically willing to refight some of the battles of Prohibition.

Another phenomenon we've witnessed in recent years is one of those patented psychic disconnects on the part of liberals that we conservatives so treasure, folks on the Left have actually taken to arguing that the statistics showing a drop in crime can not be right because of the size of the current prison population. Their characteristically fuzzy logic maintains that if crime really were going down there would perforce be less people in prison. This confusion over cause and effect, obvious as it seems, and the accompanying appeals to middle class white guilt will inevitably lead to an eventual relaxing of our guard and the pendulum will swing back towards leniency and permissiveness.

This book is somewhat dated now, because of its reliance on statistics and because too much of what it has to say has been adopted as public policy, but put it on a shelf for a few years and you'll be able to take it down during the next explosion in crime. Think of public policy making as a huge game of "Whack the Mole" conservatives always remain poised with the same hammer (a consistent set of ideas) and periodically have to bang away with the hammer when experimentation with liberal ideas manages to unleash a plague of vermin. Lift this book and you wield the hammer.

GRADE : B-