My two year old daughter greatly enjoyed this wonderful book. I did, too -- it is one of the few books I really haven't gotten tired of after re-reading it over and over again (which my daughter insists on). The illustrations are realistic and very well done, and the book itself is helpful in imparting the concepts of time passing and of waiting and even taking turns to preschoolers.

I concur with most of the points addressed by earlier reviewers, and found this book to be one of the best about history that I've read. Many of the letters were eye-opening, detailing facets of America's history of which I was unaware. As an example, I found the letter detailing the My Lai Massacre both illuminating and horrifying. The letter from Roosevelt to 'The President of The United States in 1956' honoring the first American soldier to give his life in WWII is one of my favorites, along with the letter to the Warner Brothers from Groucho Marx that an earlier reviewer mentioned. A few additional thoughts:

1. The choices of letters from the 1990s were the weakest of any decade. I suppose that's to be expected in the days of e-mail, chatrooms, and the demise of the letter writer, but I'm sure there were better selections than one detailing the results of testing performed on the stained blue dress worn by Monica Lewinsky, or the letter to a Star Trek fan.

2. The majority of the letters related to negative aspects of the century, which while powerful to read made it a bit depressing to read more than 30-50 pages at a sitting. As the various forms of media have always realized, bad news makes for better stories than good news. I wish, however, that there would have been more letters evincing triumphs, humor, and/or optimism. Such letters were in evidence, but not in abundance.

3. I agree with an earlier reviewer that noted the liberal bias of the letters selected. There appeared to be an inordinate amount of 'coming out' selections and letters voicing disapproval of the System. They were important letters, however, that gave me a different view of the country's past.

4. One of my favorite history-related books is A People's History of The United States by Zinn. This book of letters reminded me of that text, required in a college history class.

Overall, I strongly recommend this collection to anyone interested in the history of 20th century America.

I originally purchased this book as a gift. I kept the book and then bought 2 more! What a wonderful history of everyday people and even very famous people. This book is not some historians own spin on what they consider important. Very personal revealing honest letters that expose you to human emotion unlike anything you have ever read. Reading this you will experience every feeling possible. The letter Jesse Helms wrote to a grieving mother will futher exposes him as the meanspirited clueless person that he really is. This book will not disappoint you. Do yourself a favor and buy it now.

Letters of the Century is an eclectic collection of letters written during the Twentieth Century. Some are from or to famous people and others are from and to more common folk, but all are pertinent for one reason or another. Each letter has an introductory paragraph, explaining why the letter is important. Further, the letters are organized into chronological order, and as a bonus each decade has an introduction, covering important events and statistics. Finally, the book contains an excellent index.

At first glance, I didn't take this book seriously. However, once I began reading it, I was enthralled. The letters run the gamut, from angering to touching. It's hard to say more than that you need to read this book to understand it, and it is a very good book indeed.

Very engrossing book. You become torn between the distraught feelings of a protective mother trying to keep her child "sane", and the desire to believe in something "higher"

Although this novel may be labeled a "ghost story",it is not the kind of supernatural, Stephen King-type thriller we'veassociated with such a label. It is never clear whether something out of the ordinary is going on, which is only fitting, since this is not the focus of the book. Instead, we are treated to a compelling and realistic depiction of the strained relationship between two estranged sisters. I agree with a previous reviewer. This is one of the best books I've read recently.

This was one of the best books I've read in quite awhile. The family dynamics were interesting and realistic. This book reads at a very fast pace and I highly recommend it.

Someone got this book for me because there was both "science" and a romance. The "science" was pretty bad and thoroughly unresearched. The romance line was not very interesting. It was a very easy read, but I just couldn't finish it because it was just not good.

This book is an easy read and very addicting. The complaint I've received from people I've passed it too, is " I got no sleep last night because I was up reading that book" It's about a young physicist that completes his lifes work at 30 and doesn't know where to go from there. Then his mother (who abandoned him and his father at age 8 after winning the lottery, reappears in his life. She uses a young palm reader as a go between and gets him involved with alchemy. It's a somewhat different book but it leaves you actually looking for the meaning of life and the theroy of everything. Wonderful. Ms. Grunwald please write another one.