This book ought to be on the shelves of every high school and college student in America. Barring a reprint, I recommend purchasing a used copy as soon as one comes available. Hart reconstructs for the reader the American experience and explains events of history as they interceded with people of faith (and those whose faith has been in doubt or discredited). Hart understands, as our founders did, that character is in fact important in both the life of a laborer and the lives of those holding the public trust, and he uses uncanny insight to relay how that faith affected the actions of our forefathers. From Plymouth Rock and Jamestown to the Salem Witch Trials, the Declaration of Independence and beyond, Hart honestly tells the tale of America, and perhaps unknowingly provides the keys to rediscovering the qualities that made this nation at one time the most envied culture in the world.

This book was a delight to read...engaging and whimsical. Mr. Hart does a very good job providing the reader with an enjoyable autobiography. His political and religious views are conservative, and this book is a chronicle of how those views clashed with the Liberal Establishment of Dartmouth College.

For conservatives, Mr. Hart is like an undiscovered friend. In all honesty, though, even Liberals should find that this book is worth reading...even if you find yourself on the wrong side of Mr. Hart's philosophical fence.

This book was very enlightening and insightful on the practice of law in the 40's, 50's and 60's. It brought to life an era of controversy and injustice within an evolving America. It helps to explain these disruptive years of anti-communism and racial injustice amid the political struggles of a partisan society.

I read with great interest Mr Hart's contention that the founding fathers philosophy was essentially drawn from the Bible. Through select uses of quotations Mr. Hart leads the reader to believe that the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, etc. are essentially a product of a Christian world view. His use of quotes to support his suppositions are not based in the context in which they were written. For example, he quotes from Thomas Jefferson extensively to support his position that the founding fathers used the bible to form their ideas of liberty and freedom for the individual. I am assuming that Mr. Hart is an Evangelical Christian who believes that the Bible should be the only source to inform the morals and laws for society. He ignores the fact that Thomas Jefferson was a deist, which is the very opposite of what he believes. He uses the term from Jefferson of "God's Nature." Mr Hart you need to know that Jefferson did not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ or the Bible as the Word of God. He draws parallels between the Old Testament and a supposed relationship to the Declaration of Independence. He fails to give hard evidence of this connection. This book is at best a diatribe against what Mr. Hart sees as the destruction of America's "Christian Roots." Check your sources Mr. Hart and admit that America's "Christian Roots" is at best laced with historical fabrications and misleading assertions.

The logic this book uses is bad. For example, Hart states that everyone, not just members of one religion, should have a say in how government works. In a different chapter he says that it's O.K. for a majority to make the entire decision (as long as it's a Christian majority, of course). As a secular humanist who believes that religion should be tolerated but not encouraged, I recommend this book as a way to gain understanding of why fundamentalists often suffer from brain atrophy. The reason why I gave it two stars instead of one is that despite its lack of logic, it is well written, and the history itself is very interesting, particularly the section on the Quakers.

Faith and Freedom is an excellent history of the ideological roots of American Government. Mr. Hart has done a masterful job of identifying the sources of those ideas that influenced the Founding Fathers and the charters which they wrote. This book defuses the revisionist's arguements that posit that America is a child of the Enlightenment in the same vein as France. Mr. Hart shows that America, unlike France, adopted the Protestant Christian principle that freedoms came from God and not government. Government within this structure was charged with the protection of those God given freedoms. France on the other hand virtually excluded God from discourses that proceeded their revolution, and by doing so, put government in the position to give and take freedoms as it saw fit. Our war for Independence was successful while France's was a bloodbath that failed by all measures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an accurate, concise history of this very important episode of the American story.

There were times when I wanted to throw this book on the floor and shout "No! No! No!" First, I think Hart & Hart were far too discouraging regarding adoptions of adult dogs, although since the book is aimed at puppy buyers, I can look past this. If only that were the book's only foible...

The authors suggest that bringing a female dog into a home where there is already a female dog is just as trouble-free as bringing a male dog into the same situation, which I just haven't found to be true. (In my experience, one dog of each sex is preferable in a multiple dog household.)

Many of the breed rankings seem really off. Australian Shepherds and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, for instance, significantly differ from the profiles Hart & Hart present. Chessies are far more dominant and territorial. Further, this book encourages people to conflate Chessies with Labs, which is not helpful, since there are pronounced differences in the temperaments of the two breeds.

This book is worse than worthless, it is misleading and can give people a false sense of security.

If you are looking for a puppy or dog, a much better bet is Brian Kilcommons' "Paws to Consider," or for a lighter, mongrel-centric touch, Kilcommons' "Mutts: America's Dogs," which contains short profiles of the more common mixes. I found both of Kilcommons' books to be right on target.

I don't know where the author got his information, but I surely don't think he's ever met an Australian Shepherd. If the other breed profiles are as mis-guided as this breed profile, Purebreed Rescue Groups are likely to see an influx of dogs purchased by those who thought they'd done their research. For the record: Aussie's *don't* read your mind without training, and a family with children had better have the time and commitment to devote to training this breed. In my experience, Aussie's are a highly excitable, high-drive breed with a profound instinct to herd. This herding drive requires focused training so that the dog will learn what is appropriate and what is not. Woe betide the intruder that thinks my male is a "benign" watchdog, or the poor soul who thinks my female, who is quite literally *never at rest*, is "relaxed". And if you think an Aussie won't challenge your dominance, think again: not only will some of them challenge your dominance, they'll challenge your intellect, patience and SAT scores (and probably top them too)! And a low rating on excessive barking? PUHLEEZE!

Don't get me wrong... Aussie's are the perfect breed for the *right* home, provided that home has made an informed choice and is fully committed to appropriately training and exercising their Aussie. If that home has used this breed profile they'll be expecting an "out of the box" mind-reading-mild-mannered-
playful-perfect companion, and they'll be unpleasantly surprised by the amount of training it will take to get that perfect companion, and quite unprepared for the level of exercise this breed requires.

While the intent of this book is admirable, it's execution falls far short of the mark. Readers would be better informed simply by consulting a responsible breeder for research, a local kennel club for references, or by contacting the purebreed rescue club... these rescue groups are more than happy to educate people about the characteristics of their breeds, and have a vested interest in preventing "uninformed" choices.

By all means, read this book for some light reading, but if you're looking for accurate and substantive information on which to base your selection of a new four-footed family member... keep looking.

This book provides some very misleading information. Take the Australian Shepherd for example -- according to this author, the Aussie makes the perfect family pet because it is a "benign watchdog" that will not challenge its owner's dominance! How wrong! The Aussie, as a herding dog, is bred to handle tough situations, to turn a bull around, grip a 250 pound ram in the nose, etc. They like to "herd" children, tell them what to do, and if there is not a strong leader in the family, will happily take over that role! The evaluation of the Aussie could mislead people into believing they are buying a laid-back, easily trained pet, when in fact, they acquired a strong-willed herding dog, looking for a job to do, with an insatiable need for exercise, training, and strong leadership. Not given the right leadership, Aussies can easily become destructive. The breed standard describes them as "reserved around strangers" and poorly trained and socialized Aussies may become aggressive! This breed is absolutely wonderful -- for the right owners, willing to provide the right training, exercise and leadership. I would give this book five MINUS stars!