You will certainly find out more about "The Liberty Bell" from Gail Sakurai's Cornerstones of Freedom volume than you ever will from an American History textbook or an encyclopedia. I found the history of the bell fascinating and easily learned twice as much as I had ever known about this symbol of American liberty. The original bell was arrived from England in 1752 and cracked on its very first stroke. The captain who brought it from England refused to take it back and two local men agreed to recast the bell in Philadelphia. They actually melted down the bell and recast it twice. Known as the State House Bell, it was rung so often that in 1771 a petition was received from local citizens that the sound was making people sick "and may prove fatal." The bell was read on July 8 when the Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens. Sakurai continues to present fascinating details, not only of how the bell was cracked tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835, but how the bell was almost destroyed on a couple of occasions. Tracing the times the bell has been "rung" (tapped, really) since that time (descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence do the honors each Fourth of July), Sakurai tells of how the Liberty Bell traveled the nation for special occasions until 1915. This book is full of illustrations and photographs of the bell throughout history, many of which show ordinary Americans look at and touching the bell I have lauded the Cornerstones of Freedom series for providing details on items covered briefly in American History textbooks and while this particular volume is not all that important in understanding the growth of our nation, "The Liberty Bell" is a simply fascinating story of an object pretty much taken for granted.

Actually, this book in the Cornerstones of Freedom series is not only about the Louisiana Purchase but also about the Lewis & Clark Expedition that explored the new territory. Gail Sakurai establishes the political situation both in the United States and in Europe that led to Napoleon Bonaparte agree to sell the Louisiana Purchase to the United States, despite having already signed a treaty with Spain to trade it for Tuscany. Young readers will learn the details about the negotiations, more so than they ever will from an American History textbook, as is the case with the travels of Lewis & Clark. For me the true heroes are Robert Livingston and James Monroe, who exceeded the orders given them by Congress to sign the treaty that effectively doubled the size of the United States. Hard to believe this was something of a controversial endeavor. "The Louisiana Purchase" is illustrated with mostly historic paintings and engravings, although is a nice photograph of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty with Thomas Jefferson's signature. A map in the back of the book shows the thirteen states that would be admitted to the Union over the next century whose territory fell within the purview of the Louisiana Purchase.

In Christopher Bing's treatment of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," he makes the argument that Revere ended up being immortalized in Wordsworth's famous poem because lots of words rhyme with "Revere" and not much with "Dawes." Thus Paul Revere is famous and William Dawes is a historical footnote. However, in this juvenile biography by Gail Sakurai, young readers will discover that there was much more to Revere's patriotic involvement in the American Revolution than his famous ride. As one of the Sons of Liberty he participated in the Boston Tea Party, and as a silversmith and engraver he did a rendition of the Boston Massacre and printed the currency for the Massachusetts government. Although he served in the Colonial Army, it was his reputation as "Bold Revere," that made him the most trusted and dependable messenger for the rebels in Boston and led to him being chosen for the midnight ride that immortalized him in American history textbooks. This book is illustrated with historic paintings and etchings, several by Revere, as well as photographs historic sites involved with the Midnight Ride and a teapot he designed and crafted. Sakurai's book does a nice job of letting us know what Revere's reputation was in his own time. Consequently, we learn a bit more about what it was like for the colonial revolutionaries in Boston who are not remembered as Founding Fathers (like John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, etc.).

This book is the English version of the famous Japanese Fairytale "momotaro". It is easy to read and there are many illustrations.

I recommend this book to children and adults interested in Japan and its culture.

The story, The Jamestown Colony, is about the first colony in the United States. It describes why the settlers left and what difficulties they arrived at. A smart buy for anyone wishing to learn more about our countries early colonial times.

"The Jamestown Colony" was the third attempt by the English to establish a colony in the New World. In 1606 three small ships arrived at the mouth of a broad river that emptied in Chesapeake Bay. The colonists named it the James River in honor of the King who had granted their charger. The area was settled by nearly 10,000 Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy, not all of whom were friendly, which required the colonists to find a secure location to build a fort and harbor their ships. The site was called Jamestown and Gail Sakurai tells the story of the first permanent English colony in the Americas, although by the end of the century it was abandoned.

Sakurai goes well beyond what young readers are going to find in their American History textbooks. We learn about why more than half the settlers died by the end of their first summer, the true story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, the arrival of the first women at Jamestown, the brutal winter known as the "Starving Time," and the arrival of the new governor, Lord Delaware, who stopped the settlers from abandoning the colony in 1610. Ironically, we learn that this famous colony was an economic failure, which explains why the last part of the book talks more about the impact Pocahontas made on her visit to England than what was happening at Jamestown, where slavery was introduced but massacres, diseases, fires and other disasters decimated the colony, which was burned to the ground following an unsuccessful revolt. Thousands of new settlers came to Virginia, but not to Jamestown, which was replaced as capital of the colony by Williamsburg.

Teachers and students alike will find this story interesting and ample proof that colonizing America was not an easy task. Other Cornerstones of Freedom titles on related subjects include "The Pilgrims," "Williamsburg," and "African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies." These books remain an excellent first place to look for detailed information about various facets of American History.

Gail Sakurai's _Asian-Americans in the Old West_ is a good general history of Asian immigrants.

Much of the first half of the book focuses on Chinese immigrants, who were not allowed to become citizens, or own land. Many came to America during the California Gold Rush, but were unable to afford to return to China after the Gold Rush was over. These men were also unable to afford to have their families sent over from China. Later, Chinese immigrants did the majority of work on the western link of the first trans-America railroad, a section which ran from California to Utah.

The second half of the book tells the story of Japanese immigrants, who perhaps fared better than the Chinese immigrants of the earlier wave. A gentleman's agreement between Theodore Roosevelt and the government of Japan allowed Japanese persons in America to bring over a greater number of family members, which actually led to quite a boom in Japanese immigration to America.

There has been a great deal of discrimination against people of Asian origin throughout American history, and Gail Sakurai's book does a good job of telling this side of the story. However, the story is not just a story of injustices and oppression. Accomplishments such as the completion of the Sacramento-to-Utah railroad, and the career of George "The Potato King" Shima, who died in 1926 worth $15 million, are positive elements within the text.

Perhaps the title phrase "Old West" conjures up images of gunslinging and cattle rustling. That's what I thought, when I picked the book up. But the Old West of the Asian-American immigrant was all about working in the fields, driving the railroad spikes, and just trying to make a better life in America, while avoiding the suspicious and racist stare of the white people.

I would say this book is written on a reading level that would be best for students aged 8-12. However, this book is a worthwhile read for any student interested in the Asian-American experience.

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