This book is essential for the library of every scholar of American constitutionalism. For those who have studied the subject, the superb selection of essays on different aspects of American political thought is enlightening. Those who are simply interested in America's founding may however be at a loss and overwhelmed by the wide range of arguments put forward in the different essays even if Gary L.Gregg did an excellent job in the introduction giving an overview to the reader of what he should expect in each essay. Thus, since all and even the American constituiton and its origins is a matter of perspective, this book can only be enjoyed after a thorough study of American political thought. For constitution freaks however it is not only useful to have, it is a real joy to browse through the essays.

There is a palpable fear that America has lost its way, and perhaps even been untrue to itself. Examples of this loss abound, from school violence to a youth culture nihilism. "Vital Remnants," a collection of essays by some of America's top scholars in history, philosophy, political science, and law, shows, with remarkable clarity, the ways in which contemporary American society has radically altered the course upon which it was originally set. To be sure, our century looks at America with a different set of assumptions than that of our ancestors. "Vital Remnants" gives us clues by which we might stay the course for the benefit of generations to come.

"George W. Bush: Our Forty-Third President" certainly brings the Our President series up to date, but it ends early in 2001 after Bush's inauguration. Of course, everything has changed so much since then. Consequently, Ann Graham Gaines's juvenile biography is not about the Bush presidency as much as it is the story of the story of the man who was elected after the controversial 2000 election. In fact, young readers will probably learn more about the electoral process than they will about Bush's political ideology. Compared to other volumes in this excellent series for introducing young students to the lives of the Presidents, this volume is handicapped by the fact that it was published at the start of Bush's presidency. Additionally, the second Bush to serve in the White House has an extremely short political resume, especially in comparison to his father. I thought it was interesting that Gaines calls her subject George W. until he is elected Governor of Texas and then she calls him Bush.

Gaines divides her biography into four chapters: Growing Up, Out into the World, Governor of Texas, and The Race for the Presidency. Pages in each chapter highlight particular topics such as Oil, the Draft, Laura Bush, and the Electoral College. Interesting Facts appear in the margins of many of the pages (e.g., Bush became a multi-millionaire after selling the Texas Rangers and was the first governor of Texas ever elected to two consecutive four-year terms). The back of this book contains a Time Line on Bush's life, a Glossary of mostly political terms, a list of all of Our Presidents and Presidential facts, along with internet sites and books for further information. Young readers will certainly learn about the life of the current president from reading this biography; I am sure they are learning plenty about his presidency from the evening news. Other books in this excellent series can tell them not only about Bush's father, but also John and John Quincy Adams, the first father and son to serve in the White House.