illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
(New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002)
Hardcover, 40 Pages, Children’s Primer
From the Cover: America: A Patriotic Primer is a succinct history of the United States, an ABC of the principles on which this country was founded, and a book for children and families to pore over, discuss, and cherish.
A is for America,
the land that we love.
B is for the Birthday
of this country of ours. ...
To choose the twenty-six people and ideas that comprise the book, Lynne Cheney has drawn on a lifetime of learning about the American past, and on the inspiration that comes from witnessing recent history firsthand. Illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser imbues Mrs. Cheney's words with childlike joy through her exuberant drawings. Together they have created a patriotic primer, a book that teaches history by celebrating the diversity, tenacity, and faith of the American people. This A to Z of America frames the story—and the miracle—of our country.
My Review: Well, I’m not sure what exactly I want to say about this book, after all it is Independence Day and it would seem anti-American to pan a book about America and written by the Second Lady, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do. The phrase “propagandist nonsense” comes to mind as I consider this book after having read it, and that’s exactly what this book was: a bunch of propagandist nonsense and nothing but a bunch of propagandist nonsense.
Cheney’s book is painfully simplistic, transparent and full of abstract words like “Freedom” or “Liberty” that ring false, especially given what her husband has been up to since 2000.
Plus there’s the fact that in both instances where Cheney describes the freedoms (there’s that word again) spelled out in the Bill of Rights, she “forgets” the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (which, given the current Administration, seems to be a pretty big oversight).
Anyway, if you’re looking for a “Patriotic Primer” skip Cheney’s America its pages are plastered with nothing but propaganda, abstract and undefined concepts and brainwas— I mean “patriotism.” In my mind, this is a dangerous book because it asks for blind patriotism and unquestioning loyalty to “America.” Skip it … there are better “Patriotic Primers” out there.
This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog
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