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America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II): From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom
by Dr. William J. Bennett
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2008-04-08)
ISBN: 1595550879
Brand: Spring Arbor/Ingram
EAN: 9781595550873
Dewey Decimal #: 973
Binding/Media: Paperback - 592 pages
SKU: 102309-0618
Condition: Fine
Comments: 1595550879 New, never read, may have minor wear on cover.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Respected scholar William Bennett reacquaints America with its heritage in the second volume of America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II). This engaging narrative slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism.
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Customer Reviews
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Excellent product and service.
Rating  (5)
Date: 2010-06-21
The book was received very quickly and was in excellent condition. Product, price, and service were excellent. You cannot get much better than that.
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A Century Turns - good reading for those not already informed
Rating  (3)
Date: 2010-03-06
This latest offering in a three-volume American history series by Bill Bennett, conservative pundit, author, and politician, covers the years from 1988-2008. Volumes I and II, entitled America: The Last Best Hope, describe the years from the discovery of America to the end of Reagan's presidency. According to Bennett, teachers have built entire history curricula from these two books, and schools have added them to their supplemental reading lists. I have not read the first two volumes; in fact, I was unaware of their existence until I began reading A Century Turns. Thomas Nelson Publishing provided me with a complimentary copy of the book for the purposes of reviewing it. I began reading with three main questions in mind:
1. Would reading this book make me want to read the earlier volumes? 2. As a former history teacher myself, would I use these books for my curriculum or supplemental material? 3. Would Bennett's conservative beliefs make the book overly biased?
Now that I have finished the book, I can answer these questions. I do not feel the urge to rush out and buy the first two volumes and doubt if I will read them. It's not that A Century Turns is bad. It's easily read and would be interesting to anyone who wants to know more about the political history of the past twenty years. The book naturally focuses on politics, since Bennett was heavily involved in government himself during these years. He does occasionally veer off into popular culture and other events, but it seems like an afterthought when he does - it doesn't flow smoothly in my opinion. As a history teacher and CNN junkie, I learned very little from reading this book that I didn't already know. Like many history books covering a long period of time in a short volume, it is somewhat superficial. Anyone who has paid close attention to current events in recent history may enjoy being reminded of what they have seen on TV news, but it will not be new to them.
I don't know about the first two volumes, but I cannot see building an entire curriculum from A Century Turns. It would, however, be a good reference book, and I would have no qualms about adding it to a reading list for my classes.
As for bias, I feel Bennett does a fairly good job of being objective in his reporting of events. He was part of the government during this time period and occasionally offers personal anecdotes. When he does offer his opinion, he makes it clear that he is doing so. Readers will have no doubt that Bennett is a conservative, but he doesn't get preachy about it.
In conclusion, if you have not been that tuned into current events and would like to know more about the politics, government, and some popular culture of the past twenty years, you may enjoy this book.
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Excellent Lessons
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-02-28
At my old age I am still learning from a pro. A very interesting book from Bill Bennett.
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History with a view
Rating  (1)
Date: 2009-12-04
0 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This second volume of Bennetts American history begins where the first volume ends, in 1914 just before WW1. The coverage ends with the Reagen era in 1989. As the first volume this one gives a decent overview of the period covered but no insightful analysis.
This book has some major flaws that made the read highly irritating at times. To begin with Bennetts personal views towards people, major issues, and political parties are apparent. This becomes worse as the book progresses, probably since Bennett was a contemporary of the people involved. After reading the book no one can miss the authors different opinions of Ronald Reagan and Edward Kennedy for example.
The book has a great amount of footnotes, often with details about little known persons or explanations of terms used in the text. I thought these didn't add to the text and broke up the reading.
The author awards a page to his accomplishments while serving as a minister of education in the Reagan administration. This would hardly have been the case if it weren't his own deeds and doings.
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great history
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-11-20
Bill does it agiain. he knows how to write history so that it is easy to read. A great way to learn about our country!
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