Tricia Andryszewski

This book shed light upon the disastrous series of dust storms which plagued the Great Plains region of the United States during the 1930s. It described the storms themselves and how the dust would get everywhere and that the storms would obscure the sunlight. The author also described the ecological situation in the region which led to the dust storms, namely the decline of the prairie grasses which held the soil in place due to a prolonged drought. It also described the extent to which Human activity contributed to the dust storms. This was where the book lost points with me. Its premise that Humans had a significant impact upon the Great Plains that was largely causative to the Dust Bowl is sound. What is not sound is its assertion that Human action imposing its will upon the Great Plains began with European contact. Rather than the myth of the "Noble Savage" living in symbiotic harmony with nature. Every piece of scholarship on Pre-Columbian peoples indicated that the various tribes had a dynamic effect upon their environment which they actively interacted with and controlled. To state that American Indians lacked the agency to affect their environment before the arrival of Europeans is, frankly, rather offensive. The author then tied the Dust Bowl into the larger context of the Great Depression, which also was greatly afflicting Americans at this time. As a result, some farmers would leave their land to travel to California in the hopes of finding work. The book concluded by describing the steps that the Federal Government took to rectify the situation as well as to pose the question as to whether this could happen again.
The book was not terrible, save for the aforementioned issue with American Indians. I would advise this book for Middle and High School students so long as they had access to more nuanced source materials.… (plus d'informations)

This book is an excellent, if sometimes dry, introduction to the abortion debate from a somewhat objective, secular standpoint. Andryszewski covers the history of the legality of abortion - starting with dangerous illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade, and ending with contemporary protests against legal clinics and even domestic terrorist attacks against clinics. This book deals with some pretty heavy issues, and it begins with the story of a shooting, so it is likely better for older students. High school is likely the target demographic.

My one real contention with the book is its claim of objectivity. It is clearly written with a slight feminist/pro-abortion slant. Whether or not I agree with this standpoint (I do) is irrelevant when critiquing a work in terms of objectivity. The author continually refers to the "Pro Choice" camp by its preferred moniker, while calling the "Pro Life" camp simply "anti abortion" throughout most of the book. This device seems to be the using of linguistics to promote a desired reading of history. A less biased way would be to use the preferred moniker for both groups, but the best way would likely be to divide the debate into pro and anti abortion - since that's that the book is about. Furthermore, the author somewhat trivializes the scope of the Pro Life movement. Gallup polls consistently show a pretty clean split between Pro Life and Pro Life identification; and they show that roughly half the country is pro abortion in certain situations while the other half is divided down the middle between desire for total freedom to abort without qualifiers and a total ban on abortion (gallup.com).

That being said, I would still gladly include this book in my classroom library, as it speaks maturely to a contentious social issue that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.… (plus d'informations)

From School Library Journal
A clear, straightforward account of the life and work of the notable conservationist. While the text is informative, the good-quality, black-and-white and full-color photographs are merely decorative, failing to draw readers into the material or clarify concepts. For example, the "river of grass" that is frequently alluded to has no explanatory photographs or diagrams. Nevertheless, the writing and concepts are sound. A sprinkling of quotes from Douglas, beginning with her childhood and continuing through her years of advocacy for the preservation of the Everglades brings her story to life. While this isn't a book for casual browsers, it will be useful for reports.
Lisa Wu Stowe, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.… (plus d'informations)