There is something of a mystery as to "How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty" because the fund raiser efforts of the kids in the second grade at Newton Barnaby School tend to be lessons in the ways of the world when it comes to economics. For example, as reported by Susan Olson, class treasurer and reporter, the kids collected two tons of all kinds of paper for which they were paid the princely sum of $$$ by Mr. Abner Carmody, "recycler of everything." However, because of such expenses as paying for the use of wagons to convey the aforementioned two tons of all kinds of paper, not to mention unforeseen occurrences such as parking tickets Johnny Paine's father's comic book collection, prospects seem dim. So the surprise is how the second grade managed to make a profit of $$$$$ from a car wash in which in one car was (almost) partially washed. Bill Slavin provides the pen and watercolor illustrations for Nathan Zimelman's story, which might not help second graders earn money for their own class trip to the Statue of Liberty (or some other cool place), but which will certain teach them that making money can be an expensive undertaking. Somewhat surprisingly, there is actually very little about the Statue ot Liberty in this slim volume, but then I think it is safe to assume that everybody knows why they would want to visit the Lady in New York harbor anyhow.

This book shows an interesting portrayal of life before, during, and after the rebellion in Ireland in the summer of 1798,from the perspective of two children.It is a very well balanced book that creates no heros or villians.

First let me say that I am neither a science fiction fan nor a literary expert. Like many children, I read The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau and the War of the Worlds. Those books became a part of my dreams-and nightmares-for many years. In the intervening decades, I had really almost forgotten about Wells. However,I recently came across a collection of his complete short stories, and this sparked my interest in learning more about him.

This is the first biography of H.G. Wells that I have read, and I must admit I chose it mainly because it was short and compact! I would actually class this book as as more of an essay on Wells the man and his character, than a history of his life. Not that the author ignores biographical data. I knew absolutely nothing about Wells when I opened the book, and now feel that I have learned quite a lot about his life and times.

However, the historical information is mainly presented as a background for the author's argument that Wells has been whitewashed by previous biographers. He begins with the premise that standard biographies of H.G. Wells ignored or downplayed certain negative aspects of his character and thought. According to Coren, Wells was wrongly admired as a working class hero, a scientific visionary, and a utopian dreamer. He states at the beginning that his purpose in writing this book was to set the record straight. His intent is to prove that Wells' works had a "pernicious" influence on society. He also contends that Wells was a man of bad moral character, which was concealed by a public image of genial tolerance.

The author attacks Wells and his previous biographers with two lines of argument. In one, he presents evidence for his assertions of Wells' pernicious influence on British society. Coren contends that Wells was an exponent of xenophobia, religious intolerance, and racism. As he quotes from Wells' own writings, these criticsms seem to be founded in fact. He quotes from works in which Wells predicts a future in which the world has been made safe through a combination of technological progress, and radical eugenics. (Although the author does not make this explicit connection, Wells seemed to be advocating a future totalitarian world society very much like Plato's Republic-except with flying machines and wireless communication.) If true, this certainly seems grounds for criticism.

The second line of attack is on Wells' faults as a friend and husband. The author gives considerable space to the feuds that Wells carried on with other literary figures such as Shaw and Chesterton, and to his spats with members of the Fabian Society. I found this the least interesting part of the book, but that may be because I know so little about the people involved.

Mr. Coren also takes Wells to task for his marital infidelity and irresponsible sexual behavior. Here the argument seems a bit shakey, as Wells and his circle were exponents of free love and sexual revolution. It is hard to see what else could have been expected from someone who held such views.

As I have not yet read the other biographies to which this book refers, I can't comment on the accuracy of his claims, or say whether Mr. Coren proves his point. However, reading this book was worthwhile. Before reading it, I had no idea that Wells had been such an influential man, or that his writings included such a broad range of subjects. I certainly found this book a fast and enjoyable read, and I am now interested in in tackling some of the longer biographies and crititical studies of H.G. Wells.

Jefferson is often praised for his writings on personal freedom, democracy, and civil liberties. This book exposes the complexity of Jefferson. In other words, he did not really practice what he preached. He was a champion of civil liberties on paper, but not in practice.

As President of the United States, he showed a disturbing disregard for basic civil liberties. He showed reckless disregard for the 4th amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure, and he was no friend of the first amendment and a free press when he was attacked by oppostion newspapers.

Those who worship Jefferson will find this book disturbing. Some will even call it a hatchet job. I disagree. Although Levy does attack Jefferson on civil liberties, he praises Jefferson's strong stand on separation of church and state.

Although Levy is a professional historian, this book should appeal to non-academics. It is a quick read and it makes a strong (and controversial) point without going into mind numbing detail. It is nice to read some history with an edge.

Finally, we can admire the principles that Jefferson stood for while acknowledging that he was far from perfect. I think that is the broader point of this book.

The book pretty much covered the entire life of the ship up to the early 1990's. Her WW2 operational period gets the most coverage. A lot of this section of the book deals with the trials and tribulations of the crew as the ship traveled the world from the action of D-Day to the Pacific. The lay up fleet information is interesting as well as the restoration project. There are some pretty good photos of her and other Liberty ships. There are a few drawings included and an excellent description of her equipment. The book stops just before the 50th Aniv. of D-day. To get the rest of the story you have to buy "Appointment in Normandy". The only thing I can think of that would have made it a 5 star book would have been more photos.

The story behind the Statue of Libery is filled with suspense even though the happy ending is well known! This book attempts to have us think more deeply about this well known American icon. Born from a deep admiration for the American democratic experiment, like many other treasures it was conceived of by private citizens and funded in the most democratic way---by the people. The story of its conception and funding is more interesting than the technical details but it is complete in all aspects including the restoration. The illustrations add to the power of the writing.

I enjoy the story line, but I felt the story was not complete, I wanted to know more, if there is a second book to Liberty I would very much be interested.

This is a very good study of the social gospel and how it handled the racial issue. White, one of the leading historians of the social gospel, offers numerous case studies of social gospel advocates in addition to his general overview and the book benefits as a result. Fairly interesting and certainly recommended.

This book takes a critical look at the effect of censorship on American society. "[Liberty Denied] cites many cases of the sort of local censorship that is difficult to monitor," Larry McMurtry says in the introduction. It seeks out the roots of censorship, which may be fear or cultural prejudice. What comes out of these thorough studies is a panoramic view of American culture regarding freedom of information. The author reveals the links of censorship to political control as well as moral guardianship. Above all, the book is valuable because of its clear statement of responsibility on the part of the reader, that it takes courage and tremendous energy to keep books, or even words, from being suppressed or destroyed. Furthermore, I highly recommend this book to teachers and public librarians who often see themselves as promoters and protecters of intellectual freedom, in order that they may come to know the different forms of censorship of which they are a participant. This book does not throw blame for blame's sake. It is for the sake of accountability and a democracy of ideas.

This is a good folder to house your Liberty Head, or "V" nickel collection. I would avoid putting higher-grade coins in this folder, but for an average (good to fine) collection, this is an excellent home.