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 | | Patriot's Handbook, A: Songs, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love by Caroline Kennedy ISBN-10: 9780786869183 ISBN-10: 0-7868-6918-6 ISBN-13: 9780786869183 ISBN-13: 978-0-7868-6918-3 Hardcover 2003-05-07 Hyperion Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Caroline Kennedy shares an inspiring collection of patriotic poems, song lyrics, historical documents, and speeches. The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a blockbuster success, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 15 weeks with more than 500,000 copies in print. Now, Caroline Kennedy shares with readers an assortment of her own favorite American writings. The works collected here -- which span centuries and styles -- have one thing in common: all are emblematic of our country's patriotism and pride. Caroline Kennedy researched all of the selections included in A Patriot's Handbook, wrote the introduction, and added personal commentary to each section. This elegantly packaged collection is the perfect gift for anyone in search of a reminder of what our country's spirit is made of. "Over the past year we have all thought about what it means to be an American. I realized that I want my own children to know more about the ideals upon which this country was founded and the sacrifices that have been made to pass them on to us. This book is intended to help families explore the foundations of our freedom and to celebrate our heritage."(Caroline Kennedy) | ||
Reviews | ||
some of America's greatest spoken and written words At about 1 7/8" thick in a compact 663 pages, this anthology of great speeches and writings includes something for almost every American it seems. The selections are carefully made, though, and the illustrations are appropriate and occasionally rather poignant. The poems, songs, and selections from literature cover unique and recognizable aspects of sometimes sentimental Americana, while the speeches are like a proud drumroll of American values and ideals, discussing many of the great historical events that have shaped our nation. Editor Caroline Kennedy's father John, an inspiring orator, has 4 speeches in the book including his amazing Presidential Inaugural Address of 1961; her uncles Robert and Edward also have two speeches each. In fact every U.S. President from the present (published 2003) to FDR and several others have a representative speech included. You will also find John Kerry's speech to Congress regarding the Vietnam War from a soldier's perspective, and John McCain discussing his experiences as a prisoner of war. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is represented three times, including his memorable Address at the March on Washington ("I Have a Dream"). Lyndon Johnson's Special Address to Congress: The American Promise on voting rights in March 1965 is a personal favorite. More historically, you can find Patrick Henry's Address to the 2nd Virginia Convention ("give me liberty, or give me death"), Washington's touching Farewell Address, Jefferson's lofty and idealistic Inaugural Address, and Lincoln's sobering words on the conflict of the Civil War. The book is easy to read, and easily digested as most entries are only a few pages long, though their content is impressive. As a reference book, it is potentially helpful: both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are printed in their entirety. This is a great book for American patriots, and educational for anyone who would like to learn more about our land, its history, leaders, laws, values, and other things uniquely American. | ||
Homecoming A must read for every disillusioned patriot. Dispite all of the current negativism in and torwards the current state of affairs, there will always be a brighter day to come and the hopefulness, positivism and true courage that America possesses will come through again. Ours is a rich heritage, thank you Ms Kennedy for organising it so eloquently. | ||
Patriotism, not mindlessness A Patriot's Handbook celebrates many of the finest moments in American history. Contrary to what a few reviewers have said, however, this is not a mere collection of flag-waving sound-bites. I honestly wonder if they read the same book I did. The version I had contained portions from The Jungle, talking about the unfairness of certain economic systems in place at the time. The version I had contained biting and accurate commentary directed at american racism. Yes, there is (justifiable) pride in some of our most prized cultural notions, from the Statue of Liberty to the seperation of church and state. Never, however, believe that A Patriot's Handbook is all flag-waving. Critical self-examination is also called for by the carefully selected passages, recalling the notion that, at times, dissent is patriotic. The book celebrates what is great in our culture, but does not hesitate to remind us that we are not now, nor have we ever been, perfect. In so doing, it points the way towards perfecting ourselves. An excellent job. | ||
Excellent Book! This book is an amazing compilation of those things most precious to our heritage. It's so wonderful to get a cup of coffee and sit down and read one passage, or chapter, at a time.....and that being something as wonderful and unique as "Casey at the Bat" or one of John Kennedy's speeches. I gave these as gifts to the partners in our firm and heard overwhelming praise for the book. | ||
Wonderful history reference When I went looking for a book that had all the famous speeches and quotes throughout history, I had a lot of trouble. Then I found this book. It has everything. Plus it also has background information about each speech or literary piece. I love how it also quotes songs, literature and even movies. We use this book all the time. My son loved reading the transcript from when the first men walked on the moon!! I highly recommend this book. | ||