Critique de School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Ten incidents which were either the precursors to or the consequences of high profile events in our country's history are introduced in this high-quality anthology. The producers commissioned ten independent filmmakers to bring these incidents to life. The compilation has great value as an enrichment and research source. Each episode, which bears the artistic vision of its producer, relies on commentaries by noted historians to explain the event and its later significance; extremely credible live re-creations; period artwork, crisp graphics, well-selected photographs, and archival footage. The events featured are: the 1637 massacre of Native Americans by English settlers near what is now Mystic, Connecticut, which contributed to the establishment of a pattern that some feel continues in a less bloody vein today; Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787) over taxes which strengthened the call for the adoption of our Constitution; the California Gold Rush which began in 1848 and motivated the opening of the Western United States; the bloody 1862 battle at Antietam which eventually led to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation; the Homestead Strike in 1892 which first pitted the forces of labor against the owners of a powerful Pennsylvania steel company; the 1901 assassination of President McKinley which led to the Progressive Era; 1925's Scopes Trial which highlighted the deep divisions within our country on many levels that continues today; the development of the atomic bomb during World War II; the 1956 introduction of Elvis Presley to a nationwide audience via television which illustrated that medium's power as an instrument of cultural change; and the Freedom Summer of 1964 and the callous murder of three civil rights workers. This excellent compilation accurately details pivotal moments in our country's history that impacted its future. A significant resource for supplemental use in the classroom and as a research tool.-Dwain Thomas, formerly of Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.