Rating: 
Summary: What Is An American, Anyway?
Review: I thought I might impose upon your time to tell you what I think about this subject and this book.
I found "A Patriot's Handbook" to be a good idea by an author, Caroline Kennedy, who is obviously moved by, and concerned about, the state of mind of many people in America today. It wants to answer the question, "what is an American, anyway?". A vast number of people who are supposedly Americans, call themselves Americans, not because of what they feel for and know about America, but merely because they are physically deposited here and make their money here. This book is great to either learn from, or refer to, depending upon where your level of knowledge fits into the picture. I highly recommend it to everyone. And, if you're really interested in the subject of this book, I believe you would also be interested in Bennett's "Book Of Virtues" and Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership Education", two books that, like Caroline Kennedy's, contain the similar features of stories, poems, and historical/philosophical anecdotes, Bennett's being topically organized like Kennedy's, and Remick's being organized into a story. I recommend both of these books in addition to Caroline Kennedy's book.
Thankyou for reading what I have to say.
Rating:
Summary: What Is An American, Anyway?
Review: I thought I might impose upon your time to tell you what I think about this subject and this book.
I found "A Patriot's Handbook" to be a good idea by an author, Caroline Kennedy, who is obviously moved by, and concerned about, the state of mind of many people in America today. It wants to answer the question, "what is an American, anyway?". A vast number of people who are supposedly Americans, call themselves Americans, not because of what they feel for and know about America, but merely because they are physically deposited here and make their money here. This book is great to either learn from, or refer to, depending upon where your level of knowledge fits into the picture. I highly recommend it to everyone. And, if you're really interested in the subject of this book, I believe you would also be interested in Bennett's "Book Of Virtues" and Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership Education", two books that, like Caroline Kennedy's, contain the similar features of stories, poems, and historical/philosophical anecdotes, Bennett's being topically organized like Kennedy's, and Remick's being organized into a story. I recommend both of these books in addition to Caroline Kennedy's book.
Thankyou for reading what I have to say.
Rating:
Summary: For all ages, races, political leanings .. a real winner
Review: Looking for a book that proves that patriotism comes in all races, ethnic and political belief? Or a great book that family members of all ages will enjoy and may even love reading aloud to one another? Then this may well be what you are looking for. And what is so nice and what other reviewers have noted is Ms Kennedy doesn't play political favorites. She offers something for everyone. I also recommend highly the book The Right to Privacy that Ms Kennedy and Ellen Alderman produced in '97.
Rating: 
Summary: Making Money Off Of In-Style, Faddish Patiotism
Review: More exploitation of 9/11 and the recent wave of in-style, faddish patriotism regarding the recent Iraq escapade. It's all about money and making one's self look good. A great distraction from the legislation coming out that increases governmental power, erodes the Bill of Rights, and strips away American liberties. But, what could you expect, from a Kennedy?
Rating: 
Summary: A Treasure
Review: Ms. Kennedy has compiled a goodly set of pictures, speeches, and excerpts from literature that does indeed do more than represent America, they are the important pieces that show how America and Americans are unique from others (and maybe a little odd). The words (all of them, made up by the British to make fun of our troops) to Yankee Doodle. Lincoln's first inaugural. The Bill of Rights. Martin Luther King's Letters from a Birmingham Jail. Transcripts of a trial against Susan B. Anthony after she voted....before suffrage was passed. Excerpts from "Death of a Salesman" and "To Kill a Mockingbird". Gerald Ford's remarks upon accepting office, as he faced the hard task of trying to heal a nation from the sting of executive betrayal.Yes, the book leans left, in that there are probably more triumphant Democratic speeches than conservative ones. The only Nixon speech featured is his resignation and the only Reagan speech--albeit a wonderful choice -- is the speech to students at Moscow State University about the technological revolution in 1988. But the others chosen are not unimportant, even if they are controversial...antiwar protesters during Vietnam, Friedan's "The Feminist Mystique" ....all the literature and art in Kennedy's book is important for Americans to remember. We should remember how important they were to us, to our parents and ancesters, and the impact they had upon the country and the world. Especially of interest during this election year (2004) is on page 465, where part of John Kerry's testimony to Congress on behalf of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971 can be found. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Kelly
Rating:
Summary: Fun to Read
Review: Ms. Kennedy has compiled a great set of pictures, speeches, and excerpts from literature that does more than represent America. They help show how America and Americans are somewhat unique from others. . . and maybe even a little odd. The words (all of them, made up by the British to make fun of our troops) to Yankee Doodle. Lincoln's first inaugural. The Bill of Rights. Martin Luther King's "Letters from a Birmingham Jail". Transcripts of a trial against Susan B. Anthony after she voted....before suffrage was passed. Excerpts from "Death of a Salesman" and "To Kill a Mockingbird". Gerald Ford's remarks upon accepting office, as he faced the hard task of trying to heal a nation from the sting of executive betrayal. The book leans left, in that there are probably more triumphant Democratic speeches than conservative ones. The only Nixon speech featured is his resignation and the only Reagan speech--albeit a wonderful choice -- is the speech to students at Moscow State University about the technological revolution in 1988. But the others chosen are not unimportant, even if they are controversial...antiwar protesters during Vietnam, excerpts from Friedan's "The Feminist Mystique" ....all the literature and art in Kennedy's book had an impact on the country. Especially of interest during this election year (2004) is part of John Kerry's controversial testimony to Congress on behalf of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A great celebratory collection of America
Review: My family and I love this book. We recieved it yesterday, and of course we haven't read it from cover to cover, but none of us can put it down. Every spare minute I have, I keep picking it up and flipping through it, reading one article at a time. It's a priceless reference book (including The Constution, Bill of Rights, and many landmark Supreme Court decisions) and a scrapbook (including songs and poems that we all know and love.)
Rating:
Summary: A great celebratory collection of America
Review: My family and I love this book. We recieved it yesterday, and of course we haven't read it from cover to cover, but none of us can put it down. Every spare minute I have, I keep picking it up and flipping through it, reading one article at a time. It's a priceless reference book (including The Constution, Bill of Rights, and many landmark Supreme Court decisions) and a scrapbook (including songs and poems that we all know and love.)
Rating:
Summary: Come on...!
Review: Oh...my...God. This is what JFK and JBK have spawned? I think it's a damned shame. Well, they say the genes skip a generation. I'd suggest reading a good biography of the fabulous Jackie O instead of this claptrap, written just to enrich the publisher. I'm sure Caroline is a lovely woman, but you'd never know it from this piece of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible!
Review: Patriotism is one of the only acceptable forms of pride today, and I wonder if that is right.... This book may make you feel better about this country that we live in, but it is just a cozy blanket of nationalism for this harsh world we must survive in. I wonder how being born in a certain country makes it right to say how much better it is than the rest of the world. Why do we have the national anthem before every sporting event? (now we know that some percentage of almost every team we have here is comprised of some percentage of foreigners) I'll go the opposite way of this book and ask that people can just accept that people who live in other countries are just as precious as those who live here!
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