Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Although one could argue with the author's choice of events in this volume, I found the selection very interesting if somewhat different than usual. After all, Dr. Schweikart does not contend these are the only events that shaped America, only that these should be considered important and worthy of examination. The events are: 1. Martin van Buren's creation of the Democratic Party and the spoils system leading to big government, 2. Chief Justive Taney's Dred Scott decision leading to a panic and a civil war, 3. The Johnston Flood as an example of how private enterprise ALWAYS handles a crisis better than the Federal Government, 4. Ike's heart attack gives birth to the food and health police, 5. Rock music spells doom for communism (at least temporarily), 6. Reagan learns that sending in "peacekeepers" is a fatal exercise in futility (but forgotten by Clinton and Bush), 7. Obama's charismatic speeches thrill the country, but plaster over inexperience and a lack of leadership with words, and the leftist media bias becomes a propaganda machine that would put Goebbels to shame. Each of the first six underscores American exceptionalism and provides a counterweight to the liberal/progressive spin taught daily in American schools and universities. Then the comparison is made with the seventh, and one comes to realize how out-of-control the Federal Government in the 21st century has truly become. This is a valuable work, and the review by the liberal/progressive Publishers Weekly shows how upset liberal/progressives can become when their propaganda is exposed through good scholarship. There is no "rabid anticollectivist sermonizing" (does the reviewer really have that much against pro-private enterprise writing), no "paranoid hyperbole" (my, my, such over-the-top hysterical writing), and no "obscure mutterings" (everything is right out there to read.) Conservatives will undoubtedly love this book, and socialists will probably hate it. But there is something for everyone -- more than that, there is much to learn here. This is American history at its best. Each event is examined closely, the facts presented, and the lessons to be learned and applied by us today are clearly and concisely presented. Absolutely recommended. Since this is a short book and extremely easy to read, it would also make a great present to high school kids who might want to expand their knowledge.