Sign-In
Cart
The Fieldston Guide to American History for Cynical Beginners: Impractical Lessons for Everyday Life
Paperback
Publisher Price: $16.95
ISBN13: 9780595343423
Publisher: Authorhouse
Published: Mar 29 2005
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.45 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
You may not have a Ph.D. in history, but you already know -- or can readily believe -- that Columbus didn't exactly discover America. Or that the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence was a slaveholder. Or that our leaders may not be entirely committed to the effort to make sure that in fact no child is left behind.
But the truth of individual lives can be more compelling than they initially appear: surprising, informative, and maybe even inspiring. This book explores a few such lives, and the lessons they offer in ways that might actually mean something outside a classroom.
These biographical case studies -- which include General George Washington, who was once invited to lead a military coup against the new American government; Ida Wells, who responded to lynchings by publicly mocking the manhood of those who murdered African Americans; and Eugene Debs, who chose to go to jail to protect free speech -- explore a series of questions. How does one keep true to one's principles in the face of social pressure? What strategies work best in addressing your opponents? Can public acts atone for private flaws?
In different ways, the profiles in courage here provide answers to these questions -- not definitive answers, but real ones. You can weigh them, accept them, reject them, or -- who knows? -- maybe even apply them. You may not end up any less cynical after leafing through this book. But you will be less of a beginner.
Also in
History
Disgustingly Delicious: The Surprising, Weird and Wonderful Food of the World
Mariño, Soledad Romero
Hardcover
Top Secret Files: World War II, Spies, Secret Missions, and Hidden Facts from World War II
Bearce, Stephanie
Paperback
Courage Under Fire: True Stories of Bravery from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines
Gunderson, Jessica
Miller, Adam
Otfinoski, Steven
Other
Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
Castrovilla, Selene
Hardcover
20th Century African American History for Kids: The Major Events That Shaped the Past and Present
Weston, Margeaux
Paperback
Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp
Gutiérrez, Jolene
Tonai, Minoru
Hardcover
Bones and Berserkers (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #13): 13 True Tales of Terror from American History
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
Terrifying True Tales: Haunting Histories, Creepy Cryptids, and Scary Stories from Around the World
Towler, Paige
Hardcover
Weird But True! Usa: Expanded Edition: 350 Fascinating Facts about the Fifty States
National Geographic Kids
Paperback
A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out
Day, Nicholas
Hardcover
Reading the Bones: Homo Naledi and the Mysteries of Human Evolution
Aronson, Marc
Mead, John S.
Hardcover
Greeking Out Tales from the Underworld: Ghostly Myths from Around the Globe
Hughes, Jillian
Curtis, Kenny
Hardcover
Weird But True! Usa: Expanded Edition: 350 Fascinating Facts about the Fifty States
National Geographic Kids
Hardcover
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters
Napoli, Donna Jo
National Geographic Kids
Hardcover
The Web of War (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #14): A World War II Tale Volume 14
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
Cryptids: Uncover the Secrets Behind the World's Most Baffling Beasts and Curious Creatures
MacFarlane, Tamara
Hardcover
Red, White, Blue and Uncle Who?: The Stories Behind Some of America's Patriotic Symbols
Bateman, Teresa
Hardcover
America Celebrates: The Most Incredible and Influential People, Places & Events of the Last 250 Years
Andrus, Aubre
Hardcover
Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon
Cochrane, Ellen
Hardcover
The Extraordinary History of the Fae: Fairies, Spirits, and Other Magical Beings
Atkinson, Hazel
Hardcover
My Bicentennial Summer: True Adventures from the Most Epic Family Road Trip of All Time
Neri, G.
Hardcover
Witches and Wizards: Explore the World of Magic, Witchcraft, and Sorcery
Neon Squid
Puca, Angela
Hardcover
When Paul Revere Rode: Voices from the First Night of the American Revolution
Thomson, Sarah L.
Hardcover
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
Day, Nicholas
Paperback
America as It Happened: A Moment-By-Moment Journey Through Time, from Prehistory to the Present Day
What on Earth!
The Washington Post
Hardcover
Baseball's Shining Season: America's Pastime on the Brink of War
Sandler, Craig
Sandler, Martin W.
Hardcover
The Big Book of Birthdays: How Birthdays Are Celebrated Around the World
Feunekes, Anna Lena
Hardcover
Glass: Looking In, Looking Out: (A Nonfiction Book about the Science, History, and Everyday Uses of Glass for Ages 7-10)
Theule, Larissa
Hardcover
Beasts from Before the Dinosaurs: Extraordinary Forgotten Creatures from 250 Million Years Ago
Lerwill, Ben
Hardcover
Marvel's Captain America Across the Country (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 2)
National Geographic Kids
Berne, Emma
Hardcover
Above the Trenches (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #12): A World War I Flying Ace Tale
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
My Latin America and the Caribbean: A Celebration: (An Educational Nonfiction Picture Book about Cultures, Landscapes, and Biodiversity for Kids Ages
Goldin Marcovich, Gabriela
Hardcover
How the Word Is Passed (Adapted for Young Readers): Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America
Smith, Clint
Hardcover
This Is a Library Book: Check Out the Places and People Sharing Knowledge and Building Communities
Grant, Joyce
Hardcover
The Patriots and the Pox: George Washington's Battle to Save the Continental Army
Anderson, Beth
Hardcover
What Ended the Golden Age of Airships? the Hindenburg Disaster: A Who HQ Graphic Novel
Who Hq
Kindred, Chris
Hardcover
Big Bad Ironclad! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #2): A Civil War Tale Volume 2
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
Get Connected!: The Story of Communication from Hieroglyphics to Body Language
Barnham, Kay
Hardcover
Blades of Freedom (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #10): A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes Across North America
Weso, Tom Pecore
Paperback
A Supreme Friendship: The Unlikely Bond Between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia
Murphy, Debbie Rovin
Hardcover
Wow in the World: Dinosaurs Are Wow!: A Roaring Thunder of Prehistoric Wonder
Raz, Guy
Thomas, Mindy
Hardcover
Did You Hear What Happened at the Alamo?: The Texas Revolution of 1835-36 Volume 2
Kennedy, Katie
Hardcover
Fight for the Right to Read: Samuel Wilbert Tucker and the 1939 Sit-Down Strike for Library Reading Equality
Green, Michelle Y.
Gottesfeld, Jeff
Hardcover
Raid of No Return (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #7): A World War II Tale of the Doolittle Raid
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
Weird But True! Dinosaurs: 300 Dino-Mite Facts to Sink Your Teeth Into
National Geographic Kids
Paperback
An Epic History of Failure: A Blundering Book Full of Fun Facts and Mindless Mishaps
Neon Squid
Younger, Natalie
Hardcover
Explore the National Parks with Dr. Seuss's Lorax: A Dr. Seuss's the Lorax Nonfiction
Worth, Bonnie
Hardcover
Donner Dinner Party (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #3): A Pioneer Tale Volume 3
Hale, Nathan
Hardcover
The Greatest Mistakes in History: Bloopers, Blunders, and Other Mishaps from History
Abbott, Simon
Paperback
Teaching for Change: How Septima Clark Led the Civil Rights Movement to Voting Justice
Clark-Rhines, Yvonne
Clark-Robinson, Monica
Hardcover
The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II (Scholastic Focus)
Fleming, Candace
Hardcover
Everything You Need to Ace World History in One Big Fat Notebook, 2nd Edition: The Complete Middle School Study Guide
Workman Publishing
Paperback