Should a Book Be Judged by its Cover?

Among the highest compliments a teacher can hope to receive is when his student says, “I learned a lot from you.” Talk about a gratifying statement! Surpassing that is when an 84 year-old Stanford educated man with a great deal of wisdom, a female retired school teacher, and a successful businessman who has a voracious appetite for reading each say, “I can’t believe how much I learned from reading your book.”

The book in question was the completed proof (first published draft) I had asked these three adults to read as a favor to me, hoping they’d catch errors I’d overlooked. (The retired school teacher won - by a large margin.) The reason their compliments meant so much to me was because a) I knew they were being genuine, and b) the target audience is teens in the 13-18 year range.

If you’re reading this blog, chances are excellent that you took American History back in the day. What do you remember? How was the material presented? Was your brain and maturity level ready to receive it? When I’ve traveled to Philadelphia, Boston, DC, Mount Vernon, or Williamsburg, which is the population who appreciates the historical display most? Adults. Teenagers are commonly rolling their eyes, ready to buy a t-shirt, and get back to their Facebook. What a shame that we don’t take history classes as adults; it’s then that we have enough patience and experience to begin appreciating it.

Well, here’s your chance - my shameless self-promotion. Using the aforementioned three adults as unintentional guinea pigs, I learned that my writing was enjoyable and educational for adults as well as teens. They genuinely enjoyed reading the book. The 50-something business man told me he had a very difficult time focusing on editing because he got so caught up in the story weaved. Additionally, I asked for the book back before he finished so I might review his corrections and stick to deadlines, and he didn’t want to give it up. Most flattering.

What I tried to capture was the cause and effect story of America, starting with religious roots planted following the split between Christianity and Judaism. We then move to Europe as the Apostle Paul faces trial in Rome. From there, by means of the Catholic Church, Christianity spreads through Europe, assisted by Gutenberg’s movable printing press. Division in the church occurs as Martin Luther challenges the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the king of England sees this as an opportunity to off his wife. However, with the increased liberalism of the Church of England, there is religious backlash, which eventually leads to our Pilgrims. Between the exodus of Separatists and the desire of explorers to find an all-water route to Asia, colonialism is built upon an economic system known as mercantilism, and soon, the monopolized colonial worker bees resent it. That notwithstanding, colonists are fiercely proud of their English heritage - particularly their rights grounded in the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights. England increasingly views colonists as provincials not worthy of equality - perhaps they are English by heritage, but certainly not the real McCoy. Tensions build as England passes a series of laws designed to keep the colonies under control. Most today remember the famous Boston Tea Party, but do not recall (or perhaps ever learned) of the frustrating decade leading to that protest - a protest which released oppressive wrath from the king and Parliament. Tension builds upon martial law for another 2 years. Blood is shed at Lexington, and an illegal gathering of colonial leaders must decide if turning back is preferable to the likelihood of hanging as traitors if they move forward. At this point, less than half the population was ready to go to war. The book covers the Declaration of Independence and its meaning, the Revolutionary War, the reasons the country almost fell apart after the victory, and the need for the Constitution. The Constitution is included in its entirety, punctuated with explanations in modern day language of each paragraph.

It’s not a glitzy, glossy paged book with color pages. To keep the book affordable, I opted for black and white - although pictures and graphics are included. It’s priced at a mere $12. You can obtain the book by visiting my website: http://jimbrigleb.com and clicking on the link to the book. So brush up on your history. Or buy the book for your son, daughter, grandchildren, or an acquaintance sadly uninformed about the legacy of our country. Maybe you should buy one for your public library, a homeschooler, the American History teacher at your local school who mistakenly learned that all the Founders were a bunch of rich, selfish, slave owners. The book is called: United States History: Roots through Constitution, subtitled Our Disappearing Legacy.