Barnett, Alex, ed. Words that changed America; great speeches that inspired, challenged, healed and enlightened.

BARNETT, Alex, ed. Words that changed America; great speeches that inspired, challenged, healed and enlightened. Globe Pequot, The Lyons Press. 320p. bibliog. index. c2003. 1-59228-795-6. $13.95. JSA 

This is a useful collection of 100 speeches that provide a chronological/topical history of America and highlight some controversial issues in that history. Each speech gets a short, useful introductory paragraph and the square shape of the book somehow knits the pages together, so psychologically the pages of pure print don't intimidate. Barnett organizes the speeches into four topics--Consent of the Governed, A More Perfect Union, Freedom of Speech, and America and the World--and then chronologically within topics. Freedom of Speech, for example, starts with Ben Franklin and Elijah Lovejoy, moves to Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger, and finishes with Joseph McCarthy and Margaret Chase Smith. Sections also include some key documents. Freedom of Speech, for instance, has the 1798 Sedition Acts and an excerpt from the Pentagon Papers.

A fine collection, useful for students to use on their own or for teachers in class. It wasn't clear to me, however, whether speeches were complete or edited. Also, the text on the back cover mentions a section that isn't here, featuring some interesting, less political topics (e.g., Lou Gehrig's farewell speech and Mark Twain on the weather). Were those in an earlier edition and omitted here? Daniel Levinson, Teacher, Thayer Acad., Braintree, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.