The Bill of Rights: The First Ten Amendments of the Constitution (Constitution)

Rating:
Summary: I just can't overlook the bias
Review: How disappointing it is to finish a relatively good piece of work only to be left with a rather bad taste in your mouth. Such is the case with this work by David L Hudson, Jr. Hudson does a good job of assimilating a basic guide for the novice of the American Bill of Rights, but seemed unable to abstain from injecting personal bias.

With a subject so dear and precious to Americans, political bias must be strictly avoided at all costs, and to the novice, Hudson quite cleverly masks that bias. However, deeper reflection reveals injected tidbits of liberal dogma. Hudson even goes so far as to cite the well known liberal revisionist historian, Howard Zinn as a reference source. Such inflection quickly discredits an otherwise credible work.

For the student and novice, there is some good information here, but read with caution. The shameful part is, 99% of this book is very well done and successfully reflects both sides of the issue. All in all, this is a fine work and valuable to every American, especially the student.

The first half of the book gives a brief analysis of each Amendment, their history, a brief synopsis on James Madison and simplified chapter on Amending the Constitution. The last half of the book examines each Amendment with popular legal cases rooted in each. The book concludes with the U.S. Constitution printed in its entirety.

For a novice seeking a basic knowledge of the Bill of Rights, this book would suit nicely, but if you are looking for indepth analysis, there are other books available that would be a much better source, such as The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction by Akhil Reed Amar, or Origins of the Bill of Rights by Leonard Williams Levy.

Rating:
Summary: More than just the amendments...
Review: Mr. Hudson has done an excellent job of explaining the meaning of each amendment in the Bill of Rights. He brings to life the importance of the Bill of Rights with timely and insightful examples of how they apply to the lives of all Americans. In addition, Mr. Hudson has provided a background and context for the development of the Bill of Rights that I found very informative. I believe Mr. Hudson's book is a rich source of information for readers of all ages. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in individual liberties.

Rating:
Summary: Book for Classrooms
Review: This chapter book does a good job of explaining all of the ten Bill of Rights in detail. The book starts with the first amendment and goes through all ten amendments. The development and value of each amendment is explained thoroughly. This book would be a good one to use when a teacher is introducing a theme cycle about the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. A them cycle about the Bill of Rights would have many different activities to choose from when assigning work to the students. Using a theme cycle with this book would allow the students to explore and read various genres of text that discusses the amendments.