The Good Citizen's Handbook : A Guide to Proper Behavior

Rating:
Summary: Note: some reviews by others contain false information
Review: "The Good Citizen's Handbook: A Guide to Proper Behavior" by Jennifer McKnight-Trontz is book informative, helpful, nostalgic, and a bit funny at times. In any event this book or at least the good items in it should be taught to all children by their parents, and reinforced at school.

Please take note and consider this when reading other Amazon customer reviews:
McKnight-Trontz explains in the introduction that both the information and images in this book were culled from civic textbooks, scouting manuals, government pamphlets and citizenship manuals from the 1920s through the 1960s. See my comments on the illustrations near the end of my review.

There is a lot of good information here and many different viewpoints on what the definition of a good citizen is, and how children and adults can do things that constitute being a good citizen. Some of the information seemed a bit comical to me yet other parts were things that (sadly) I had never discussed with my children before just because it had not occurred to me to discuss them, therefore the book served as a basis for some good discussion. I am happy that I read this to my children and think it could and should be re-read periodically, perhaps a few times per year! I also thought, as I read this, that I was never taught many things in this book when I attended public school in the 1970s and 1980s, as part of social studies/civics (which is a shame). I also think that much of this SHOULD be taught to all children in school. If they can teach sex ed and programs to discourage drug use, then they can and should teach this stuff as well. I also was surprised at the high level of patriotism here. I was surprised that in my public school experience, I did not learn any of this "patriotic attitude" and was surprised that from the 1920s-1960s this stuff was being taught in schools. I think we need a revival of this!

The book is divided into chapters covering different areas we can and should be good citizens in: with ourselves, in the family, at school and work, in the neighborhood, in the community, in our country and in the world. The section about ourselves includes personality traits, behaviors, character traits and values as well as health recommendations such as avoiding infection, how to cough and not spread germs, how to stand with good posture and what to eat. The comical parts are the examples which highlight things that someone thought to be very important such as that a good citizen eats "plenty of meat" which made me wonder if this was from a government publication connected with the USDA. Behaviors such as not talking back, controlling oneself and obeying the law are other high points. A section titled "Your Happy Family" contains good advice:

"The urge to get more and more luxuries consumes many Americans. In the "old days" the members of the family had very little in the way of luxuries or even comforts; they depended mainly on one another to make life happy and interesting. Today, we are more "gadget-minded." We tend to think less of human relations, and more of things that we and buy and use, often to impress other people. This has had its effect in weakening the home.
Think less of what the "Joneses" are doing or buying, and more about how to have a good time with your family without spending money. Think about what really makes you and your family happy-important things such as each other's company, a good story, exercise, and learning."

I loved that section!

The section on school and work includes what we now call "anti-bullying" advice: play fair, play with "the laws of clean play" which includes not cheating. I grinned at some of the phrasing such as "Clean play increases and train's one's strength, and helps one to be more useful to one's country" and goes on to make a few recommendations about being a good loser or a generous winner and to treat opponents with politeness. It seems to me all children should hear all the information in this book.

Regarding social ills, the section on community includes a page encouraging the avoidance of being a drunkard and warns "alcoholism means death to the nation". I am not faulting the book but will mention that missing from the book due to the fact that such things were not discussed in the 1920s to 1960s are warnings against cigarette smoking, illegal drug use, other unhealthy acts such as sniffing glue, and sex issues and warnings of sexually transmitted diseases.

The section on our country contains information about voting, jury duty, how to write our legislators and politicians to voice our concerns, and recommending that we be happy to pay our taxes. The patriotism level here is high!

In response to the negative reviews which some claimed was due to non-inclusion of non-white people in the illustrations: I want to state here that this is false. Images of black Americans are rare but not totally (see pages 54, 100 and 103). People of other cultures are discussed on the "good citizenship in the world" section and show Asian people on pages 130, 131, and 136. However we should all note as described in the introduction, that this author was really an editor and the text and illustrations were taken from other sources dating back to the 1920s through the 1960s. The fact that the textbooks and government documents used primarily Caucasians in the illustrations should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with American history. Take this for what it is worth. This book was published in 2001 using old information. There is no reason to slight the author or the book for not writing in modern terms or addressing modern issues or showing people of all ethnicities.






Rating:
Summary: The kids love it!
Review: As a school counselor I made sure all of the teachers in the elementary school where I work had a copy. Each day they select a part to read to their classes.

Rating:
Summary: The kids love it!
Review: As a school counselor I made sure all of the teachers in the elementary school where I work had a copy. Each day they select a part to read to their classes.

Rating:
Summary: Should be taken seriously
Review: Author Jennifer McKnight-Trontz has collected invaluable guidance from old, outdated citizenship manuals and presented them in a neat little handbook that everyone should read. The illustrations are old-fashioned, extremely conservative, and somewhat amusing, but there's almost nothing laughable in this book's advice and wisdom. The vast majority of it is as true today as it was forty or fifty years ago, and our society needs it now more than ever. Anyone who thinks this book is hilarious should seek psychotherapy immediately. However, it's difficult to determine exactly what the author's intention was, because there are some brief passages that seem to be included solely for the sake of humor. But the bulk of the book is a treasure trove of long forgotten common sense ideas presented in their original context. Some of the information is out of date and no longer helpful, like the pre-zip-code addresses of the President, senators, and cabinet officers in "Washington, 25, D.C." A current and useful list would have been better. Editors also should have deleted the unsound assertion that in order to be a good citizen you "must drink milk and eat meat," and also "avoid tea and coffee." I don't see how such dietary choices have any bearing on a person's citizenship, which is based fundamentally on behaviors that affect the family and community. Oddly, smoking and drug use are not discussed at all and alcohol abuse is only covered by a rather outrageous illustration. The book is flawed, but still a respectable compilation of sensible techniques for practicing better citizenship - something our country sorely needs.

Rating:
Summary: Should be taken seriously
Review: Author Jennifer McKnight-Trontz has collected invaluable guidance from old, outdated citizenship manuals and presented them in a neat little handbook that everyone should read. The illustrations are old-fashioned, extremely conservative, and somewhat amusing, but there's almost nothing laughable in this book's advice and wisdom. The vast majority of it is as true today as it was forty or fifty years ago, and our society needs it now more than ever. Anyone who thinks this book is hilarious should seek psychotherapy immediately. However, it's difficult to determine exactly what the author's intention was, because there are some brief passages that seem to be included solely for the sake of humor. But the bulk of the book is a treasure trove of long forgotten common sense ideas presented in their original context. Some of the information is out of date and no longer helpful, like the pre-zip-code addresses of the President, senators, and cabinet officers in "Washington, 25, D.C." A current and useful list would have been better. Editors also should have deleted the unsound assertion that in order to be a good citizen you "must drink milk and eat meat," and also "avoid tea and coffee." I don't see how such dietary choices have any bearing on a person's citizenship, which is based fundamentally on behaviors that affect the family and community. Oddly, smoking and drug use are not discussed at all and alcohol abuse is only covered by a rather outrageous illustration. The book is flawed, but still a respectable compilation of sensible techniques for practicing better citizenship - something our country sorely needs.

Rating:
Summary: Stuff Kids Need but are Not Getting in School
Review: Even a liberal like me can appreciate the power of straight forward ethics. This guide is an excellent addition to any young boy's (especially) or girl's bookshelf. Out of date? There are some explanations that seem a little naive. In a section on personal responsibility to society, it is said that while there will always be poor people (because some people are incompetent, mentally ill, drunk or lazy) society should take care of them for the benefit of everybody. (Contrast this sentiment with what we have today: "It's not the fault of the poor, but we still won't take cae of them."
Mostly though, you can't beat common sense.

Rating:
Summary: Stuff Kids Need but are Not Getting in School
Review: Even a liberal like me can appreciate the power of straight forward ethics. This guide is an excellent addition to any young boy's (especially) or girl's bookshelf. Out of date? There are some explanations that seem a little naive. In a section on personal responsibility to society, it is said that while there will always be poor people (because some people are incompetent, mentally ill, drunk or lazy) society should take care of them for the benefit of everybody. (Contrast this sentiment with what we have today: "It's not the fault of the poor, but we still won't take cae of them."
Mostly though, you can't beat common sense.

Rating:
Summary: Dorky? I don't think so.
Review: Getting the best possible education is "inaccurate"? Treat your opponent with politeness is "overstating" it? Oh yeah, what a farce. It's no wonder everything is in the state it's in these days.

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgic but also current for today's world
Review: I bought this book mainly as a nostalgic item, but in reading it I found it very helpful for the present. The practical advise on being a good neighbor, citizen and your civic duties are a lost art that few practice today. Maybe if more of us followed this book's teaching, there would be less stress and more of a gentler world. This book would be good reading for a teenager to teach them about civics, manners, proper display of the flag etc.

Rating:
Summary: Its no joke.
Review: I enjoy this book. I frequently thumb through its text. I have noticed that some individuals look at it as a form of entertainment; sort of making fun--of the "old ways." I have to admit, that certain concepts are over the top. I am also not naive, and am aware that governmental brainwashing is disturbing in particular venues within the text. However, I believe that much of the information can be used in a positive manner to relay key ideas and concepts to a younger generation whose foundation is crumbling, when it comes down to what it really means to be a citizen of the United States of Americia. I myself served in the United States Marine Corps. I can remember when putting on that uniform had meaning and value to me personally. I thought of all of the blood that was shed, so that I could wear those 'dress blues,' when I served as a Presidential Honor Guard at 8th and I. Somehow over the years, even that lost its luster. I guess it did because of my own changing interpetation of what it was to be an American. I guess it all starts with each of us as an individual. We all need to focus back on core values--and to a degree, traditionalism. I would like to feel good about my country once again. The 'Good Citizen's Handbook,' made me think seriously. To me its not a "joke."...Lets take it more seriously.