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HOLD YOUR TONGUE

Name: HOLD YOUR TONGUE
Author: James Crawford
ISBN: 0-201-55044-X

BILINGUALISM AND THE POLITICS OF 'ENGLISH ONLY'

by James Crawford ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1992

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An exhaustively researched look at the history and political implications of legislating English as our official language. According to Crawford (a Washington-based journalist specializing in bilingual education), the squabble over English as the mother tongue goes back to the Founding Fathers, who argued over choices that included Hebrew and Greek. Nineteenth-century activists, the author explains, pushed for bilingual education and achieved it in many schools, with English and German the two acceptable languages, in deference to the many German-speaking immigrants. German took a dive during WW I, though, and Teddy Roosevelt pronounced that ``A hyphenated American is not an American at all.'' Crawford's thesis is that chauvinism lies at the root of current organized efforts to make English the only legal language in the country. Disturbed by what seems to be a flood of immigrants—from Spanish-speaking countries, Vietnam, China, and Haiti, for instance—who cannot or do not choose to speak English, ``English-only'' proponents, Crawford says, proclaim, ``We learned English, why can't they?'' The author cites studies showing that today's immigrants are, in fact, learning English faster than their predecessors—but he also examines closely the achievements and shortfalls of bilingual programs and of English-only legislation. One chapter looks at both sides of the controversy in Miami and surrounding Dade County, which has strict English-only laws, a predominantly Spanish-speaking population, and tense Anglo-Hispanic relationships. Other chapters, in gripping detail, take up ethnic tensions in California and the Southwest, where Mexican children once were beaten if they spoke English in school. Crawford conveys a strong message: Immigrants will learn English because it's the only way to get ahead in the US. Why not give them a helping hand?

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-201-55044-X

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1992

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE EDGE OF THE PLAIN
by James Crawford

- BOOK REVIEW
BLOODY SCOTLAND
edited by James Crawford

- BOOK REVIEW
FALLEN GLORY
by James Crawford

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.