A cleareyed description and analysis of the thinking of some of the most iconic figures in the political history of the...
Levinson (Law and Government/Univ. of Texas; Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance, 2012, etc.) takes us through each of the 85 essays composing The Federalist, looking both at key arguments in those landmark documents and at their enduring relevance.
The author, who has written extensively about constitutional issues, doesn’t explicate every issue in every Federalist essay; rather, he focuses on those with remaining resonance today—and there are plenty. Although he makes allusions to notable philosophers and political thinkers (Montesquieu, Niebuhr, Hobbes, Machiavelli), literary heavyweights (Emerson, Tennyson, Whitman), and contemporary thinkers, he never sinks into the swamp of excessive quotation. Instead, Levinson shows—very clearly, in prose to appeal to all sorts of readers—the struggles that the various writers of the Federalist (Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison) had with various features of the Constitution, which was under consideration at the time. One principal theme that emerges for “Publius” (the pen name all the writers used) was a fondness for the Federalist system and a mistrust of the states. In essay after essay, Publius clearly reveals his preferences—as does Levinson. His asides and comments reveal him to have liberal sentiments, although he does not refrain from commenting negatively about presidents Clinton and Obama; he notes, for example, that today, “the political right…has substantially taken over the Republican Party.” The author also states several times that it is time to revisit the Constitution and to make alterations due to changes the framers did (or could) not foresee. Interesting to readers today will be the (naïve?) belief that only good men would pursue higher office and that lifetime appointments for federal judges are a good idea.
A cleareyed description and analysis of the thinking of some of the most iconic figures in the political history of the United States.Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-300-19959-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For Howard Zinn, long-time civil rights and anti-war activist, history and ideology have a lot in common. Since he thinks that everything is in someone's interest, the historian—Zinn posits—has to figure out whose interests he or she is defining/defending/reconstructing (hence one of his previous books, The Politics of History). Zinn has no doubts about where he stands in this "people's history": "it is a history disrespectful of governments and respectful of people's movements of resistance." So what we get here, instead of the usual survey of wars, presidents, and institutions, is a survey of the usual rebellions, strikes, and protest movements. Zinn starts out by depicting the arrival of Columbus in North America from the standpoint of the Indians (which amounts to their standpoint as constructed from the observations of the Europeans); and, after easily establishing the cultural disharmony that ensued, he goes on to the importation of slaves into the colonies. Add the laborers and indentured servants that followed, plus women and later immigrants, and you have Zinn's amorphous constituency. To hear Zinn tell it, all anyone did in America at any time was to oppress or be oppressed; and so he obscures as much as his hated mainstream historical foes do—only in Zinn's case there is that absurd presumption that virtually everything that came to pass was the work of ruling-class planning: this amounts to one great indictment for conspiracy. Despite surface similarities, this is not a social history, since we get no sense of the fabric of life. Instead of negating the one-sided histories he detests, Zinn has merely reversed the image; the distortion remains.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1979
ISBN: 0061965588
Page Count: 772
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1979
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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