基本信息出版社：Hyperion Books
页码：336 页
出版日期：2002年09月
ISBN：0786867086
条形码：9780786867080
版本：第1版
装帧：精装
开本：16开 Pages Per Sheet
外文书名：寻找美国
内容简介 Book Description
Timed to coincide with a landmark primetime ABC-TV series of the same name, "In Search of America" takes readers on a journey looking for connections between 21st century America and the ideas of the founding fathers. Full-color photos throughout.
From Publishers Weekly
Anchorman Jennings and television producer Brewster illuminate contemporary American society with six stories, set in six different locations, examining central themes of American life: race, government, business, immigration, religion and culture. Each section is buttressed by thematically related sidebars and full-color illustrations. The battle in a South Carolina town to have creationism added to the public school biology curriculum is viewed in the context of the ongoing struggle between religion and science in America, and the chapter is supplemented by a discussion of the Scopes trial, the often overlooked complexity of Thomas Jefferson's ideas on religion and state and a look at the battle over textbooks in Texas. Another chapter focuses on attempts to revive the downtown of predominantly black Gary, Ind., thus highlighting the role of race in America. A look at Frito-Lay's efforts to market potato chips around the world underscores the role of business in America and its attempt to spread "the gospel of the free market" to undeveloped countries. The presentation is highly polished, and the authors report nonjudgmentally on various points of view in each controversy. But the authors do reach an optimistic conclusion that, indeed, the principles laid down by the founders 225 years ago "still form the essence of the American identity." (One-day laydown Sept. 3) Forecast: Major ABC promotion, a $500,000 national print ad campaign and the airing of the multipart TV program of the same title September 3-9, as well as the Jennings name, will make this a bestseller like the authors' last collaboration, The Century.
From Library Journal
In this companion to an ABC series that aired in September, authors Jennings and Brewster, who teamed up so successfully to write The Century and The Century for Young People, take the reader on a journey through contemporary America. Examining challenges to the nation's founding ideals, they focus on six cases from widely scattered locations, first as a contemporary problem and then in historical context. In South Carolina the creation vs. evolution debate becomes a discussion of the separation of church and state. A conference in Washington, DC, becomes a stage for the perennial argument between a strong federal government and states' rights. Gary, IN, is a city that reminds us of the inequality that still exists among the races. In Plano, TX, modern business practices are juxtaposed against early American entrepreneurs. In Boulder, CO, a high school production of the musical Hair provides a backdrop for a look at popular culture and Americans' methods of raising their children. Finally, Salt Lake City is the setting for America's historical stand on immigration and its effect on our population. With a number of sidebars, this journalistic account raises thought-provoking questions. The authors believe that the Founding Fathers' structure has endured and that it will serve us well in the future. Recommended for most public libraries.
Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Book Dimension
Height (mm) 270 Width (mm) 239
媒体推荐 "A good gift book" -- Arizona Republic
"A well-done piece" -- American Way
"This journalistic account raises thought-provoking questions." -- Library Journal
"This journey across America is an unforgettable one." -- Booklist