May 1, 2007
Adult/High School-Most of the individuals included here made positive contributions to the nation's development: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., but others are known for their negative impact: Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Leon Czolgosz. Axelrod highlights the famous and infamous in government, business, sports, entertainment, literature, art, and science. The entries are indeed brief, with Robert E. Lee getting as much space as anyone at three quarters of a page, or a little more than 200 words; many people receive only one or two sentences. The value of the collection is threefold. Students who are looking for subjects for term papers can skim quickly through the pages and find a wide variety of possibilities. Second, the book serves as a handy reference source to check the key facts on many Americans. And third, it is fun to browse. This title is not a necessary choice for any library, but it's a good one for those lacking compact sources on notable Americans."Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA"
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