SAMPLE SITE ONLY
This site is intended as a sampler for visitors. Volume I, Chapter 3, offers a preview of what every chapter will contain for those who purchase the books and the Roadmaps. See the order forms for purchasing details.
Here is what is being said about Last Best Hope
"Reading Bennett's America, I was reminded once again why I love teaching history. It's full of highly entertaining anecdotes and stories and will go a long way toward helping students understand what history actually is-a vigorous debate about what actually happened and the impact of the past on our lives today."
-Dr. Jeffrey Gall, Associate Professor of History, Truman State University
"Bennett has told an excellent story with narrative force in accessible language. I frequently get letters and emails from parents, teachers, and school board members, asking whether I can recommend a U.S. history textbook to them. Today, I would suggest that they read William Bennett's America."
-Dr. Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education, New York University
"The role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation's triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom."
-Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
"Bennett has a gift for choosing the pithy, revealing anecdote and for providing fresh character sketches and critical analyses of the leading figures. This is an American history that adults will find refreshing and enlightening and that younger readers will find a darn good read."
-Michael Barone, Senior Writer, U.S.News & World Report
"High school students are easily bored. However, Bennett talks his story like an informed, interesting great-uncle would tell it. He sees and presents the big picture but portrays the pieces of the historical puzzle, often in a tongue-in-cheek manner appealing to teens. Thus, students would be drawn into Bennett's presentation, and they would enjoy his no-nonsense approach."
-Pat Watson, Prince George County, Maryland, Former Social Studies Supervisor
"A great piece of work."
-Michael Beschloss, Historian
-Lynne Munson, Former Deputy Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
"Bennett's magnificent two-volume history belongs on the bookshelf of every thoughtful reader. More importantly, high school and college students deserve the opportunity to experience an account of their country's history that is simultaneously full, honest, vivid, and so well written. Other books and texts aimed at U.S., A.P., and I.B. history students in the last generation pale in comparison to this magisterial work."
-Dr. William J. Moloney, Former Commissioner of Education, State of Colorado
"Quotations by Churchill, FDR, etc., and the lilting style of William Bennett's own prose make an experience in reading. It is the 'goosebump' initiating experience that is too often lost to students who might have been inspired by it."
-Dr. Suellen Reed, Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Indiana
"This lively book acknowledges mistakes and shortcomings, yet patriotically asserts that the American experiment in democracy is still a success story."
-School Library Journal
"This is not only an excellent work for anyone wanting deeper familiarity with American history-it would also be a superb textbook for an ambitious high school or college course."
-Chester E. Finn, Jr., President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
"Recommended for all school and public libraries."
-Lisa Ennis, Library Journal, June 2007
"Bennett writes this book with careful attention to historical accuracy, and provides a keen and insightful perspective. This book is a welcome and comprehensive antidote to many of the textbooks available in schools today. Many students find reading about history to be a dry and boring task. With this book, students can be assured that the material is factual, readable, and interesting."
-Dr. Anita Buckley-Commander, Director, Alabama Textbook Program
"Dr. William J. Bennett understands that the narrative of America's past makes for a rattling good story."
-Dr. Perry D. Jamieson, Senior Historian, Office of Air Force History
"It captures the magic and drama of history and helps make the subject comprehensible to students."
-Philip Bigler, Director, James Madison University
"It is written in an engaging, page-turning style, something that cannot be said of many traditional textbooks."
-Nikki Bray-Clark, Director, Social Studies, Louisiana State University
"It has a refreshing perspective, fascinating sidelights, unfailingly superior writing, and moments of soaring inspiration."
-Dr. Stephen H. Balch, President, National Association of Scholars
"America: The Last Best Hope is unlike any history textbook because it reads like a novel. Bennett ingeniously blends historical accounts with anecdotes that capture the fascination and interest of even students who were previously unconcerned with history."
— Sam Kramer, Freshman, Truman State University
"Since I have read these books, my knowledge of American history has increased exponentially. Each volume provided a perfect balance of basic description of American history while still allowing the reader to grasp the critical issues of each time period. I am so thankful for how Dr. Bennett has made American history come alive to me through his true, accurate, and even entertaining description of our great nation. Without doubt, I highly recommend these books for everyone to read, and I guarantee that, like myself, you will find that America is the last best hope."
- Joel Wellum, High School Senior, Louisville, Kentucky
"This is the American history that Abraham Lincoln has long awaited."
Harry V. Jaffa, author of Crisis of the House Divided