American Patriot's Almanac

Thanks to Thomas Nelson publishers, I've had the opportunity to read and review The American Patriot's Almanac. If you are a history buff, or know one, this book is the ideal gift. As the title implies, it gives a pro-American view of American history for those who are tired of the "mean American picks on ____" view often espoused today. Bennett includes 365 daily entries, each giving a historical event that happened that day and complements these entries with sections like "Fifty All-American Movies" which includes such classics as Little Women, Roots and Shane and "Songs of American Patriotism" which include the "Star Spangled Banner" (all verses), "America", "America the Beautiful" "Yankee Doodle" "Columbia Gem of the Ocean", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and more. Each song is preceded by a short history. There is also a section on Prayers for the American People. Flag Etiquitte is covered, and copies of important documents like the Constitution are included.

The daily entries run the gamut from Washington quelling a rebellion among troops who weren't being paid to Benedict Arnold betraying his country. We learn about Harriet Tubman and Cyrus Field. We learn that the first public school kindergarten was started August 26, 1873 in St. Louis MO. Besides a several paragraph essay about the event of the day, each day's page also includes a list of several other things that happened that day in history. Bennett seems to do a good job of covering not only things done by "dead white men" but also those events featuring women and minorities.

The book is attractive, the typeface easy to read and it includes a few black and white illustrations. This is one of the few books that will take up permanent residence in my house.

Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 29, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595552677
ISBN-13: 978-1595552679