A Century Turns by William J. Bennett

William J. Bennett is a brilliant historian who leaves you feeling smarter. He is well known in our home for his book, The Book of Virtues. My mother read from it when I was a child. Now, I read it to my children. It's a wonderful book that belongs in every home.

With this, Bennett has published a new book called, A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears. Not only is this book well-written but it's also filled with loads of information. So much so that a person would not be able to read it all in one sitting. However, the reader will come away with greater knowledge of our country throughout the past twenty years.

This new book is a collection of information that begins at the 1988 election. The reader will learn a lot about the election and how it impacted America. Famous contenders during that election include Dan Quayle, George H.W. Bush, Michael Dukakis and many more. Being a child during the time of that election, I wasn't very aware of politics during that time. So I learned a lot.

Continuing on, the book discusses the Clinton era, the events surrounding the Rodney King fiasco and the uprise of the Republican party. The reader is then taken through the elections of George W. Bush and the War on Terror. As a reader, I love how Bennett includes the beautiful colored photographs of the many famous events that took place throughout the past twenty years.

The end of the book discusses the 2008 election and the newly elected president, Barack Obama. Bennett mentions that he "subtitled this book New Hopes, New Fears because of all the hope represented by the person and president of Barack Obama. But the fears are, indeed great as well (p. 273)."

For those who enjoy politics, history and the like, you will enjoy this book. America has gone through a lot these past twenty years and recapping on the past will bring the reader up to speed with the present. As previously mentioned, you will come away feeling smarter and you'll have a better understanding as to how we got to where we are today.

*** I received a free copy of this book to review through Book Sneeze.