Customer Reviews

Burning the Flag: The Great 1989-1990 American Flag Desecration Controversy

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Boy, talk about a specialized academic work targeted towards the general public!

This book appears as if it has been geared towards the general reader, but a quick thumb-through will show you that this is a book that will only be of interest to those with an intense interest in the specific issue of the meaning behind the American Flag.

The first seventy pages are devoted to a history of the American Flag (as pertains to the specific issue of the legal status of desecration), and the remaining 230 or so pages focus intensely on the titular controversy of 1989-1990.

I'm all for history books, but I was disappointed that this book didn't have a more broad focus. The casual reader who is interested in the flag doesnt' want to read solely about a single controversy, no matter how huge it was. An author who was in tune with the public's interest would have been better served telling the story of the American flag, and the 1989 debate would have been a single, albeit important, episode in the flag's history.

Despite this criticism, if you are indeed interested in the specific issue of flag desecration, this is very well-researched tome that has spared no effort to document the complete picture.

Great book. I originally purchased it while writing a paper about the 'Dread' Scott Tyler flag burning case for a Free Speech class at my college, and I expected to use it only as a reference. But it is not only a great resource, but is wonderfully written and incredibly interesting!