Patriot's Handbook, A: Songs, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love (Hardcover)

by Caroline Kennedy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The rich and sometimes discordant strains of American self-scrutiny fill this wide-ranging anthology. Kennedy (The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) arranges the more than 200 selections according to themes like "The Flag," "Freedom of Speech," "Work, Opportunity and Invention" and "The Individual," and devotes equal space to the official, the devotional and the oppositional. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are reprinted in full, along with a large selection of presidential inaugurals and farewells and excerpts from landmark Supreme Court decisions. Popular songs include "Yankee Doodle," "This Land Is Your Land" and "Surfin' USA." Poems and fiction from such luminaries as Whitman, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Stephen Crane, Alice Walker and Annie Proulx explore the variegated textures of American life. The dissident voices of Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass hold America to account for its injustice; H.L. Mencken castigates it as "a commonwealth of third-rate men"; and Oscar Wilde raises a sardonic eyebrow at the whole dubious enterprise. Combining traditional touchstones of Americanism with many insightful surprises, Kennedy's thoughtful arrangement of works of historical significance and literary quality will reward both casual browsers and those conducting a more focused investigation of the nation's patriotic literature.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Kennedy compiled the 2001 best-seller devoted to her mother's memory, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Certain to hit the best-seller lists, too, is her latest compilation, a personal selection of prose and poetry that celebrates the land, the people, the spirit, and the history of our great country. Calling the book "my collage of America" but certainly presenting items relevant to any citizen's interest, Kennedy arranges her material into chapters based on general themes, including the flag, portraits of Americans, freedom, and equality. The first selection is the lyrics to the national anthem, and the last one is an excerpt from the fiction of highly esteemed contemporary writer Annie Proulx; selections in between include George Washington's "Farewell Address," Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I a Woman," the text of Brown v. the Board of Education, and the words to the Grateful Dead's song "U.S. Blues." Kennedy provides a general introduction to the book and introduces each chapter. For personal enjoyment and education, but the reference value is obvious, too. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (May 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786869186
• ISBN-13: 978-0786869183
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #513,084 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive And Diverse: From Beginning To Present, May 21, 2003

By	K. Johnson (US/Asia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Caroline Kennedy puts together a fantastic collection of American works of literature in one book. She includes a comprehensive and diverse collection, including the early and most obvious works, such as Francis Scott Keyes' Star-spangled Banner to the Grateful Dead song titled "U.S. Blues," written in 1973.

Americans can brush up on, or remember songs and poems they used to know when they were younger, as well as read a multitude of new ones for the first time. American Literature and History students will find this collection of hundreds of works, worth getting and keeping. Here is a following example of some of the quintessentially American 13 chapters of categories such as: Visions of America, Portraits of Americans, The Rule of Law, The Individual, The Right To Be Left Alone, Equality, Freedom Of Speech And Press, and the lengthiest, titled "Work, Opportunity And Invention."

We can be reminded of Emerson, Faulkner, W.E.B. DuBois, Robert Frost, Thomas Paine, Melville, Patrick Henry, and Henry David Thoreau, which are brilliant and timeless works that make up who and what we are today.

But the inclusion of many pieces that we've never been exposed to is what makes "Patriot's Handbook" rise above. There are excerpts from famous, and not-so-well known speeches, and a number of significant Supreme Court Cases. For example: "Songs of the Sacred Mysteries, Sioux, 1869, "The Marine's Song," 1891, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," 1908, Frontiero vs. Richardson 411 U.S. 677 (1973), "Blowin' In The Wind," Bob Dylan, "Marbury Vs. Madison," 1803 to Andy Warhol's "Popism."

Great as this is, the release of the book is about timing. I stand behind my other comment. The inclusion of Bill Clinton's speech on a controversial issue as well as a speech by Hillary Rodham Clinton reminds us of current political perspectives, whether we agree or disagree with them. With the comprehensiveness and diversity here, this book will be popular for a long time.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Emotion of Patriotism, May 7, 2003

By	M. Meyer (Bloomington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Caroline Kennedy has carefully assembled a thoughtful collection in order to help Americans define the many facets of patriotism and understand the concrete message that is laced with emotional grounding.

It prompts us all to examine not only what we believe but why we believe it. She reminds us that patriotism is not always peaceful or unified -- sometimes it springs from one, singular voice, such as that of Thoreau.

My only criticism stems from speeches from the political arena. If I were assured that President Regan wrote these words, stirred by his emotions, then I would have no problems. Political speeches for this generation of patriots are written by others and fed to our political leaders. We live in an age we don't really know what they believe, what they are capable of writing, whether the speech is for us -- or for them. Therefore, this collection may be compromised in that the very words we admire really spring from the heart of an unknown speechwriter.

If nothing else, patriotism is credible emotion that leads us to do the right thing and not blindly follow. Ms. Kennedy reminds us that we cannot really "teach patriotism." It must come from both example and passion.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Is An American, Anyway?, May 9, 2003

By A Customer

I thought I might impose upon your time to tell you what I think about this subject and this book.
I found "A Patriot's Handbook" to be a good idea by an author, Caroline Kennedy, who is obviously moved by, and concerned about, the state of mind of many people in America today. It wants to answer the question, "what is an American, anyway?". A vast number of people who are supposedly Americans, call themselves Americans, not because of what they feel for and know about America, but merely because they are physically deposited here and make their money here. This book is great to either learn from, or refer to, depending upon where your level of knowledge fits into the picture. I highly recommend it to everyone. And, if you're really interested in the subject of this book, I believe you would also be interested in Bennett's "Book Of Virtues" and Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership Education", two books that, like Caroline Kennedy's, contain the similar features of stories, poems, and historical/philosophical anecdotes, Bennett's being topically organized like Kennedy's, and Remick's being organized into a story. I recommend both of these books in addition to Caroline Kennedy's book.
Thankyou for reading what I have to say.