David L. Hudson Jr.

This is not a book I would expect students to read cover to cover, but there are chapters which offer good information on the Bill of Rights that I would want to include in a unit on the Constitution. The book is straight information, without exciting stories or colorful illustration to draw the reader in. Only an avid history buff or someone doing a research project would probably willingly pick this book up. But it does offer some good information. Chapter 6, The Bill of Rights in Action, offers case studies of how the Bill has been used to support or deny student voice in schools, among other things, and this chapter may be more interesting to students because of its relevance. I could have students read certain case studies from this chapter, and then open the floor for discussion and whether they agree or disagree with the court's decisions. I would not expect younger students to read this entire book, but they could use it as a research tool. The conclusions section offers a simplified list of the Bill of Rights and following amendments and an index and the table of contents help the reader to locate specific information for their questions.… (more)