I picked this up after reading Diane Ravitch's "Language Police" and it was certainly an interesting quick read. Fitzgerald details some of the textbook changes that happened up through the 70's in the U.S. What children are learning shapes the discourse of public policy in the future. This book shows how those on the "Left" and "Right" are seeking to remove topics that may be uncomfortable in the current culture. A fascinating pick for those that wonder why they learned what they did in elementary and high school ( )

Textbooks play such an important role in setting the agenda for education, deciding what it taught, it is obvous that changes in civil rights, immigration, and other social developments have brought changes to American textbooks. This book is a good starting point for understanding the dynamics of textbook selection.