Spanish-American War

Gr 9 Up-Two of America's less publicized wars are given creditable treatment here. The writing is strong, the illustrations are well chosen and often quite dramatic, and the organization is clear. Plus, the authors do a good job of bringing ancillary issues and characters to life and showing how the events of these wars are connected to larger issues in U.S. and world history. The story of the U.S.-Mexican War is told with novelistic aplomb, from the border skirmishes near the Rio Grande to Winfield Scott's invasion of Mexico City and the famous "Halls of Montezuma." The Spanish-American War is not as dramatically written but still tells the story of this short conflict in Cuba, and the Philippines, with an eye for detail and a brisk style. In both books, chapters often include sidebars of interesting historical trivia. Not only are these books informative, they are interesting reading as well.-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Five previously published historical surveys have been updated to include a few contemporary references (e.g., the War of 1812 is compared with the September 11 attacks), stronger bibliographies, and additional (if not always well reproduced) black-and-white illustrations. These books are incontestably thorough but, due to the authors' generally dry writing styles, somewhat unexciting. Glos., ind. [Review covers these America at War titles: [cf2]Civil War, Spanish-American War, War of 1812, U.S.-Mexican War,[cf1] and [cf2]Revolutionary War[cf1].] From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The United States was swept into the Spanish-American War with the mysterious explosion of the USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, which spurred a surge of anti-Spanish sentiment among Americans through the use of yellow journalism. Spanish-American War, Revised Edition gives a lively account of the events leading to war and of the ensuing battles fought on land and sea, ending with a thought-provoking assessment of this important conflict from which the United States emerged as a major player on the world stage. This new edition also features a chapter devoted to the new military tactics and weapons used during the conflict, giving researchers a full picture of the war. Excerpted from Spanish-American War by Michael Golay All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.