America at Odds

This seller is really nice and accurate with timing , I like them and I believe that during my study I will deal w them always .

The focus of this textbook is not just to be a dry listing of dates and names to memorize, rather to constantly keep your mind occupied with considering the current implications of the political system. In that goal, I think the authors have done well. The downside is that it will need to be updated very often and it will be important for a class to be using the most current version. In this Fall 2009 current class, we are using the 6th edition which was published in January of 2008 and much of the information is already out of date. Where it discusses statistics in the civil rights section, the data being used is several years old. Still, it gets the point across quite clearly. The first few chapters felt like they were slanted on one political side, but after getting a clearer understanding of the purpose of the text, that perception changed. The purpose is to throw both sides at the reader and make them aware of how those differences of opinion work together. The title is apt. I would also give kudos to the publisher for keeping the price of this book in a reasonable range. The magazine-type layout, glossy pages, and use of colors and graphics are a little difficult to adjust to in the beginning, but after a chapter or two, it integrates well. The authors bring in information about relevant websites and current issues that a student might investigate on their own. The glossy pages are nice for reading and keep colors bright, but are not conducive to highlighting for students who use that method to study. On the other hand, this will mean more clean, used books will be resold and will improve that second-hand market. Ultimately, this is a great book as a college text, but also for a person to buy to self-educate about history, politics and current issues facing the United States. My copy will likely be kept to hand off to non-students wanting a better understanding of politics.

This book came in a very timely manner and was exactly what I needed for my class!!

Ed Sidlow is one of our foremost minds in American Government today. I have had the pleasure of having both him and Dr. Henschen as instructors, and believe you me, if you could talk to Dr. Sidlow for 10 minuets about Robert Byrd, you would be in stiches!

North Dakota State Univ uses this in its intro to American Gov't course. It is an easily readable text that covers everything that a government text should. Lots of links to the Internet are included as well, and the info is very up-to-date. Covers impeachment and everything else. I'll bet that the next edition includes the whole 2000 election fiasco. I only noticed one error, but that's probably due to the fact that I live in the state referenced.