America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 2: From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom 1914-1989

I am really enjoying William J. Bennett's America The Last Best Hope books. I finished Volume 1 and am about half-way through Volume II. I hope I can find a hardbound copy of Volume III soon so I can keep on reading the fascinating story about our country!

Dr. Bennett has that rare and profoundly deft, encyclopedic grasp of American history. He extracts the most noble and inspiring melody from a cacophony of voices -- newspapers, commentaries, biographical sketches, and personal memory. One cannot be but impressed by the good American has done, and by inference, why we are the last best hope for mankind. Along with Vol. I, it left me with a love for our country, a confidence in our Constitution, and an amazing respect for the blessed wealth engine we have, especially for good when we are at our best. This is delightfully easy to read, too. I was startled by how fast I read it; I rarely had to re-read a paragraph or page due to flowerily or obtuse style. At the same time, I love a book that sends me to the dictionary a few times. Hat tip, Dr. Bennett!

Bill Bennett's writing makes history relevant to us in the 21st century. He relates what was going on in today's term or English language usage. Let's face it, there were periods of our past that not much happened, according to the folks that wrote our Jr. High, High School and college texts. But, with Bill's writing it is revealed that there is 'stuff' goin' on all the time! It is difficult to find books about the period from 1800 to 1860; Bill fills in the void in Vol. 1 very well. To many of us, history started with WWII, Bill fills in what really was going on that pulled us into WWI. A history that reads like a novel, but all is true (and footnoted)! Exciting reading.

This is the second volume of William J. Bennett's history of America. It is written for the general reader or student who is interested in reading the history of our country from an unabashedly supportive point of view. Bennett judges events, good and bad, from a moral point of view that would be recognizable to anyone aware of traditional religious teaching, that is before the moral relativism of the mid-twentieth century took hold of historical writing. Bennett picks up the narrative from the first volume with World War I and takes us through the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War. He offers an epilogue explaining why he ended the volume there and talks briefly about his view of America and our current situation in the world, including the current war. As one can tell from the title of these works, Bennett does believe in American Exceptionalism and that, despite its failings, we are a moral country that is seeking to do right and to improve. For this reason, this can be a refreshing read for anyone who believes in traditional morality, admires American, and yet desires a readable and honest history that doesn't shy away from our mistakes and failings. The focus is always on history being made and lived by real people rather than some abstract forces. Bennett is also clear about the various political perspectives of the various historical actors and commentators. This helps the reader keep straight how various schools of political thought have affected the course of history in our country and around the world. I can imagine that any number of students who are home schooled would use both volumes of these texts to study American history. While this isn't the only such option available, it is easy to read and tells stories about our history that one doesn't find in many other places. He doesn't shy away from the role of religion in our nation's public life, which I enjoyed a great deal. This current obsession of sanitizing the public square of religious expression is a recent innovation and a mistake. It also distorts our history so greatly as to be dishonest about the contributions of religion and its huge role in the fabric of our nation's history. Another very refreshing inclusion is the role of conservative thought and not treating it as the source of all malevolence or as an aberration that must be gotten rid of as soon as possible. One can even read about Ronald Reagan, William Buckley, Milton Friedman, and others without all kinds of qualifiers, personal attacks, and scare quotes. Is the book perfect? Of course not. No history can be. I do wish there were more pictures and that those supplied were printed in better quality. However, in the age of the Internet, a student can go find any number of images on any topic he or she chooses. So, this is not a big problem.

William Bennett's America: The Last Best Hope, Vol. II is a wonderful conclusion to the work he began in volumer I. Full bodied, well written and honest in its breadth, Volume 2 is the history that most Americans would be proud of. I also agree with the other reviewer that both volume I and II would make a terrific course of study for home schooled children. I would go one step further in stating that it should be required reading on every high school and perhaps college campus in the country, not because it cries out our successes and glosses over our mistakes. Infact, the book does make much of our successes in the 20th century. Bennett does an excellent job in discussing our role in two world war victories. He explains our unsurpassed economic growth and our continued dominance in the world market. He includes our movement in making sure that all are given the opportunity to share in the country's richness. But Bennett also includes our failures and this is what makes the book so great. My favorite topics of this book are Chapters 1 (America and the Great War (1914-1921)), Chapter 2 (The Boom and the Bust (1921-1933)), Chapter 4 (America's Rendezvous with Destiny (1939-1941)), and those sections dealing with the Reagan years. Bennett is not embarrassed over his devotion to Ronald Reagan and this is clear in the book. I highly recommend Volume 2.