America: A Patriotic Primer

Seriously. She didn't even try! It's an alphabet book where all the letters have something to do with America. "A" is for "America", but "B" is for "Birthday!" That doesn't have anything to do with America! Just "birthday" is related to July 4th. Some of the values are good, like "Equality", and "K" is for "King", like "Martin Luther King Jr."

"G" is for "God, in whom we trust." Because, of course, every American is Christian. Or at the very least Jewish. We all believe in the same God. Nobody in this country is Pagan, or Hindu, or an Atheist, or Buddhist, or anything else. Nope. Lalala I can't hear you!

"O" is for "The oath that new Americans take". "Q" is for "America's Quest, for the new, the far, the very best." Occasionally it rhymes, but not very often. "U" is for "United States." "X." It doesn't even say "X is for," it just says, "X. X marks the spot." And then shows a map of New England and random important locations there marked with an X. "Y is for You! And all you will be! In this greatest of countries, the land of the free!"

And then "Z"? "Z is the end of the alphabet." Well, yes! Z is the end of the alphabet! But it starts words, come on! "The end of the alphabet, but not of America's story. Strong and free, we will continue to be an inspiration to the world." Gag me. This is just jingoistic nonsense. It's not bad, it's just inane. Worthless. Apparently she's a "widely published author."

It's not going to teach anybody the alphabet, and it's not really interesting. I mean, the things it talks about are important, but there is just so much text crammed onto every page in little, tiny locations. Like "C is for the Constitution that binds us together." And the entire Preamble is on that page, there's a summary of what the Constitution is, where the Constitution is kept, a quote from James Madison, and a picture of a bunch of important buildings in Washington D.C. There's just so much information on that page. It is boring, the writing is not interesting, and it's just fact after fact. An information dump. It's not bad, just mediocre.