Author, historian, and educator William J. Bennett examines America’s last two decades.
Twenty years ago a young man named Barack Obama was elected the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. John McCain was serving his second year in the Senate, and Colin Powell had just been promoted to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There was no Fox News Channel, no American Idol. If you asked someone to “email me,” you would have received a blank stare, and “Amazon” was a forest in South America.
As I read this history of the past twenty years, I was reminded of events that had happened along the way, which brought back distinct and emotional memories. Events such as the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, Operation Desert Storm, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre and September 11th to name a few. As I read, I would remember where I was and what I was doing when social and or political events significantly impacted me. A Century Turns is a history book and while at a couple points did seem to read as a textbook, there are enough anecdotal stories in which one could see an inside glimpse of more the Washington political scene.
This book was easy to read and follow as I have lived through the events. It was interesting because William Bennett was in the middle of a lot of the events that he is describing.
This is a recommended read for all to remember where we came from to see where we are going because it seems to be that every twenty years or so, history repeats itself. Are we learning from our past mistakes?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
