November 1, 2018
Gr 6-8-This series' design is highly visual, including, for example, an offset "Perspectives" sidebar in Eleanor Roosevelt that touches on arguments against women's suffrage in the early 20th century. "Straight to the Source" sections offer primary source materials. Images are featured throughout the volumes, including contemporaneous photographs (where appropriate), graphs, maps, and diagrams. Contributions by members of historically marginalized groups are celebrated, such as computer programmer Margaret Hamilton's work on the Apollo moon landing project and Henry Gerber's 1920s organizing on gay rights. The language used is simple, and the sentences are short and focused. Back matter features prompts for reflective writing, references to recent books, and a link to curated collections of online resources; source notes are not provided. VERDICT Despite some shortcomings in sourcing, these are very good materials for research.
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