Dad couldn't wait for this book to come in! He called dibs as soon as I mentioned it was being sent for review! With all the political talk going on, it might be a good idea to revisit the people who STARTED this country into it's current form of government!
Synopsis: With their book Signing Their Lives Away, Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese introduced readers to the 56 statesmen (and occasional scoundrels!) who signed the Declaration of Independence. Now they’ve turned their attention to the 39 men who met in the summer of 1787 and put their names to the U.S. Constitution.
Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a moment in American history when our elected officials knew how to compromise—and put aside personal gain for the greater good.
Review: How much do you know about the men that signed the United States Constitution? Well folks if you don’t know anything or very little about them, I suggest that you read “Signing Their Rights Away” by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese. The 39 men that signed that document that stands today as our laws, were indeed just like the men of today.
Some had a great deal to do with the signing and some were just there to be a witness to the birth on our greatest document of modern times. The greatest part of our history is that all of these men were able to compromise to get this nation started on it’s path to greatness. Ben Franklin didn’t want the Congress to be paid (sounds like a good idea to me). He thought if they were paid,it would only lead to greed on their part and be a downfall.
You will find out that Alexander Hamilton, from New York, died in a duel but he still lives on by having his portrait on our $10 bill. He got this honor because…well I will let you find out why this was done. David Brearley proposed to erase all state boundaries and start over, Thomas Mifflin was ruined by alcohol. One signer even signed twice-do you know who it was? Read this book and find out who he was, and more important, why he signed twice! You'll find out who stole $18,000 from Congress, and who ended up in debtor’s prison.
These men changed the world when they signed our Constitution, and as you see, were just like you and I. See how they put their lives on the line by doing this, and come to appreciate just how lowly we were then, and that if it weren’t for these men we might all still be speaking the Queen’s English, or perhaps something even more terrible. God Bless the USA! and buy this book!
About the Authors:
Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist and producer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Saveur, Discover, Ms., Sports Illustrated for Kids, Conde Nast Sports for Women and others. In addition to her books for adults and children, she was head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to be Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and has produced for ESPN, MSNBC and others. Her latest book, "The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed" is forthcoming from Random House/Three Rivers Press, and will be released March 2, 2010. Find out more at www.facebook.com/SigningTheirLivesAway and www.facebook.com/TheMoneyBook.
Joseph D'Agnese has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, This Old House, and many other publications. His science writing has been published extensively in Discover, Seed and Wired, and was twice named to the annual anthology, Best American Science Writing. He's a co-author of "Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame & Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence" (Quirk), "The Money Book for Freelancers..." (Random House), and a children's picture book, "Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci" (Holt). His website is josephdagnese.com
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from the Amazon Vine Program ! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it!
Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a moment in American history when our elected officials knew how to compromise—and put aside personal gain for the greater good.
Review: How much do you know about the men that signed the United States Constitution? Well folks if you don’t know anything or very little about them, I suggest that you read “Signing Their Rights Away” by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese. The 39 men that signed that document that stands today as our laws, were indeed just like the men of today.
Some had a great deal to do with the signing and some were just there to be a witness to the birth on our greatest document of modern times. The greatest part of our history is that all of these men were able to compromise to get this nation started on it’s path to greatness. Ben Franklin didn’t want the Congress to be paid (sounds like a good idea to me). He thought if they were paid,it would only lead to greed on their part and be a downfall.
You will find out that Alexander Hamilton, from New York, died in a duel but he still lives on by having his portrait on our $10 bill. He got this honor because…well I will let you find out why this was done. David Brearley proposed to erase all state boundaries and start over, Thomas Mifflin was ruined by alcohol. One signer even signed twice-do you know who it was? Read this book and find out who he was, and more important, why he signed twice! You'll find out who stole $18,000 from Congress, and who ended up in debtor’s prison.
These men changed the world when they signed our Constitution, and as you see, were just like you and I. See how they put their lives on the line by doing this, and come to appreciate just how lowly we were then, and that if it weren’t for these men we might all still be speaking the Queen’s English, or perhaps something even more terrible. God Bless the USA! and buy this book!
About the Authors:
Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist and producer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Saveur, Discover, Ms., Sports Illustrated for Kids, Conde Nast Sports for Women and others. In addition to her books for adults and children, she was head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to be Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and has produced for ESPN, MSNBC and others. Her latest book, "The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed" is forthcoming from Random House/Three Rivers Press, and will be released March 2, 2010. Find out more at www.facebook.com/SigningTheirLivesAway and www.facebook.com/TheMoneyBook.
Joseph D'Agnese has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, This Old House, and many other publications. His science writing has been published extensively in Discover, Seed and Wired, and was twice named to the annual anthology, Best American Science Writing. He's a co-author of "Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame & Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence" (Quirk), "The Money Book for Freelancers..." (Random House), and a children's picture book, "Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci" (Holt). His website is josephdagnese.com
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from the Amazon Vine Program ! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it!
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