Fourth of July Books

Americans, specifically the privileged citizens of the U.S., have a wonderful capacity for naive self-congratulation--a collective fantasy that selectively recalls or imagines a burnished history filled with the noblest ideals of democracy, freedom, and equality in response to injustices received, while glossing over the many injustices given. Frederick Douglass understood this all too well in his excoriating Fourth of July speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" given in 1852. To Douglass, who opened his speech with due praise for the founders of the nation, the promise of the "fathers of the republic" made the then current enslavement of fellow humans all the more appalling, sad, and shameful:

"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour."

Professor Colaiaco uses the text of this speech and others by Douglass to explain the oratory, ideas, and history behind the rhetoric. Rather than follow a strict historical narrative, Colaiaco juxtaposes the ideals enshrined by the nation's founders with the rhetoric of Douglass's speeches, fleshing out Douglass's thoughts with biographical, historical, and intellectual context. The book actively relives the struggle to reconcile the lofty ideals of America's founding with the practical realities that both undermined and served those same ideals. That we continue these arguments to this day testifies to both the continuation of injustices and the adaptability of our system of government in addressing them.

Colaiaco's Frederick Douglass and the Fourth of July will undoubtedly attract many readers. Its elegant prose and masterful interweaving of Douglass' powerful July 4th oration (1852) with the events that brought him to the forefront in the fight against slavery make this book a must read for anyone interested in understanding the issues that led to the tragic Civil War.
Colaiaco demonstrates Douglass' consummate rhetorical ability and illuminates the careful thought he gave to arrive at an anti-slavery interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. This book goes beyond Douglass' July 4th oration to illuminate other important speeches of Douglass, including his attack upon the infamous Dred Scott decision (1857) as well as his brilliant 1860 speech on the Constitution as an abolition document.
Having read this book, I can better understand how Douglass compelled America to confront the shameful contradiction of slavery in a nation whose founding documents-- the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution-- professed liberty, justice, and equal rights for all.
Colaiaco's writing talent lies in his ability to make difficult matters accessible even to those who are not American history scholars. Readers will comprehend the power of the spoken word to affect a nation. This book, more than any other I have read, demonstrates the prominence of Frederick Douglass' oratory in arousing the conscience of many against slavery in the years prior to the Civil War. This is the only book I know that analyzes Douglass' July 4th speech, placing it among the greatest speeches in American history.
Kudos to James Colaiaco for writing an excellent book on an important historical period that combines elegant prose and incisive analysis. This book deserves a place among the celebrated works on American history.

James Colaiaco, also author of an important book on Martin Luther King, Jr. has now written an outstanding study of Frederick Douglass.

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass, the former slave and abolitionist, delivered an extraordinary speech in Rochester, N.Y., entitled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Douglass' July 4th oration is the greatest abolition speech of the 19th century. With rhetorical brilliance, Douglass compelled the nation to confront what has been called the "American dilemma," the contradiction between slavery and the ideals of liberty and equal rights proclaimed by the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. This contradiction between ideals and practice tore the nation apart, leading to the Civil War.

James Colaiaco does a masterful job in weaving together a comprehensive analysis of Douglass' speech and important historical context. This book brings to life a brilliant cast of characters, including William Lloyd Garrison, Abraham Lincoln, John C. Calhoun, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, and John Brown. Colaiaco's penetrating analysis shows that while Douglass praised America for its liberal ideals, he devoted most of his thirty-page speech to attacking the nation for continuing to allow more than three million black people to live in slavery.

Not only does Colaiaco provide a comprehensive and insightful analysis of Douglass' speech, he also demonstrates how Douglass continued to pursue its major themes in many speeches delivered prior to the Civil War. Among the important speeches the book analyzes is Douglass' condemnation of the 1857 infamous Dred Scott decision, in which the Supreme Court declared that, according to the Constitution, black people were not citizens and did not possess any rights which white people were required to respect. Colaiaco shows how the Dred Scott decision was a stunning defeat for the abolition movement, and aroused a chorus of indignation throughout the North. Abraham expressed the hope that it would be overturned as soon as possible.

Frederick Douglass realized that the Dred Scott decision undermined the message of his 1852 July 4th oration, the contradiction between slavery and America's founding documents. As the nation continued to plummet towards civil war, Douglass delivered a brilliant address in Glasgow, Scotland in 1860. Developing ideas that were rooted in his 1852 July 4th oration, and pursued in many other previous speeches, Douglass challenged the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the controversial position that, despite certain compromises with "slavery" made by the framers in 1787, the Constitution, when read through the ethical lens of its own Preamble, in addition to the Declaration of Independence, is a great abolition document.

Needless to say, the nation failed to heed Douglass' call to abolish slavery. What could not be resolved by rational discourse, had be be resolved by arms. The Civil War, in which some 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives, was a tragedy that Douglass predicted but desperately tried to convince the nation to avert.

This book is ideal for anyone interested in learning how Frederick Douglass, a true American hero, used the power of oratory to defend human rights.

I read this book by James Colaiaco, a Master Teacher of Great Books at New York University, to help me think about the United States's upcoming Independence Day holiday of July 4, 2006. The book did both less than that and more.

Colaiaco's "Frederick Douglass and the Fourth of July Oration" has as its named subject a speech that Douglass (1818 -- 1895) gave in Rochester, New York on July 5, 1852, generally known as "What, to the American Slave, is your 4th of July?" In his speech, Douglass paid tribute to the vision and courage of America's founders in their fight for freedom and for independence from Britian. But equally importantly, he excoriated the America of his day for its toleration of the institution of slavery. Using his great oratorical powers, Douglass lashed out at the hypocrisy that would proclaim that "all men are created equal" with self-evident rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" while enslaving 4,000,000 African Americans. Yet Douglass found a reason for hope as he was convinced that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution offered the path to eliminate slavery.

Colaiaco's book is similar in format to books published in recent years analyzing the speeches of Abraham Lincoln in detail. There have been notable books, for example, devoted to Lincoln's Cooper Union Address, the Second Inaugural Address, and, of course, the Gettysburg Address. Douglass was a grand and learned speaker who had escaped from slavery as a young man and who, as was Lincoln, was largely self-taught. His speeches, together with his three autobiographies, richly reward reading.

Although Colaiaco gives a good account of Douglass's celebrated Fourth of July oration, the book is rather broader in scope than that single speech. It discusses Douglass's development as a thinker beginning the time he spent in slavery and concluding, in general, with the end of the Civil War, even though Douglass lived and wrote for an additional 30 years. Most of the book discusses American Constitutional interpretation and Douglass's changing views of the American Constitution. Thus, Colaiaco points out that, upon escaping slavery, Douglass originally was a follower of the abolititonist William Garrison who wanted nothing to do with the American Constitution because he believed it sanctioned slavery. (Ironically, this understanding of the Constitution was shared by the Southern slaveholders.) Gradually, Douglass became convinced that the Declaration and Constitution themselves were powerful weapons against slavery and that the words of the Constitution could be read to support its abolition. (Abraham Lincoln did not go so far. He issued his Emancipation Proclamation under grounds of military necessary and was troubled about whether it would be sustainable in peace time. The result was the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.) Douglass thus broke with Garrison and fought for a political end to slavery within the contours of the American political system and its governing documents. This was a bold and creative step to take. Douglass's way of reading a fundamental legal text remains with us, and controversial, today.

By the time he delivered his Fourth of July oration, Douglass had already broken with Garrison. Colaiaco takes the reader through the speech and points out how Douglass believed change could be attained within American constitutionalism. But most of the book uses the July 4 speech as a springboard for consideration of questions of Constitutional interpretation, the reasons for Douglass's change in his view of the Constitution, the Dred Scott decision, Douglass's relationship with John Brown, and the coming of the Civil War. Colaiaco also discusses several additional speeches of Douglass, including a speech he gave in Glasgow, Scotland in March 1860, "The Constitution of the United States: is it pro-slavery or anti-slavery" and a speech he gave in Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1876, "Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln". The book concludes with an analysis of Douglass's reading of the Constitution, including these portions which appear to sanction slavery where it existed without actually using the word.

I found the discussion of constitutional interpretation insightful and stimulating, but it took my attention away from Douglass's Fourth of July speech. The speech deserves detailed treatment in a book, but Colaiaco's book, while leading the reader to think that the speech is its main focus, does something good, but a little different.

On a related note, I was also disappointed that the book does not include the rather lengthy text of Douglass's Fourth of July oration. (Colaiaco's text is only about 200 pages long.) Readers interested enough to pursue a treatment of the speech ought to be given the text so that they can read it for themselves as they study the analysis. Douglass prepared an edited, abriged version of the speech and included it in his second autobiography, which is available from the Library of America series. The speech, together with many of Douglass's other works, is also available in Philip Foner's one-volume edition of "Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings" in the Library of Black America series. Those interested in reading Douglass for themselves, particularly the Fourth of July oration, would do well to turn to one of these sources as they read Colaiaco's fine study.

Robin Friedman

Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney is a pleasant read. The author attempts to rhyme, but the beat feels forced in areas. Kimmelman, mostly known for How Do I Love You, keeps the sentences short and sweet. In fact, although available in hardcover only, the 32-paged book could be enjoyed by a 2-year old. As an appendix to the book, the author ends with a short explanation of the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, and the National Bird. Nancy Cote's artwork is run of the mill, yet I like it. The pictures tell the story better than the Kimmelman's words, and there's loads of details to uncover. The watercolor images are bright, colorful, and very expressive. William's enjoyed Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney because it's simple, and easy for a child to grasp. In addition, the doggy antics add charm, and appeal. Kimmelman's attempt to educate our youngsters at the end earns her bonus points, plus, I appreciate the diversity aspects as well.

This book does a good job of presenting a variety of 4th of July activities, such as grilling, parades, and fireworks. The colors are bright, and the rhymes are cute. It's not overly wordy, and it holds my toddler's attention. I appreciate the variety of Americans shown--people of many ethnicities and even a family of new citizens.

I highly recommend this book, it is very educational for children. I love these books, because you always want to have a book to read about the different holidays for extra emphasis and this is a very nice book.

I looked for a while trying to find a 4th of July to read to younger kids that was interesting, had good illustrations and is short enough to keep thier interest. Believe it or not most 4th of July storybooks are somewhat wordy. Then I found this book and my quest had ended. The story follows a young girl through the day and shows different activities that people in her town do for the holiday. The stroy is concise and enjoyable and the illustrations are sharp and colorful. Far and away the best children's storybook I have read about the 4th of July.

For several months now, Mira James has been trailer-sitting for her friend Sunny in Battle Lake, Minnesota. And while her days have been occupied by working in the town library, Mira has also had to solve a few mysteries -- murder among them -- since her arrival in the spring. (See "May Day" and "June Bug.") She's gotten to know more than a few of the local characters and has even landed an extra gig as a reporter for the weekly Battle Lake Recall.

But now it's July, it's ungodly hot, and it's time for Wenonga Days. This year the townsfolk are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the installation of the Chief Wenonga statue that stands twenty-three feet tall and guards the shoreline of Battle Lake. Having a dismal past where intimate relationships are concerned, Mira has secretly projected her affections instead onto the Chief, whom she sees as the ultimate in Tall, Dark, Handsome, and Safe. He's the most stable man in her life.

And so it follows that Mira takes it personally when the fiberglass statue is stolen just before the holiday. Who could have done such an unthinkable thing, and how did they do it? Though Mira's attention is mildly diverted by real-life encounters with Johnny Leeson, the sexiest gardener she's ever met, she makes it her goal to find out just what's going on in Battle Lake. Does any guilt lie with that visiting professor who's campaigning for the rights of native peoples? What about Brando Erikkson, whose company originally made the Chief? And how is squirrelly business owner Les Pastner involved in the conspiracy? Was it part of his scalp that was found at the base of the statue?

Mira James is a quirky, likeable, and realistic protagonist / heroine. Her turns of phrase and sense of humor (especially when directed at herself) are laugh-out-loudable. Who knew that life in rural Minnesota could be so intriguing and so funny? Habitual mystery readers must leap into this series with both feet.

Although I am from Minnesota, you don't have to be to enjoy this series. I just finished Knee High by the Fourth of July and am anxious to start August Moon. It's going to be a long wait for me for September Morn (I think that's the title for the fifth book) but I will try to be patient. Keep 'em coming, Ms Lourey!

Seriously, I simply love Jess Lourey's Minnesota based series. She combines great wit with plots and sub-plots that never fail to challenge the reader. What a delight!

If you are in the market for a good laugh, at and with a local flare, Jess Lourey's "Knee High by the Fourth of July," the third installment of her 12-book Murder by Month series and follow up to "May Day" and "June Bug," may be the perfect end of summer book.

"The good news is that I'm proud of Knee High," she said. "It's fun, long on humor, romance, and red herrings."

Lourey's quirky humor plays throughout the book in her prose and dialogue, but more in her diversions on the normalcy and oddity of Battle Lake and Otter Tail County.

Lourey acknowledges her appreciation for the people and the area.

"I've been remiss in my earlier novels in not thanking the people of Battle Lake, who are good sports about the fun-poking and murder-creating I do in their beautiful town," she said.

Like the Mask of Bewildered Anger, which Lourey's protagonist sleuth Mira James describes as, "the official expression of rural Minnesotans confronted by liberal progressives."

Much like the faces of her many town characters who, in the midst of planning the celebration of Wenonga days, find the Chief himself has gone missing, a blow to Mira James, who suffers quite an obsession with the Chief.

Mira's second biggest crush, the organic gardening god and dead ringer for Brad Pitt--Johnny Leeson--has also disappeared. Her luck with men is running out, and a killer might be moving in. With something of her own to hide, Mira hopes she can avoid the police long enough to track down the object of her mega-crush--but is Mira trailing a statue-thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer?

The many characters running under Mira James' magnifying glass of suspicion range from the kooky to loony, so much so, a reader living in the area could easily mistake one of the characters for themselves.

While Lourey's book could be misconstrued, upon first glance, to appeal to women only, her humor transcends both genders and makes for a delightful romp through our own neighborhoods. But come looking for laughs. One thing about Lourey's humor, she demands the reader already have the sense to spot it or at the very least, have a clue.

The Great Cake Bake is Matt Collins first picture book; yet, his work surpasses many veteran artists. His illustrations are vivid and polished, shiny is probably a better word. The expressions are animated, and comical. The illustrations are funny, and beg a second look. I also love the animal antics. On nearly every spread Donna Rae's cat and bunny rabbit appear in the scenes. Her pets are either peeking from behind a post, or struggling to get a better view. It's cute, and adds to the fun.

This is my first experience with a Helen Ketteman's work, and I must say I'm impressed. Ketteman's writing is humorous without over embellishing. She's description, yet the terminology is age appropriate. The book is recommended for children 5 to 8, which I think is appropriate as it takes about 5-minutes to read aloud. The author sets the scene, grabs the reader's attention, and keeps us interested until the end. This book has accompanied my 6-year old to bed every night in the last few weeks. He adores it.

This book's illustrations are so well done and enjoyable, with lot's of background detail. They compliment the fun, lighthearted story perfectly. A book you will never be tired of reading!

Donna Rae really wants to win the prize in the cake contest this year. She tries her hand a various cakes. She tests her cake out on the mayor. The first cake she bakes is a Boston Tea Party cake that end up spraying liquid all over the mayor. Then she bakes a Statue of Liberty cake that explodes when they light the torch. Her last cake is a replica of the old town of Boston. Find out the mayors plan to make sure Donna Rae is not in the contest next year!


What did you like or not like about the book?

The book is full of adventure. You never know what will happen next.



Would you recommend the book? Why or Why not?

Yes. It is a great book to read around the Fourth of July.

My daughter loves this whole series. They can be read by a 3rd grader without too much trouble and even while in the 2nd grade my daughter could figure out most of the books. They keep the same characters for the whole series and so kids can get attached to them. We will be in big trouble when we reach Z.

My seven year old grandson loves this series! These books are well written and have topics that are interesting to kids, as well as informative. The stories are exciting and children can learn from them. Kids can understand and relate to the dialogue.

Jud, Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose's friend come with a suprise, a dinosar, Jud and his buddys are raising money to make a museum, but someone stole all their money and it is up to them to solve the mystery.

This is a great book for children to learn about history without even knowing that they are learning. The characters are great, this is one you can read over and over!

This book is a "must read"! I read it to my 5 and 8 year old boys. They were enthralled with Toliver, his friends, and his travels back in time. When we finished, they asked me to read it again. It was beautifully written with detail, history, and interesting facts that kept my kids attention until the end. We are planning on taking the book to school to share with their classmates. I would recommend this book to any parent with children ages 5 and up. It is a great way to open up the discusion on our country's Independence Day and give us a sense of pride in our country.

I was very impressed with this book. Beautifully written and illustrated. My daughter took it to her school, and the other kids loved it and the teacher was so impressed, she read it to the other kids in the class. We look forward to more in this series.
We loved it!

This was a great read. I had to squeeze in a few extra minutes of reading each night, so that I could see what happend next! It was the perfect mix of romance and action (what more could you ask for!) This was a great book and I can't wait to see what her other books are like!

Once I got "into" this book, I could not put it down! I read it in one day, and that is rare for me, since I am so busy. The plot pulls you in and makes you want to know what will happen next. It is a clean, fun, exciting story with a spiritual side, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I actually bought a copy for my mom and mom-in-law!

If you have wondered WHY America seems like a place you no longer find familiar READ the book that will explain what happened to our "Heroes", our "Past", our "Nationhood", and our "Future!" WHY "Medals of Freedom" adorn those who betrayed America for New World Order motives. A socialist "virus" has INFECTED our country, erasing the protection of our forefather's "Constitution" and under the word "democracy" taking us from within. Before it is too late bring your patriot blood to its feet and read this incredible book that may be our only honorable act of defense.

This is a follow-up of Dr. Krieg's book " The Satori and the New Mandarins" which demonstrated the conspiracy in our govenrment and the elite. July 4th, 2016 is the year the author predicts we will have completely lost the freedom our forefather fought so hard to gain. Our United States where people from all over the world want to live. Where individuals, through visions and hard work, have free to have their own businesses. This will no longer exist. Wake up Americans! The author describes in detail how this 'One World' has arrived at this stage. He gives names of well known organizations, individuals, and countries involved and can back up everything he states. This is a book everyone should read and take to heart. It is frightening because one can see many things he speaks to happening every day i.e.- the government, the media, the U.N..

This enlightning,touching Christopher G. Janus novel"Miss 4th of July,Goodbye" is comparable to"The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Color Purple".The book is written in a letter series format that's fiction but historically accurate by the author's sister 16 year old Niki Janus(A sophisicated European,Fluent in seven languages) who immigrates with her family from wartorn Greece in 1916 around WW1 to a small town near Charleston West Virginia called Montgomery where the Ku Klux Klan has a stronghold and targets and persecutes both African-Americans and Immigrants.These emotionally sensitive letters written to her Grandfather residing in Greece explains the culture shock of her moving into her new land,the bigotry and hatred some of the people in Montgomery associated with the Klan and her first experience being in love.She also writes about the brutal harrasement that she and her family experiences when she befriends an older African-American who shows kindness and generosity to her family but most of the townspeople are sympathetic that shows an overall goodness of the town of Montgomery.A horrific Flu epidemic then hits home and Niki good deeds helping out during that crises unfortunately leads to her tragedy.The town than votes Niki(the first foriegner) the coveted local title"Miss 4th of July" which chooses the lady who has contributed the most for the good of the community.A Disney film was made based on this novel"Goodbye,Miss 4th of July"starring Roxanna Zal and Lou Gossett Jr.,now on video.This novel represents a beautiful masterpiece especially against bigotry and hatred that makes very worthwhile reading!!

It's a very good book. I liked it, but i can't find the book online, so i can read it.

The red, white, and blue bunting means it's time for the Fourth of July celebration, and Blacklin County, Texas, is just about ready for it. Or at least it was, until Grat Bilson was found dead in his burnt-out home. As the new president of the Sons and Daughters of Texas, Bilson was supposed to have been the announcer at the holiday festivities. Now that job may fall to local romance writer Vernell Lindsey, head of the Clearview Historical Association, a competing organization. Was that reason enough for Bilson's murder? Or does this particular incident have something to do with the supposed scandal that local reporter Jennifer Loam is fixing to unveil, with repercussions for at least one county commissioner? What part, if any, did Yvonne Bilson play in her husband's demise? After all, everyone knows that their marriage has been far from perfect. And though fireworks are forbidden to be sold in Clearview, several stands are doing a good business outside the city limits. Can Sheriff Dan Rhodes figure everything out and make sure the rest of the holiday proceeds without further disruption?

Well, that's not likely. The rib-eating contest alone turns fatal, and Rhodes' investigation takes another turn entirely. He's sure lucky to have his wife Ivy around as a sounding board. It's truly enjoyable to eavesdrop on their conversations. But Dan Rhodes finds himself turning all shades of red, white, and blue by the end of the book. He's been beaten up, blown up, shot at, and klunked on the head a few times. The big question remains: Will Ivy ever be able to convince him to give up sheriffing?

This book is another entertaining read in the series. It's best read after its immediate predecessor, "A Romantic Way to Die."

When young reporter Jennifer Loam approaches Sheriff Dan Rhodes with a scoop, he knows he'll have to investigate. Someone has been dishing dirt on a county commissioner--and on the sheriff himself. Rhodes knows that he didn't have county prisoners paint his house--and he's got the receipts to prove it, but does this mean that Loam's informant was wrong? Or is something else going on. Before he can track down the source, Rhodes is called to a fire--one with a body in the middle of it. And before you can ask whether it's hot enough, Rhodes has a murder on his hands.

Author Bill Crider does a great job depicting rural Texas--a place where a rib-eating contest is prime news, where petty corruption is par for the course, where a romance author is the top celebrity, and where a sheriff is part deity and part goat for the community. That sense of community, without excessive nostalgia, comes through clearly and represents a part of Texas that still exists.. Rhodes is a great and well developed character. I couldn't help but find myself wincing as he repeatedly got himself on the wrong side of fists, crockery, weapons, and even a fireworks display.

Crider writes with a deft and light touch. I got a good chuckle over both the situations he depicts and the dialogue his characters use to describe their feelings and intentions. The interplay between Rhodes and the department employees could have gotten old in less skilled hands, but Rhodes pulled it off.

Fans of a slightly slower paced mystery that puts the focus on character rather than action will want to savor this slow-cooked short novel.