No historian of the United States is more provocative than Howard Zinn, whose leftist philosophy permeates his writings and never fails to challenge his readers. _The Twentieth Century: A People's History_ is every bit as ambitious as his other works; it is drawn from the latter part of his _A People's History of the United States_ with additional chapters to bring the chronicle to the end of the century. Like the majority of other works by Zinn, this one is a must read for anyone seeking to ensure the broadest possible perspective on the American past.
The great civilizations of Latin America were devastated after the arrival of the conquistadors and later the European colonizers, who created a society that was characterized by extreme differences between rich and poor - a legacy that continues to plague Latin America to a strong degree today. Although Latin American nations are no longer ruled by military dictatorships and have embraced democracy, social problems associated with the large income gap, such as poverty, landlessness and crime are pervasive.
In this book, members of the ChiLPA Project explore the children's literature of several different cultures, ranging from ancient India, nineteenth century Russia, and the Soviet Union, to twentieth century Britain, America, Australia, Sweden, and Finland. The research covers not only the form and content of books for children, but also their potential social functions, especially within education.
