FROM THE PUBLISHER

Adapted from the #1 national bestseller especially for children 8-12!

The twentieth century has been a time of tremendous change, the most eventful hundred years in human history. Join Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster for a fascinating journey back in time to experience the century's greatest moments. Through the vivid first-person accounts of eyewitnesses, the most thrilling—and the most terrifying—events of the past hundred years come to life. Here are the voices of ordinary people—children and adults—expressing their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears, as they watched history being made. This is history as it was lived, and as it will be remembered for the next hundred years.

This lavish book, in association with the television series presented by ABC News and The History Channel, includes more than 200 exquisitely reproduced photographs with an astonishing power to illuminate history. They will delight and appall you, educate and entertain you, as you watch the century unfold before your eyes. This spectacular book is a keepsake for every family's library. It is a riveting read and an essential research volume. It is the story of our time for all time.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

With Armstrong's (In My Hands) help, news veterans Jennings and Brewster here smoothly adapt their bestselling tome for adults, The Century, for a younger audience. They offer young Americans a unique look at the past 100 years, via not only archival material but through the eyes of the people who lived through it. The volume combines the authors' affecting storytelling style with an exceedingly appealing design to draw readers into the major events that have shaped our nation (and often the world) in the 20th century. A clear chronology emerges in 12 concise chapters that explore events from the Wright Brothers' early flights to the world's devastating wars, to racial strife and the AIDS epidemic. Each chapter contains illuminating accounts in the words of ordinary people living in extraordinary times. Victor Reuther, a 1930s labor union organizer Ernest Michel, an Auschwitz survivor; and Inez Jessie Baskin, who sat at the front of a bus with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the end of the 1955 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, are examples of the myriad personalities that give voice to familiar textbook facts. Although the title implies a global approach to the century, many of the world events are limited to the situations that acted as catalysts to drive people to the U.S. from their native countries (e.g., the Russian Revolution, the chaos leading to WWI) or that affected America directly (such as the Vietnam War). What's most noteworthy here is the sense of immediacy the authors' approach offers: the reading experience is akin to peeking at hundreds of fascinating family trees and may well encourage youngsters to inquire about their own relatives' experiences. A bounty of excellent photographs (especially those taken at the turn of the century) accompanied by ample, detailed captions rounds out this essential addition to the family library. Ages 8-up. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Childrens Literature

An astounding compendium, my only argument is the title, for it will definitely be appreciated by all ages. In a fascinating design, these two "newsmeisters" deliver bits of history thoughtfully and concisely. Their "sound bites" serve as segues and connectors for remembrances written by the many people who became authorities by living these times. All the accounts are lively, dramatic, revealing, and somehow representative. The book creates an incredible sense of how history is really composed of the combined experiences of many people and their perspectives. A multitude of powerful black-and-white photographs adds further depth to history until it becomes a compelling story of the last century. 2000, Doubleday, Ages 10 up, $29.95. Reviewer: Susie Wilde

VOYA

Like Jennings's original work, this remarkable adaptation is organized chronologically into twelve chapters that span the years 19011999. This streamlined version also provides firsthand accounts of some of the twentieth century's most compelling well and lesserknown events. Readers read about a broad variety of eyewitness experiences, including a Harlem jazz musician, a soldier at the Normandy invasion, a former Ku Klux Klansman, a black World War II veteran, a teenage dancer on American Bandstand, a Russian student living in Moscow when Sputnik was launched, a young suffragist, a Peace Corps volunteer, and a sixteen year old living in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. The authors effectively contrast events happening simultaneously in different parts of the world, such as when a young girl attends the 1939 New York World's Fair while synagogues burn in Germany. Glorious photographs evoke the smells, sounds, and emotions of each era. An index and picture source notes are provided. With a shortened introduction that eliminates much of the more detailed background text geared primarily toward adults, this version is a teenfriendly book. Larger type and the feel of a photo essay give young readers a glimpse into twentiethcentury history through the eyes of teens who lived through each event. This powerful work provides an excellent overview of the astonishing range of events that occurred in the twentieth century. Useful for students who need anecdotal information for history reports and for teachers who would like to enliven class discussions or inspire oral history projects, this title is highly recommended for every school and public library. Index. Illus. Photos. Source Notes.VOYACODES: 5Q 2P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 1999, Doubleday, Ages 12 to 18, 245p, $29.95. Reviewer: Leah J. Sparks

Library Journal

Gr 4-9-An adaptation of the adult best-seller that stands alone as a survey of 20th-century history. The respected authors use primary sources throughout the narrative to highlight the events and people of the 1900s-such as an account by a woman who witnessed the Wright Brothers' test flights as a girl; one by the son of the mayor of Warsaw, Poland, in 1939; and another by an American held hostage in Iran. The information is interesting and relevant and of a primarily U.S. focus; major themes are change and race, with little on the arts and sports. Specific dates are less important than the overall picture; there are no time lines and chapters are not necessarily divided up by decade, demonstrating to readers that history does not always come in neat packages. It is a smooth and readable work that, due to the necessity of cramming 100 years into slightly more than twice as many pages, does not go into depth on any specific person or event, but does show their interrelationships and their effects on our world. The final chapter bookends the century with the deaths of England's Queen Victoria in 1901 and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Excellent-quality, archival photos capture the moments on almost every page. This is a unique and valuable book that will complement the "America in the 20th Century" series (Marshall Cavendish) and This Fabulous Century (Time-Life). If at all possible, buy two copies, one for the reference shelf and one for kids to take home and explore.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Magazine Editors People

Interview with ordinary people who witnessed extraordinary things—the Wright brothers' first flight, the Montgomery bus boycott—make this kid-friendly history vibrantly alive.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Excellent-quality, archival photos capture the moments on almost every page....A unique and valuable book. — Journal Starred, School Library