American Culture: An Anthology brings together primary texts from 1600 to the present day to provide a comprehensive introduction to American culture. The 130 texts are taken from sources such as political addresses, articles, interviews, oral histories, songs and advertisements. The documents throughout the volume are quite short, typically three or four pages and are organized into 13 sections. Each section is organized chronologically and begins with a 2-3 page introduction of relevant issues and debates. A highly recommended title! The book provides:

This collection of essays explores the way race-ethnicity, class, gender, locale, historical background and sexuality interact in shaping the diversity of modern American family life. The essays are written by many of the most important scholars of our time. There are chapters about African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Filipinas, Vietnamese, Chinese, immigrants, lesbians, motherhood, the poor, teenage mothers, and class consciousness in various times and places. This is an academic book, but there is lots of inspiration for the teacher and excerpts will be usable at the top end of the gymnasium. Editor: Stephanie Coontz. (475 pages)
Level: Library/Depot/2nd and 3rd years of the gymnasium

Contents: 1. The context of American elections and political parties;  2. A brief history of American political parties;  3. Party organizations: What do they look like? What do they do?  4. Who are Republicans? Who are Democrats? Who are the “others”?;  5. Presidential elections: Nominating campåaigns and general elections;  6. Subnational nominations and elections;  7. Far from the perfect democracy;  Notes;  For further reading;  Index.

Contents: Introduction; The Wealthy Profit at the Expense of the Poor and the Middle Classes (James Lardner); The Wealthy Create Opportunities and Jobs for All Americans (Donald Ruskin); Wall Street Financiers Manipulate the Stock Market to Benefit Themselves (Ian Williams); Wall Street Financiers Help Millions of Investors Profit (Karl Zinsmeister); The American Tax System Gives the Wealthy Too Much Power (Mark Zepezauer); The American Tax System Punishes the Wealthy (Bill Sizemore); Rich Celebrities Have Too Much Political Influence (Darrell M. West); Celebrities Have Little Influence on Voters (Kevin Baron); Corporations Use Their Power to Benefit the Rich (Multinational Monitor); Corporations Use Their Power to Benefit All Sectors of Society (Radley Balko); Well-Funded Environmental Groups Abuse Their Power (John Perazzo); The Greedy Practices of Corporations Are Destroying the Environment (Michael Parenti); Wealthy Corporations Unfairly Influence News Coverage (Peter Hart and Julie Hollar); America's Wealthiest Citizens Give Away Billions to Improve Education (Richard Lee Colvin); Most Rich Americans Have Worked Hard to Obtain Their Wealth (B.Z. Khasru); Bibliography; Index.

Contents: Introduction; Political Fundraising Has Corrupted the Electoral Process (Mark Green); Restricting Campaign Donations Violates Free Speech Rights (Sheldon Richman); The Electoral College Should Be Abolished (Lewis H. Lapham); The Electoral College Should Not Be Abolished (Michael M. Uhlmann); Electronic Voting Machines Pose a Threat to Electoral Fairness (Bev Harris and David Allen); Fears About Electronic Voting Machines are Greatly Exaggerated (John Fund); Felons Who Have Served Their Time Should be Allowed to Vote (Elizabeth Hull); Felons Should Not be Allowed to Vote (Christopher M. Tozzo); Illegal Aliens Should Not Allowed to Vote (Michelle Malkin); Noncitizens Should Be Allowed to Participate in Elections (Joaquin Avila); Organizations to Contact; Bibliography; Index.

Barack Obama discusses the importance of empathy in politics, his hopes for a different America with different policies, and how the ideals of its democracy can be renewed.With intimacy and self-deprecating humour, Obama writes about his experiences as a politician and balancing his family life and his public vocation. His search for consensus and his respect for the democratic process inform every sentence. A politician and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a sceptic, Barack Obama has written a book that has already inspired people the world over. At the heart of The Audacity of Hope is his vision of how his country can move beyond its divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families and the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and considers the nature of threats from outside America's borders. By returning to the principles that gave birth to the US Constitution, he says, Americans have a chance to repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Obama's politics are rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” (448 pages)
Level: Library/Depot/Interdisciplinary projects/SRP

The CIA has been heavily criticized in recent years — for its treatment of terrorism suspects and for failures of intelligence gathering before the invasion of Iraq. Should it be reformed? Merged with other agencies? Or even abolished? Articles by amongst others Condoleeza Rice. Editor: Julia Bauder. (144 pages)
Level: Mainly Second and Third year Gymnasium

Disc 1 – The Early Years: 1950's
A retrospective on the early years of televised campaigns and debates, as presidential politics emerged into the living rooms of America for the first time ever.
Eisenhower v Stevenson (twice).

Disc 2 – Change Begins: 1960s and 70s
The influence of television grows — politicians and their advisors hone their TV media skills, reaching out to voters during the tumultuous decades of the 60s and 70s.
Kennedy v Nixon; Johnson v Goldwater; Nixon v Humphrey; Nixon v McGovern; Carter v Ford.

Disc 3 – Refining the Process: 1980s to Today
The new world of presidential campaigns, in which writers, camera men, stylists, marketing experts and others play an integral role in selling the president on TV.
Carter v Reagan; Reagan v Mondale; G.H.W.Bush v Dukakis; Clinton v G.H.W.Bush; Clinton v Dole; Bush v Gore; Kerry v Bush; 2008 primary commercials: Obama/Clinton/McCain.

This classic book, now in a completely revised edition, is a great resource for one of the most studied subjects in the gymnasium today:
This book combines vivid storiesof newcomers' personal journeys from distant homelands with analysis of current demographic, economic, and political realities. Drawing on recent census data and other primary sources, the authors have infused the text with up-to-date information and a range of new vignettes and illustrations. It offers a superb portrayal of immigration and immigrant lives in the United States.  It looks at the dynamics of immigrant politics, examining questions of identity and loyalty among newcomers, and explores the consequences of varying modes of migration and acculturation. The authors look at patterns of settlement in urban America, discuss the problems of English-language acquisition and bilingual education, explain how immigrants integrate themselves into the American economy, and examine the lives of their children from adolescence to early adulthood. There are analyses of topics ranging from patterns of incarceration to the mobility of the second generation. This is a major portrait of the diversity of American life, its pressures, difficulties, repressions and possibilities, as seen through the eyes of those struggling for a place in the society. Authors: Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut. (460 pages)
Level: A-B/A great resource for projects (especially interdisciplinary) about American immigrants and their culture

Contents: 1. Nine Stories  2. Who They Are and Why They Come  3. Moving: Patterns of Immigrant Settlement and Spatial Mobility  4. Making It in America: Occupational and Economic Adaptation  5. From Immigrants to Ethnics: Identity, Citizenship, and Political Participation  6. A Foreign World: Immigration, Mental Health, and Acculturation  7. Learning the Ropes: Language and Education  8. Growing Up American: The New Second Generation  9. Religion: The Enduring Presence  Conclusion  Notes  References  Index

A specialized but fascinating resource abou the interaction between American immigrants and popular culture:
This is an account of the role immigrants have played as performers, entrepreneurs, and as the subjects of the mass culture industry in America. This book asks the questions:  How does a 'national' popular culture form and grow over time in a nation comprised of immigrants? How have immigrants used popular culture in America, and how has it used them? Through a series of case studies Immigration and American Popular Culture uncovers how specific trends in popular culture — such as portrayals of European immigrants as gangsters in 1930s cinema, the zoot suits of the 1940s, the influence of Jamaican Americans on rap in the 1970s, and cyberpunk and Asian American “zines” in the 1990s — have their roots in the nature of immigration in America. Immigration and American Popular Culture is a unique history of 20th century U.S. immigration with major insights in the field of popular culture. Immigration and cultural production have been completely intertwined in America and we cannot understand one without the other. Authors: Rachel Rubin and Jeffrey Melnick. (302 pages)Level: A-B/A resource for projects (especially interdisciplinary) about American immigrants and their culture

A witty, profane, brutally realistic memoir of the Gulf War by a marine sniper who recounts his battles with fear and suicide, his brushes with death, and his search for identity as a soldier and an American. Anthony Swofford's grandfather fought in WWII; his father fought in Vietnam; and he — a testosterone-plagued teenager — becomes a scout/sniper in the marines and fights in the Gulf War. His account is in the finest tradition of soldiers' stories. He describes the sheer terror of being fired upon by Iraqi troops and the worrying, drinking, joking, lusting and just plain sitting around that his troop endured. When they do finally fight, the men aren't quite the super professional warriors that their commanders, the American public and the men themselves think they are. Swofford charts his journey from a wide-eyed adolescent to a hardened fighter who becomes consumed with doubt about his chosen role. (384 pages)
Level: B