The Intellectual Devotional: American History: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently about Our Nation's Past | 
| Authors: David S. Kidder, Noah D. Oppenheim
Publisher: Modern Times
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
Buy New: $10.99
You Save: $13.01 (54%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 1609
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 1594867445
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9781594867446
ASIN: 1594867445
Publication Date: October 16, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Modeled after those bedside books of prayer and contemplation that millions turn to for daily spiritual guidance and growth, the national bestseller The Intellectual Devotional—offering secular wisdom and cerebral nourishment—drew a year’s worth of readings from seven different fields of knowledge. In this follow-up volume, authors David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim have turned to the rich legacy of American history for their selections. From Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to Martin Luther King Jr., from the Federalist Papers to Watergate, the giant figures, cultural touchstones, and pivotal events in our national heritage provide a bountiful source of reflection and education that will refresh knowledge, revitalize the mind, and open new horizons of intellectual discovery.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 I LOVE this book May 2, 2008
These books (two of them) covers every subject you always wanted to know more about. Great for Doctor's office or red lights. The material is short and full of knowledge.
I great present.
Phyllis Pentecost
Impress and dazzle your friends! April 21, 2008
Devote five minutes a day to this book, and in one year you'll be able to dazzle - or annoy - your friends with your newfound knowledge about America's past. The Intellectual Devotional: American History is sliced 365 ways and delivered to you in fun-size chunks, one page at a time. It covers seven categories, one for each day of the week.
On each page is a one paragraph summary followed by several paragraphs of detail, followed by two or three footnote-looking trivia nuggets. This reader's digest of U.S. history keeps it brief and interesting.
On Mondays, we learn about Politics and Leadership, from Washington delivering the shortest inaugural address on record to John F. Kennedy winning the Pulitzer Prize.
Tuesdays bring the subject of War and Peace, where we learn tidbits like John Adams, America's second president, serving as the defense attorney to the commander of the British troops following the Boston Massacre. And that two percent of the U.S. population died during the Civil War. Two percent! That's like nine million people at today's prices.
The topic for Wednesdays is Rights and Reform. We follow America's journey living up to its philosophical promise, briefly exploring subjects such as the Great Awakenings and multiple civil rights movements.
On Thursdays, we get down to Business, or the history of it and its impact on the American economy through discoveries of natural resources and advances in technology from the Cotton Gin to the Gold Rush to the Internet.
Friday's theme is Building America, where we learn about the history of building, as well as destroying, America's infrastructure. How did barbed wire get started? Whose idea was that? When did Yankee stadium open, and when do they plan to tear it down? Did Mrs. O'Leary's cow kick over that kerosene lamp? Who knew infrastructure could be so fascinating?
Which brings us to Saturdays and Literature. Edgar Allan Poe. Hemingway. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Did you know that Harriet Beecher-Stowe and Mark Twain were next-door neighbors?
On Sundays, you can enjoy educational entries on the Arts. Do you know from which novel's character Starbuck's gets its name? Which 1990 movie is a remake of Casablanca? How many times has Lisa Marie Presley been married?
The Intellectual Devotional: American History is presented in a way that's entertaining, accessible and easily digestible. You can pick it up and put it down for as little or as long as you like. You can jump to the end and read it backwards, or open it up to a random page and start reading. It's like 365 little Ken Burns documentaries crammed into the convenience of a portable reader.
And why aren't more books adorned with a handy built-in red ribbon bookmark?
Reviewed by Margaret Andrews for Curled Up With A Good Book
Good for anyone who loves America April 10, 2008
After reading this book, I truly have a better understanding of America and what it is to be an American. One thing about this book is that it tells you about the great people who made this country what it is today. It has given me more respect at how hard some of America's greatest people worked at creating this country, devoting their lives to create lasting institutions and structures.
While America is a diverse melting pot of cultures now, one thing that brings us together is our desire to become great citizens and make lasting contributions to this wonderful country. This book gives us 365 examples of how it has been done. Anyone who aspires to some day becoming a great American should take a look at this book.
Exactly as Advertised March 30, 2008
Great Book...It is exactly as it states, one page;one new topic. All so far are very interesting. This seems like it would be a great textbook for some class. Only thing I would tell prospective buyers...print/font is extremely small. I don't wear glasses or have eye issues and I was shocked at how small the print was. Main points of each topic are in 10 font (estimate), then each subsequent section of each topic is in smaller and smaller font. If you have any issues with reading small print you will need a magnifying glass or some similair product to read this book. But it is very interesting.
Another Excellent Installment! February 28, 2008
The title says it all! As with its predecessor this book is both a wonderful idea and an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes a day (or to plow through all at once) exercising the mind by visiting bite-size chapters on the great figures and events in the history of the United States of America. True I have found the occasional error in among its multitude of information, mostly they seem to be typos more than actual lapses in fact, but that's nitpicking since this is still the sort of book it'd do most Americans a world of good to read. I hope they keep this series going, and await the release of the third title!
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