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pinkrain718's review against another edition
5.0
First, let me confess that I heard about this book on Twitter and had the pleasure of arranging a Q & A session with the authors and my students about the content of this book. That being said, this review is completely unbiased.
Signing Their Rights Away is a history teacher's dream. This witty book gives the details about the Constitution, the Convention and the interesting men who signed the Constitution. No stone is left unturned and all of the signers innermost secrets are revealed. For the non-history lover, this book is a welcome introduction to the world of government and a funny way to be introduced to some incredible (and infamous) men. Since I teach middle school students, this isn't a book I could read aloud without editing some of the information regarding adultery and other scandalous habits. If I taught high school or college students, I would love to assign this text! I highly recommend this book and fully intend on purchasing a few copies for my history teacher friends for Christmas :)
Signing Their Rights Away is a history teacher's dream. This witty book gives the details about the Constitution, the Convention and the interesting men who signed the Constitution. No stone is left unturned and all of the signers innermost secrets are revealed. For the non-history lover, this book is a welcome introduction to the world of government and a funny way to be introduced to some incredible (and infamous) men. Since I teach middle school students, this isn't a book I could read aloud without editing some of the information regarding adultery and other scandalous habits. If I taught high school or college students, I would love to assign this text! I highly recommend this book and fully intend on purchasing a few copies for my history teacher friends for Christmas :)
scarlettletters's review against another edition
3.0
Most people, if pressed, could name perhaps 1-5 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. But there are lots of other people who signed this document. D'Agnese tells the stories behind every one of these men with a fair dose of humor. He is determined not to romanticize their actions and makes it clear that almost none of these men were victimized for the stand they took against British rule. This book probably works best as a reference work--one of many places to go for information about a particular person. I did read it cover to cover, a section or so at a time, so if you are very interested in history that could be entertaining. The jacket also folds out into a copy of the D.o.I. which is kind of cool for a classroom or something.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
libra17's review against another edition
4.0
Signing Their Lives Away is a fairly short and informal but very interesting overview of the lives if the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Covering the famous and the obscure delegates from all thirteen states, it is not the kind of book one would use to write a thesis or anything and does not pretend to be. Nevertheless, it is a good bit of infotainment and I very much enjoyed the tone and humor throughout.
natep's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating book with short biographical profiles of each signer.
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm. I WANTED to like this. Parts of it were well done and it's always good, IMO, to remind Americans today what people went through to establish our liberties.
However, this particular volume has some weaknesses.
1. Errors. One egregious example is an assertion that the French killed their king, Louis XVI, "two years" after 1785. Umm, we'd need to make that EIGHT years.
2. Controversial opinions cited as fact, not footnoted at all, so readers cannot read the original works and decide among different explanations and hypotheses.
3. Too cutesy, overblown attempts to be "hip" ("The Signer Who Is Two Degrees from Kevin Bacon" ???) Yeah, the Founding Fathers were really worried about that. Huh? Every possible connection made with a pop culture figure like an actor is jumped on; it's funny, but a lot of OTHER eminent people descended from signers were not mentioned.
So, this is a fun beginning. Cleaned up and footnoted, it could be a real gem.
However, this particular volume has some weaknesses.
1. Errors. One egregious example is an assertion that the French killed their king, Louis XVI, "two years" after 1785. Umm, we'd need to make that EIGHT years.
2. Controversial opinions cited as fact, not footnoted at all, so readers cannot read the original works and decide among different explanations and hypotheses.
3. Too cutesy, overblown attempts to be "hip" ("The Signer Who Is Two Degrees from Kevin Bacon" ???) Yeah, the Founding Fathers were really worried about that. Huh? Every possible connection made with a pop culture figure like an actor is jumped on; it's funny, but a lot of OTHER eminent people descended from signers were not mentioned.
So, this is a fun beginning. Cleaned up and footnoted, it could be a real gem.
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