The Century for Young People

by Peter Jennings, Todd Brewster, Jennifer Armstrong

The 20th century brought seeds of change, global nightmares, years of doubt, and machine dreams. These are also some of the chapter headings of this stunning tribute to the past 100 years. Adapting the bestselling adult version of The Century, journalists Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster take an unusual approach to the overwhelming task of capturing a century in 241 pages. Rather than using a standard didactic, textbook-style method, the authors choose to focus on the lives of ordinary people--those who influenced, and were most affected by, the radical changes of the 1900s. Marty Glickman describes the effect Teddy Roosevelt had on him as a boy. Gilda Snow's father, an electrician for the 1939 New York World's Fair, took her on a "backstage" tour of the event when she was 9 years old. Inez Jessie Baskin experienced the Montgomery bus boycotts firsthand. Stacy Horn, creator of an Internet virtual community, muses on the phenomenon of online relationships. Each sumptuous spread comes alive with Life magazine-style photos (over 200 total), compelling captions, feature essays on historical events and people, and pale blue sidebars with the stories of ordinary men and women of the century. With a new introduction aimed at young readers, and a higher personal story to narrative ratio than the full-length version, this magnificent volume belongs in any family's collection. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian-American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer. A high-school dropout, he transformed himself into one of television's most prominent journalists.

Jennings started his career early, hosting a Canadian radio show at the age of nine. In 1965, ABC News tapped him to anchor its flagship evening news program. His inexperience marred his first short stint in the anchor chair, and Jennings became a foreign correspondent in 1968, honing his reporting skills in the Middle East.

He returned as one of World News Tonight's three anchors in 1978, and was promoted to the role of sole anchor in 1983. Jennings formed part of the "Big Three" news anchors who dominated American evening news in the 1980s and 1990s. Having always been fascinated with the United States, Jennings became a dual citizen of Canada and the United States in 2003. His death, which closely followed the retirements of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, marked the end of the "Big Three" era.

Reviews

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the history of the 1900s. Photos were well chosen. I think some of the events covered were slightly slanted in their portrayal, but overall it was both enjoyable and accurate. It is filled with first-hand accounts of people who lived through the events being described. I think the balance of personal stories to historical summaries was a bit skewed, but they did add a lot to the book.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea when I last saw this book or what I'd think of it as an adult, but my wife played a clip from the accompanying documentary series and was reminded how often I read this back when I was 13.

[Molly (Conan the Librarian) Crumbley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Respected journalists Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster partner up to introduce young people to the past in this first volume of the new Century for Young People series.Covering the years 1901 to 1936, it proves to be a well-written and informative look at the events that helped make America what it is today.

The authors have collected brief snapshots of important events, such as the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight, the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt, the Great Depression, the suffragette movement, and World War I.Each section contains interviews from the corresponding time period, making this book an excellent primary source tool for research and a good overview of the first third of the past century.Middle and high school students will enjoy the fast paced read and will likely learn something they didn’t know before.

This review originally appeared on abookandahug.com

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so many great photos. The best part is that there are real people telling real stories about historical events and how they affected them. This book could be used as a resource for any historical event in the last century. I think this is an excellent book to offer to students to read in your classroom library. You can flip anywhere in the book and find something that grabs your attention.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Jennings was the anchor of ABC's World News and he was my favorite news anchor in the 1990s, Peter knows all about the history of America and around the world, he been there and he wants us to look at the world's history in the 20th century, from the Immigration in the 1900s through the new media in the 90s, thanks Peter for all the resources.