The Practical Guide to the United States Constitution: A Historically Accurate and Entertaining Owners' Manual For the Founding Documents

by Tom McHale

The Practical Guide to the United States Constitution offers an accurate but entertaining look at the founding documents. It covers the how's, what's, and why's of the United States Constitution, but with a side of fun. The mission is simple: to make the Constitution so easy to understand that even a career politician can grasp it.

This Practical Guide covers the underlying concepts of natural rights and consent-based government. Hint: it's not to subpoena and investigate each other. The book also clarifies how each of the three primary founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, work together to define the goals, theory, and mechanics of the American system.

The heart of this constitutional owners’ manual is a simplified walk through the contents and meaning of the founding documents. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the Constitution really says, this book is for you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2018

About the author

Tom McHale is a committed learning junkie always seeking a new subject victim. As a lifelong student of whatever grabs his attention on any particular day, he thrives on beating rabbit trails into submission. In between his time as a high-tech marketing executive, restaurant owner, and hamster cosmetology practitioner, he's published seven books and nearly 1,500 articles.

For Tom, learning is only half the fun - the other half is sharing his experiences with readers using his trademark "half-cocked but right on target" style.

Reviews

[Drmkk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, entertaining description of US Constitution. I was hoping to be able to us this with high school students but I’m afraid much of the sarcasm will be lost on them. There are also some metaphors and references that would be inappropriate for younger readers.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m tempted to reference Khizr Khan’s famous speech to the 2016 Democratic Convention, where he took his pocket copy of the Constitution and offered to let Donald Trump read it. Author McHale obviously has read it, but has lacquered over the plain text with so much snark he reduces our founding document to a collection of Federalist Society talking points. The “historical accuracy” he boasts of is extremely superficial and just as “white centered.” Revolutionary America was an extremely complex place, and an in depth discussion of the conditions that produced (in quick succession), the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution would be extremely valuable. This is not that. I’m glad I got a library copy of this book, because I can send it back with pleasure—and a little malice, tbh.

[Andrew B. Shaw MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effective Book for my goals

This book was just what I hoped for in that it is a very high level view of the constitution. It will provide you with a great overview of the Constitution and give you a firm idea of its structure and the original intention of our founding fathers. It is also a bit alarming to see how far we have strayed from the ideas of small government and states rights as being such founding principles!

[Sandra Frangou · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!

This book should be required reading for every freshman high school student. Then, at least a week of serious debate as to its contents. It has been at least 55 years since I have read the Constitution in its entirety. I enjoyed it emensly. I loved your sense of humor. That's one of the reasons I think high school students would enjoy this book. A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.😄 Can't wait to read your next book

[Aaron N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a good overview of the history and contents of the constitution and associated documents. I found the jokes to be a bit too frequent and cynical, but overall the book accomplishes what it sets out to do.

[Bruce Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a somewhat lighthearted examination of our constitution. I enjoyed it until I read his opinions on how the US Constitution should work where he provides a rather unrealistic look at how he thinks our government should work.

[Laurah Quayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope this is allowed here if not I understand. My husband was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) when he was 63 years old 4 years ago. The Rilutek (riluzole) did very little to help him. The medical team did even less. His decline was rapid and devastating. His arms weakened first, then his hands and legs. He resorted to a wheelchair (Perbombil C300). A year ago, I began to do a lot of research and came across www Health Herbs Clinic com, I decided to start him on the ALS herbal protocol as I had nothing else to turn to; 2 months into treatment he improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, weakness, muscle pain and he is even learning to Walk again. visit healthherbsclinic. com

[kathleen appleby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

This really tugged at my heartstrings. As a retired home health/hospice nurse, I had cared for patients n the end stages of ALS. It was inspiring to read the story from a different angle.