What do you think?
Rate this book
1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change
The acclaimed team that brought us 1968 turns to another year that shook the world with a collection of nonfiction writings by renowned young-adult authors.
“The Rights of Man.” What does that mean? In 1789 that question rippled all around the world. Do all men have rights—not just nobles and kings? What then of enslaved people, women, the original inhabitants of the Americas? In the new United States a bill of rights was passed, while in France the nation tumbled toward revolution. In the Caribbean preachers brought word of equality, while in the South Pacific sailors mutinied. New knowledge was exploding, with mathematicians and scientists rewriting the history of the planet and the digits of pi. Lauded anthology editors Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti, along with ten award-winning nonfiction authors, explore a tumultuous year when rights and freedoms collided with enslavement and domination, and the future of humanity seemed to be at stake.
Some events and actors are Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Marie Antoinette and the Marquis de Lafayette. Others may be less the eloquent former slave Olaudah Equiano, the Seneca memoirist Mary Jemison, the fishwives of Paris, the mathematician Jurij Vega, and the painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. But every chapter brings fresh perspectives on the debates of the time, inviting readers to experience the passions of the past and ask new questions of today.
Featuring
Amy Alznauer
Marc Aronson
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Summer Edward
Karen Engelmann
Joyce Hansen
Cynthia and Sanford Levinson
Steve Sheinkin
Tanya Lee Stone
Christopher Turner
Sally M. Walker
“The Rights of Man.” What does that mean? In 1789 that question rippled all around the world. Do all men have rights—not just nobles and kings? What then of enslaved people, women, the original inhabitants of the Americas? In the new United States a bill of rights was passed, while in France the nation tumbled toward revolution. In the Caribbean preachers brought word of equality, while in the South Pacific sailors mutinied. New knowledge was exploding, with mathematicians and scientists rewriting the history of the planet and the digits of pi. Lauded anthology editors Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti, along with ten award-winning nonfiction authors, explore a tumultuous year when rights and freedoms collided with enslavement and domination, and the future of humanity seemed to be at stake.
Some events and actors are Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Marie Antoinette and the Marquis de Lafayette. Others may be less the eloquent former slave Olaudah Equiano, the Seneca memoirist Mary Jemison, the fishwives of Paris, the mathematician Jurij Vega, and the painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. But every chapter brings fresh perspectives on the debates of the time, inviting readers to experience the passions of the past and ask new questions of today.
Featuring
Amy Alznauer
Marc Aronson
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Summer Edward
Karen Engelmann
Joyce Hansen
Cynthia and Sanford Levinson
Steve Sheinkin
Tanya Lee Stone
Christopher Turner
Sally M. Walker
208 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
23 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Marc Aronson
53 books83 followersAronson has won many awards for his books for young readers and has a doctorate in American history. His lectures cover educational topics such as mysteries and controversies in American history, teenagers and their reading, the literary passions of boys, and always leave audiences asking for more.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marcar...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marcar...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 1, 2021
A fascinating book that covers the sociopolitical, scientific and cultural highlights of one of the most critical years in the second millennium.
The book is well documented and well referenced. It covers what led up to the impact of decisions made in the year very with great care.
Of note, it was the treatment of slaves that was painfully vivid, particularly in the section that talks about exactly what happened to African men and women who were sold like pieces of property.
I was really surprised because I was expecting a book of military heroes. This really included the full activities of the year. .
I recommend
The book is well documented and well referenced. It covers what led up to the impact of decisions made in the year very with great care.
Of note, it was the treatment of slaves that was painfully vivid, particularly in the section that talks about exactly what happened to African men and women who were sold like pieces of property.
I was really surprised because I was expecting a book of military heroes. This really included the full activities of the year. .
I recommend
December 20, 2020
1789 is a short yet thought-provoking collection of YA essays that focus on the rebellion, revolution, and change from that year. It discusses some more well known and lesser known figures and events. It definitely is acts as a decent stepping stone to reaching out further.
August 2, 2020
I’m not a passionate non-fiction reader because I often find it too dry compared to regular fiction but I should give it more credit. I really enjoyed this anthology.
The stories concentrate on a bunch of different events from all over the world during the year 1789. It’s so interesting to see that so much important stuff happened in only one year.
Of course there were stories I liked better than others because the topics were just more interesting to me but I bet there are many people who prefer those over the ones I liked best.
I especially liked the stories set in France and the last one about the mutiny of the Bounty. They were super interesting and sometimes even funny.
But it’s not just interesting to read, it’s also super educational. The authors talk about a lot of important topics that are still so relevant today. I think, there is so much to learn from the events in 1789. I would definitely recommend everyone who’s interested in history to check this out.
Rating: 4⭐️
The stories concentrate on a bunch of different events from all over the world during the year 1789. It’s so interesting to see that so much important stuff happened in only one year.
Of course there were stories I liked better than others because the topics were just more interesting to me but I bet there are many people who prefer those over the ones I liked best.
I especially liked the stories set in France and the last one about the mutiny of the Bounty. They were super interesting and sometimes even funny.
But it’s not just interesting to read, it’s also super educational. The authors talk about a lot of important topics that are still so relevant today. I think, there is so much to learn from the events in 1789. I would definitely recommend everyone who’s interested in history to check this out.
Rating: 4⭐️
March 7, 2021
Okay, here's my updated review--I finished this a month ago, but needed some time to clarify my thoughts!
First of all--holy cow, what a great idea for a book. I wish history books for schools would be written as a series of books like this: tales of diverse people, all around the world, in all different situations, showing how all those different people, situations, and moments fit together on the world stage. As someone who learned history one country at a time and felt lost for years trying to figure out which things happened at the same time, I'm all on board with the concept of this book.
Second, all of the individual essays were well-written and intriguing, and a few were spectacular. The final essay on the H. M. S. Bounty, by Steve Sheinkin, was one of my favorite things I'd ever read. The essay "The Choice," by Marc Aronson, regarding Thomas Jefferson's Black mistress, was thought-provoking and assumption-busting. Overall, I appreciated the window into the worlds of so many different people, in so many different places.
Sadly, a few of the essays really, really bothered me. The very first essay in the book, "The Fishwives Make the Rules," was particularly troubling. It glorified mob violence and revolution, as if any violence is justified as long as you're on the right side of history. Perhaps unfortunately, I read this essay two days after the Capitol building in Washington was stormed. So perhaps you can understand why the following line left me a bit nauseated:
"Threatening to fire on the royal guards, they crowded into the National Assembly, causing mayhem and demanding to be heard. No longer willing to wonder whether their assembly members were representing them properly, they took over the hall... One even slumped presumptuously in the president's chair."
To be clear, this behavior was not presented in a way that just gives the facts and lets you decide what you think. It was completely glorified. The author continues later, "...but the women had done it... taking charge of their own fate."
I teach my children that violence is not justified 99% of the time. I teach them to question the behavior of anyone who glorifies it. (Yes, I'm one of those people who think some of our founding fathers were guilty of terrorism.) However much France may have needed a revolution, I refuse to glorify the one they had, the way they had it.
Later in the book, another otherwise fascinating essay about Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (one of my very favorite artists, by the way!), promulgated the usual lies about Marie Antoinette--presenting as accepted fact the propaganda that had been used to discredit her by her enemies. I understand that we'll never know the whole story here, but I wish the author had extended the same grace to Marie Antoinette that she did to Le Brun, another woman whose reputation was tarnished by rumors of infidelity; in the artist's case, the author was careful to present rumor as rumor intended to hurt, whereas she stated rumor as fact in the queen's case. It's an anti-woman technique that's probably been around since the world began: if you want to discredit a powerful woman, accuse her of promiscuity. Since research has shown that a great many of the accusations brought against Marie Antoinette were lies, I would have appreciated more nuance here.
So, that's my take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt review. I'm biased, I'll admit. (Aren't we all??) I recognize that my bias made it impossible to love this book, even while I appreciated some of the essays that challenged my bias in a constructive way.
First of all--holy cow, what a great idea for a book. I wish history books for schools would be written as a series of books like this: tales of diverse people, all around the world, in all different situations, showing how all those different people, situations, and moments fit together on the world stage. As someone who learned history one country at a time and felt lost for years trying to figure out which things happened at the same time, I'm all on board with the concept of this book.
Second, all of the individual essays were well-written and intriguing, and a few were spectacular. The final essay on the H. M. S. Bounty, by Steve Sheinkin, was one of my favorite things I'd ever read. The essay "The Choice," by Marc Aronson, regarding Thomas Jefferson's Black mistress, was thought-provoking and assumption-busting. Overall, I appreciated the window into the worlds of so many different people, in so many different places.
Sadly, a few of the essays really, really bothered me. The very first essay in the book, "The Fishwives Make the Rules," was particularly troubling. It glorified mob violence and revolution, as if any violence is justified as long as you're on the right side of history. Perhaps unfortunately, I read this essay two days after the Capitol building in Washington was stormed. So perhaps you can understand why the following line left me a bit nauseated:
"Threatening to fire on the royal guards, they crowded into the National Assembly, causing mayhem and demanding to be heard. No longer willing to wonder whether their assembly members were representing them properly, they took over the hall... One even slumped presumptuously in the president's chair."
To be clear, this behavior was not presented in a way that just gives the facts and lets you decide what you think. It was completely glorified. The author continues later, "...but the women had done it... taking charge of their own fate."
I teach my children that violence is not justified 99% of the time. I teach them to question the behavior of anyone who glorifies it. (Yes, I'm one of those people who think some of our founding fathers were guilty of terrorism.) However much France may have needed a revolution, I refuse to glorify the one they had, the way they had it.
Later in the book, another otherwise fascinating essay about Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (one of my very favorite artists, by the way!), promulgated the usual lies about Marie Antoinette--presenting as accepted fact the propaganda that had been used to discredit her by her enemies. I understand that we'll never know the whole story here, but I wish the author had extended the same grace to Marie Antoinette that she did to Le Brun, another woman whose reputation was tarnished by rumors of infidelity; in the artist's case, the author was careful to present rumor as rumor intended to hurt, whereas she stated rumor as fact in the queen's case. It's an anti-woman technique that's probably been around since the world began: if you want to discredit a powerful woman, accuse her of promiscuity. Since research has shown that a great many of the accusations brought against Marie Antoinette were lies, I would have appreciated more nuance here.
So, that's my take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt review. I'm biased, I'll admit. (Aren't we all??) I recognize that my bias made it impossible to love this book, even while I appreciated some of the essays that challenged my bias in a constructive way.
September 15, 2020
I’m not generally a non-fiction reader, but I found this anthology to be relatively interesting. I couldn’t read it all in one go, but the stories were interesting enough (especially the final one about The Bounty).
But in the moment we’re living in, the questions I had were never really answered or addressed, which makes me wonder if they were considered: 1. Who’s telling the history? What’s their background? 2. Who’s left out of these pieces of historical narrative? 3. Could we have had a more diverse set of stories and authors?
Though there were a lot of ruminations on who counted as a free individual and what freedom looked like for different people, from what I could tell, there didn’t seem to be a lot of diversity in terms of POVs or the authors themselves. Slavery was written about, as was the role of black people in society, but it felt detached and dispassionate and not all that nuanced. Though these stories all drew conclusions about their subjects, none felt more disconnected from their subjects than those centered in people of color.
But overall I liked the moments cherry-picked for this anthology as they were mostly ones I’d never encountered before. And their portrayals were fascinating and very evidently well-researched.
But in the moment we’re living in, the questions I had were never really answered or addressed, which makes me wonder if they were considered: 1. Who’s telling the history? What’s their background? 2. Who’s left out of these pieces of historical narrative? 3. Could we have had a more diverse set of stories and authors?
Though there were a lot of ruminations on who counted as a free individual and what freedom looked like for different people, from what I could tell, there didn’t seem to be a lot of diversity in terms of POVs or the authors themselves. Slavery was written about, as was the role of black people in society, but it felt detached and dispassionate and not all that nuanced. Though these stories all drew conclusions about their subjects, none felt more disconnected from their subjects than those centered in people of color.
But overall I liked the moments cherry-picked for this anthology as they were mostly ones I’d never encountered before. And their portrayals were fascinating and very evidently well-researched.
November 8, 2022
Lots of interesting stories about the very interesting year 1789. In addition to the ratification of our constitution and inauguration of Pres Washington, it was the start of the French Revolution. But also stuff like the Mutiny on the Bounty and Kant and a bunch of other stuff. Worth a read.
April 1, 2024
Read it at school.
November 19, 2021
A collection of historical essays that focus on the year 1789. There's certainly a variety of topics, but it's also entirely Euro- and American-centric. Did anything noteworthy happen in Asia that wasn't entirely about Europeans? Apparently not. The quality of the essays was generally at least good, which is something, and I really enjoyed the ones that focused on the French Revolution. Which is, after all, why I was here.
I do feel a need to specifically address Aronson's essay, The Choice. Which is, in brief, yet another attempt to justify a 44 year old man having sex with his dead wife's teenage sister. Does it sound bad when I say it like that? It should. I am, of course, talking about Jefferson's inherently predatory behavior towards Sally Hemings, a child who, it bears repeating infinitely, he owned. And he owned her entire family, and her unborn child. Aronson is desperate to believe that Jefferson loved her, as if it mattered, and as if that love could be anything but abusive. He points out that he paid her and her brother while they were in France, but neglects to mention that they were literally paid a fraction of his white servants. He mentions that Jefferson owned her entire family, without ever acknowledging the incredible leverage that gave him over her. He goes on about Sally "choosing" to go back to America with him, without admitting that a black, teenage single mother who likely didn't know French had very few prospects in late 18th century France. And he gives Jefferson an odd amount of credit for promising to free his children with Sally when they turned 21 considering that he reneged on that promise for at least one of his children. It's a personal pet peeve of mine that so many historians insist on romanticizing Jefferson's behavior towards Sally, and Aronson goes beyond the pale when he describes them as possibly being each other's true loves.
I do feel a need to specifically address Aronson's essay, The Choice. Which is, in brief, yet another attempt to justify a 44 year old man having sex with his dead wife's teenage sister. Does it sound bad when I say it like that? It should. I am, of course, talking about Jefferson's inherently predatory behavior towards Sally Hemings, a child who, it bears repeating infinitely, he owned. And he owned her entire family, and her unborn child. Aronson is desperate to believe that Jefferson loved her, as if it mattered, and as if that love could be anything but abusive. He points out that he paid her and her brother while they were in France, but neglects to mention that they were literally paid a fraction of his white servants. He mentions that Jefferson owned her entire family, without ever acknowledging the incredible leverage that gave him over her. He goes on about Sally "choosing" to go back to America with him, without admitting that a black, teenage single mother who likely didn't know French had very few prospects in late 18th century France. And he gives Jefferson an odd amount of credit for promising to free his children with Sally when they turned 21 considering that he reneged on that promise for at least one of his children. It's a personal pet peeve of mine that so many historians insist on romanticizing Jefferson's behavior towards Sally, and Aronson goes beyond the pale when he describes them as possibly being each other's true loves.
July 30, 2020
I’m a picky nonfiction reader. I’m also really interest in the enlightenment era, so I found 1789 fascinating.
Each chapter features a different individual’s story or event relating to the year, 1789. Although every chapter is written by a different author, their writing styles don’t differ as much as I thought they would. The language is digestible and interesting.
Most of my feedback is positive. There’s some really cool stuff in here. It’s fascinating how these events all link together with common themes of revolution and reform. I think my favorite chapter was on the Fishwives.
I’d encourage everyone to check this book out, but… this is a big but. I had an issue with the Sally Hemmings chapter: The Choice. This might be a personal bias, but I didn’t like how this story was presented. It was much more of an ‘did she love him or was she a slave?’ Rather than the obvious, she was groomed, gifted to a wealthy older widower who had recently been married to Sally’s deceased, white, half-sister. Why present her opportunity to stay in Paris as a choice?
This chapter states she was a teenager but presents Sally as being much older—she was only sixteen and pregnant. Probably scared witless and controlled by a powerful man. So what if Jefferson wasn’t a physically abusive owner? Words can cause just as much abuse as a whip. You cannot apply the word seduction to this sort of power dynamic. To ownership. I guess in this BLM/post Me-too time I expected more out of this chapter. Aronson highlights the habit of fathering children with slaves as common, but I expected him to lay out the dynamics without playing so coy.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, but would happily add this to my nonfiction library.
Each chapter features a different individual’s story or event relating to the year, 1789. Although every chapter is written by a different author, their writing styles don’t differ as much as I thought they would. The language is digestible and interesting.
Most of my feedback is positive. There’s some really cool stuff in here. It’s fascinating how these events all link together with common themes of revolution and reform. I think my favorite chapter was on the Fishwives.
I’d encourage everyone to check this book out, but… this is a big but. I had an issue with the Sally Hemmings chapter: The Choice. This might be a personal bias, but I didn’t like how this story was presented. It was much more of an ‘did she love him or was she a slave?’ Rather than the obvious, she was groomed, gifted to a wealthy older widower who had recently been married to Sally’s deceased, white, half-sister. Why present her opportunity to stay in Paris as a choice?
This chapter states she was a teenager but presents Sally as being much older—she was only sixteen and pregnant. Probably scared witless and controlled by a powerful man. So what if Jefferson wasn’t a physically abusive owner? Words can cause just as much abuse as a whip. You cannot apply the word seduction to this sort of power dynamic. To ownership. I guess in this BLM/post Me-too time I expected more out of this chapter. Aronson highlights the habit of fathering children with slaves as common, but I expected him to lay out the dynamics without playing so coy.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, but would happily add this to my nonfiction library.
August 16, 2020
This book was received through the Early Reviewer program of the Library Thing website. Its intended readership is middle and high school students, although anyone with an interest in history will find its eleven essays thought provoking. The book uses the year 1789 to explore diverse aspects of "rebellion, revolution and change" that launched across the world in this tumultous era. The essays are organized in four sections: "Thoughts on Exhilaration", "Thoughts on Abomination", "Thoughts on Inspiration", and "Thoughts on Conversation". They present issues of "liberty and equality" through lessor known stories and characters such as the "fishwives" of Paris whose protests helped spark the French Revolution, how a female portrait artist's depiction of the Queen's dress wrought social unrest, the impact of new scientific thinking about the geological age of the earth on accepted religious and scientific beliefs, how missionaries in the West Indies undermined slavery there and more.
An important theme that emerges in most of the essays is the question of who is included in expanded liberty and equality? The power and control of the aristocracy and church hierarchies was ceded to the "people", but who exactly were the people? Were women to be included? What about the enslaved? We are reminded in an essay on Thomas Jefferson in Paris that the author of the famous words that "All Men are Created Equal" and a champion of the French Revolution held slaves while in Paris (where by French law they were legally free) and was a slaveholder throughout his life.
In another essay we are reminded that there have been (and still are) practical limitations on our cherished vision of "democracy" of the people. Only members of the House of Representatives were directly elected. Until the 20th century, Senators were elected by their state legislators and the president by state "electors", determined by the states' number of seats in the Congress. The Founding Fathers clearly sought to buffer the political process from too much influence of the masses. Moreover, the "2/3rds" clause in the Constitution counted each slave as 2/3rds of a person for purposes of census. Thus, since census ultimately determines the number of each state's electors, the slaveholding states had disporportionate number of votes in the electoral college. (Even today, the electoral college does not represent pure democracy. California with its population of 40 million has one elector per 727,272 citizens; Wyoming with a population of 579,000 has one per 193,000 citizens. Five times in the nation's history has the winner of popular vote not been the winner of the presidential election.)
For most of the years of the republic women could not vote, nor could slaves, nor, virtually (through odious legal trickery in many states) could their descendents. Only after two major social protests in the 20th century -- the women's suffrage movement and the civil rights protests --was the franchise broadened.
In my view, the most important subject taught to students is history. Many will forget their algebra or biology, but the teaching of history, if done honestly, can prepare them for the fullest exercise of their obligations of citizenship. I recall my own experience in high school in the deep south during the civil rights movement where the history of the Civil War, of slavery and the times following it were monstroulsly distorted in the curriculum in use then. Even today, the matter of what to include in textbooks or how to portray various aspects of "heritage" prompts strong feelings among politicians and educators. This slim book of essays, intended to supplement the standard textbooks, will stimulate the critical thinking of students and in this it will be a valuable addition to the classroom.
An important theme that emerges in most of the essays is the question of who is included in expanded liberty and equality? The power and control of the aristocracy and church hierarchies was ceded to the "people", but who exactly were the people? Were women to be included? What about the enslaved? We are reminded in an essay on Thomas Jefferson in Paris that the author of the famous words that "All Men are Created Equal" and a champion of the French Revolution held slaves while in Paris (where by French law they were legally free) and was a slaveholder throughout his life.
In another essay we are reminded that there have been (and still are) practical limitations on our cherished vision of "democracy" of the people. Only members of the House of Representatives were directly elected. Until the 20th century, Senators were elected by their state legislators and the president by state "electors", determined by the states' number of seats in the Congress. The Founding Fathers clearly sought to buffer the political process from too much influence of the masses. Moreover, the "2/3rds" clause in the Constitution counted each slave as 2/3rds of a person for purposes of census. Thus, since census ultimately determines the number of each state's electors, the slaveholding states had disporportionate number of votes in the electoral college. (Even today, the electoral college does not represent pure democracy. California with its population of 40 million has one elector per 727,272 citizens; Wyoming with a population of 579,000 has one per 193,000 citizens. Five times in the nation's history has the winner of popular vote not been the winner of the presidential election.)
For most of the years of the republic women could not vote, nor could slaves, nor, virtually (through odious legal trickery in many states) could their descendents. Only after two major social protests in the 20th century -- the women's suffrage movement and the civil rights protests --was the franchise broadened.
In my view, the most important subject taught to students is history. Many will forget their algebra or biology, but the teaching of history, if done honestly, can prepare them for the fullest exercise of their obligations of citizenship. I recall my own experience in high school in the deep south during the civil rights movement where the history of the Civil War, of slavery and the times following it were monstroulsly distorted in the curriculum in use then. Even today, the matter of what to include in textbooks or how to portray various aspects of "heritage" prompts strong feelings among politicians and educators. This slim book of essays, intended to supplement the standard textbooks, will stimulate the critical thinking of students and in this it will be a valuable addition to the classroom.
September 14, 2020
Ever since I watched Les Misérables and read the book afterwards I am interested in revolutions throughout history. The musical about Alexander Hamilton did the rest. The problem is that I am a very slow reader when it comes to non-fiction books - I rather get to know about history through novels and stories. So when I saw this book on Netgalley I instantly hit the request button!
Every story is set in another place -for example Sweden, America, France, Great Britain..." and tells well researched stories about different people. It's so interesting to see what happened in different countries at the same time and how actions at one place influenced another one. I loved to read about rebelling fishwives in Paris or about the paintress Elisabeth and her portraits of Marie Antoinette. I got to know about people I never heard about but who influenced other people and their actions, for example about Dr. James Hutton who set up a new theory about the age of the earth.
What amazed, or rather shocked, me the most is that I've never heard about most of the people mentioned in this book although they all did their own important part in history.
Even though the proclamation of everyone being equal was a big issue in 1789 the stories show that the exact opposite existed when it came to slaving or voting rights. Today as well as back then we ask ourselves "Are all people equal? Why? Why not?". What all the stories got in common is that they show you as a reader that you can make a difference - nevermind your past, gender, origin. Every voice shall be heard - that's why the stories in this book are still relevant!
I look forward to put a physical copy of this book in my shelf soon :-)
Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with this free E-ARC!
Every story is set in another place -for example Sweden, America, France, Great Britain..." and tells well researched stories about different people. It's so interesting to see what happened in different countries at the same time and how actions at one place influenced another one. I loved to read about rebelling fishwives in Paris or about the paintress Elisabeth and her portraits of Marie Antoinette. I got to know about people I never heard about but who influenced other people and their actions, for example about Dr. James Hutton who set up a new theory about the age of the earth.
What amazed, or rather shocked, me the most is that I've never heard about most of the people mentioned in this book although they all did their own important part in history.
Even though the proclamation of everyone being equal was a big issue in 1789 the stories show that the exact opposite existed when it came to slaving or voting rights. Today as well as back then we ask ourselves "Are all people equal? Why? Why not?". What all the stories got in common is that they show you as a reader that you can make a difference - nevermind your past, gender, origin. Every voice shall be heard - that's why the stories in this book are still relevant!
I look forward to put a physical copy of this book in my shelf soon :-)
Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with this free E-ARC!
September 30, 2020
HS+ Excellent book to introduce new stories into the curriculum for American History and World History. From the publisher:
“The Rights of Man.” What does that mean? In 1789 that question rippled all around the world. Do all men have rights—not just nobles and kings? What then of enslaved people, women, the original inhabitants of the Americas? In the new United States a bill of rights was passed, while in France the nation tumbled toward revolution. In the Caribbean preachers brought word of equality, while in the South Pacific sailors mutinied. New knowledge was exploding, with mathematicians and scientists rewriting the history of the planet and the digits of pi. Lauded anthology editors Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti, along with ten award-winning nonfiction authors, explore a tumultuous year when rights and freedoms collided with enslavement and domination, and the future of humanity seemed to be at stake.
Some events and actors are familiar: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Marie Antoinette and the Marquis de Lafayette. Others may be less so: the eloquent former slave Olaudah Equiano, the Seneca memoirist Mary Jemison, the fishwives of Paris, the mathematician Jurij Vega, and the painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. But every chapter brings fresh perspectives on the debates of the time, inviting readers to experience the passions of the past and ask new questions of today.
“The Rights of Man.” What does that mean? In 1789 that question rippled all around the world. Do all men have rights—not just nobles and kings? What then of enslaved people, women, the original inhabitants of the Americas? In the new United States a bill of rights was passed, while in France the nation tumbled toward revolution. In the Caribbean preachers brought word of equality, while in the South Pacific sailors mutinied. New knowledge was exploding, with mathematicians and scientists rewriting the history of the planet and the digits of pi. Lauded anthology editors Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti, along with ten award-winning nonfiction authors, explore a tumultuous year when rights and freedoms collided with enslavement and domination, and the future of humanity seemed to be at stake.
Some events and actors are familiar: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Marie Antoinette and the Marquis de Lafayette. Others may be less so: the eloquent former slave Olaudah Equiano, the Seneca memoirist Mary Jemison, the fishwives of Paris, the mathematician Jurij Vega, and the painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. But every chapter brings fresh perspectives on the debates of the time, inviting readers to experience the passions of the past and ask new questions of today.
August 8, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review through LibraryThing.
This collection of short essays is uneven. While some of them are riveting and all are well researched, a couple of them strayed into science and mathematical discoveries that didn't quite hold my attention. One of them I skipped outright--I'm Jewish. I don't care about Methodists. I'm not sorry.
(There's a line in the preface of the book about how a man is only equal if he's Christian...which begs the question of what a Jewish man is...)
I didn't entirely agree with the conclusions in "The Choice", but I can see that it was well researched and well written. Still, I know from my other readings that Thomas Jefferson was a man of many contradictions, so it's possible the conclusions Aronson draws are accurate. I don't claim to be a historian.
The best essays were "The Choice" and the last one about the mutiny on the Bounty. Never having heard the story, I was riveted. It also makes me want to read more about it, as did a few other essays here. I'm even willing to try reading about Thomas Jefferson again.
Unfortunately, the book was uneven and, as a result, felt longer than it was. I would recommend it to high school students, with the caveat that not all essays will appeal to all readers.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review through LibraryThing.
This collection of short essays is uneven. While some of them are riveting and all are well researched, a couple of them strayed into science and mathematical discoveries that didn't quite hold my attention. One of them I skipped outright--I'm Jewish. I don't care about Methodists. I'm not sorry.
(There's a line in the preface of the book about how a man is only equal if he's Christian...which begs the question of what a Jewish man is...)
I didn't entirely agree with the conclusions in "The Choice", but I can see that it was well researched and well written. Still, I know from my other readings that Thomas Jefferson was a man of many contradictions, so it's possible the conclusions Aronson draws are accurate. I don't claim to be a historian.
The best essays were "The Choice" and the last one about the mutiny on the Bounty. Never having heard the story, I was riveted. It also makes me want to read more about it, as did a few other essays here. I'm even willing to try reading about Thomas Jefferson again.
Unfortunately, the book was uneven and, as a result, felt longer than it was. I would recommend it to high school students, with the caveat that not all essays will appeal to all readers.
July 19, 2022
A stunning telling of one of the most revolutionary years in human history. 1789 is a collection of stories retold and compiled by 12 different authors, these authors include Tanya Stone, Karen Engelman, Amy Alznauer, Susan Bartoletti, Marc Aronson, Joyce Hansen, Summer Edward, Cynthia Levinson, Sanford Levinson, Christopher Turner, Sally M. Walker, and Steve Sheinkin. Every story felt separate and connected at the same time throughout the book because of the recurring characters and the pressure put on by previous events. This is evident in chapter 1 and chapter 5, as chapter 1 “The Fishwives Make The Rules” speaks of the overthrowing of the French monarchy and establishing of The Declaration of The Rights of Man And of The Citizen. The document is then the driving force of the conflict in chapter 5. There was a great sense of scale that really made the events feel significant not just the characters in the story but for humanity as a whole. These authors managed to write engaging works about the lives of people from Sweden in chapter 2 all the way to Tahiti in chapter 11, whilst keeping to one theme. The dialogue created an ere of unease, as if something dramatic could happen at any moment. An example of this is in chapter 9 when Mary (a member of the Seneca people) is told of her home being burned and there food destroyed. With many twists and turns, this is a great book for any history nut or anybody who just wants to learn about revolutions, science, and slavery.
November 29, 2022
As a collection of history essays, 1789 is a bit uneven. Some I thoroughly enjoyed -- particularly the last two, which focused on James Hutton (the English geologist who first posited that the Earth was much older than a mere 6,000 years) and the HMS Bounty mutiny. Others, unfortunately, were either overwritten in an effort to make their subject appear more fascinating (the chapter on Jurij Vega and the calculation of pi) or oddly hagiographic of complicated figures (Gustav III and Marie Antoinette).
My feelings were most conflicted regarding the chapter that theorized that Sally Hemings shared a loving relationship with Thomas Jefferson, who essentially considered the Hemings his family. To be honest, I think modern discourse probably does underestimate Sally Hemings' agency and goes too far in discounting the possibility of genuine connection between her and Jefferson. From what we know, it's hard to imagine their relationship was just pure, cold exploitation. But the fact remains that we DON'T know, and probably never will. And while one can certainly entertain the possibility that they shared a loving relationship, in my opinion, this chapter went too far in promoting that interpretation.
But overall, a good book for young readers, and it gave me several ideas for topics I want to read more about in the future.
My feelings were most conflicted regarding the chapter that theorized that Sally Hemings shared a loving relationship with Thomas Jefferson, who essentially considered the Hemings his family. To be honest, I think modern discourse probably does underestimate Sally Hemings' agency and goes too far in discounting the possibility of genuine connection between her and Jefferson. From what we know, it's hard to imagine their relationship was just pure, cold exploitation. But the fact remains that we DON'T know, and probably never will. And while one can certainly entertain the possibility that they shared a loving relationship, in my opinion, this chapter went too far in promoting that interpretation.
But overall, a good book for young readers, and it gave me several ideas for topics I want to read more about in the future.
October 19, 2023
Do all people have rights in their own government? In the book 1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change, twelve different authors explore the world in 1789 and some of the controversy surrounding citizen rights and how these rights were developed in each country. Also discussed were the new ideas being developed in various countries around the world including the USA.
When people think that everyone has always had rights, they should read this book because it shows that it isn't true. There hasn't been freedom or rights for lots of people. In the chapter "Who Counted in America" you read information on who was considered smart enough to be given rights under the law. In the end it would always come down to the white and wealthy men getting to vote. Women and black people didn't get counted as people who deserved to have voting rights or power. They have had to push and push to get their rights.
Those interested in history and willing to learn that people have been treated wrongly in the past should really give the book 1789 a chance. The book shows you that there are many countries that have struggled with human rights. You should give this book a chance because it shows you different perspectives.
When people think that everyone has always had rights, they should read this book because it shows that it isn't true. There hasn't been freedom or rights for lots of people. In the chapter "Who Counted in America" you read information on who was considered smart enough to be given rights under the law. In the end it would always come down to the white and wealthy men getting to vote. Women and black people didn't get counted as people who deserved to have voting rights or power. They have had to push and push to get their rights.
Those interested in history and willing to learn that people have been treated wrongly in the past should really give the book 1789 a chance. The book shows you that there are many countries that have struggled with human rights. You should give this book a chance because it shows you different perspectives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2020
***3 and 1/2 stars***
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a collection of essays from different young adult authors that explore different ideas of revolution and enlightenment happening around the world during the year 1789. The recommended age is 12 and up but I think this book would be much more appealing to high school students. I also think you would have to find a student with a high interest in history to choose this as a free reading book. What this book is perfect for is as a supplemental text for a high school history class. Teachers could also use specific essays on their own to bring context to a historical event. Specifically, the essay “The Choice” written by Marc Aronson which examines Sally Hemings decision to stay with Thomas Jefferson in Pairs while she was pregnant with his child would be a great companion text to a discussion on slavery and also to the book “Jefferson’s Sons” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Another essy “Who is Counted in America?” would be great to study along with current events of the Black Lives Matter movement. Overall, a great text to use as part of a bigger history curriculum.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a collection of essays from different young adult authors that explore different ideas of revolution and enlightenment happening around the world during the year 1789. The recommended age is 12 and up but I think this book would be much more appealing to high school students. I also think you would have to find a student with a high interest in history to choose this as a free reading book. What this book is perfect for is as a supplemental text for a high school history class. Teachers could also use specific essays on their own to bring context to a historical event. Specifically, the essay “The Choice” written by Marc Aronson which examines Sally Hemings decision to stay with Thomas Jefferson in Pairs while she was pregnant with his child would be a great companion text to a discussion on slavery and also to the book “Jefferson’s Sons” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Another essy “Who is Counted in America?” would be great to study along with current events of the Black Lives Matter movement. Overall, a great text to use as part of a bigger history curriculum.
September 14, 2020
This one is a 3.5 for me. I enjoy books like this that focus on one year or period of time because they make me think about all the events swirling around the world at the same time. Just as they did in their earlier book focusing on 1968, editors Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti lead the way as ten other authors craft essays about 1789 and the changes that occurred during that important year. The subtitle hints at the year's surprises as some surprising acts of rebellion occurred. The essays are brief, interesting, and tackle some of the issues that are still with us now or were important in the future of various nations. Here readers will find feminist slants on those important moments, including a protest led by Paris fishwives, an artist who painted Marie Antoinette, a teenager facing a hard choice, among others. Slavery and the idea of what makes a man and who has certain rights as well as the writing of this nation's Bill of Rights also receive attention as does the arrival of the Methodist Church or Wesleyans in the West Indies. Each entry contains provocative musings and will surely prompt curiosity on the part of readers eager to learn even more. History fans will enjoy this collection because of its focus but also because of the lively writing.
April 8, 2021
The year 1789 is a landmark year around the world including the start of the French Revolution. In the US, George Washington was elected the first President of the United States in February. The first Congress met in March to declare the Constitution in placed in effect and the beginning of the United States.
Read the recently published middle grades book, then learn more at the website:
1789: TWELVE AUTHORS EXPLORE A YEAR OF REBELLION, REVOLUTION, AND CHANGE by Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti is an anthology featuring a dozen narratives written by award-winning nonfiction authors. While some focus on rights and freedoms in the US, others explore issues of enslavement, change, and struggles from around the world.
Wikipedia’s timeline pages provide a useful starting point for exploring key years both in the United States and around the world.
Visit the global 1789 website at https://bit.ly/3bvJPop
Visit the US 1789 website at https://bit.ly/334lwdk
ARC courtesy of Candlewick.
Read the recently published middle grades book, then learn more at the website:
1789: TWELVE AUTHORS EXPLORE A YEAR OF REBELLION, REVOLUTION, AND CHANGE by Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti is an anthology featuring a dozen narratives written by award-winning nonfiction authors. While some focus on rights and freedoms in the US, others explore issues of enslavement, change, and struggles from around the world.
Wikipedia’s timeline pages provide a useful starting point for exploring key years both in the United States and around the world.
Visit the global 1789 website at https://bit.ly/3bvJPop
Visit the US 1789 website at https://bit.ly/334lwdk
ARC courtesy of Candlewick.
November 15, 2020
This is excellent non-fiction about the tumultuous year 1789. It would be great as an addition to world history curriculum and I wish a teacher could do such a thing: focus on a year and the important events that happened around the world. All that being said, I can't really imagine reading it from cover to cover, as I would do outside of school.
I learned an awful lot about the thoughts, revolutions, and rebellions that happened in 1789. Some I knew, like the fishwives in France, but most (all?) of the other chapters were brand new facts for me. It is interesting to me that there are times in history when so much is happening, like an explosion all at once. Like the renaissance, the age of enlightenment was a time when a lot of like-minded individuals happened to exist at the same time (and sometimes, place).
My thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I learned an awful lot about the thoughts, revolutions, and rebellions that happened in 1789. Some I knew, like the fishwives in France, but most (all?) of the other chapters were brand new facts for me. It is interesting to me that there are times in history when so much is happening, like an explosion all at once. Like the renaissance, the age of enlightenment was a time when a lot of like-minded individuals happened to exist at the same time (and sometimes, place).
My thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2021
I saw this just on the shelf at the library and picked it up. The idea of choosing a date and then writing about happenings around the world that were happening at the same time is fascinating to me. I’d like to see more of that. I didn’t realize until I was reading it that it is for YA (I’m not sure what ages that covers.) 1789 is the year the U S constitution was ratified. Some of the other events written about were new to me and some I just hadn’t realize where happening at the same time. I thought the essay about Sally Hemings didn’t fit and was unnecessary and didn’t add anything of value to the collection. (Written by editor Marc Aronson) I really enjoyed the essay about the female portrait painter Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun and her paintings of Marie Antoinette. (By Susan Campbell Bartoletti, the other editor.) All in all I thought it worth reading.
September 17, 2020
I got a free copy of this in order to review it. However, all thoughts are my own.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the theory of 12 different stories about things happening in the year 1789. I also appreciate that it doesn't just focus on America and England. It really shows that 1789 was a year of revolution and was changing what freedom meant.
This would be perfect to complement a Social Studies or History class. I would have loved to read this in 8th grade or freshman year of high school. Overall, it is a great anthology and was interesting. I think just by the nature of an anthology, I knew some of the stories and I didn't know others. That is why I think this would be perfect for a younger person learning about this time period.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the theory of 12 different stories about things happening in the year 1789. I also appreciate that it doesn't just focus on America and England. It really shows that 1789 was a year of revolution and was changing what freedom meant.
This would be perfect to complement a Social Studies or History class. I would have loved to read this in 8th grade or freshman year of high school. Overall, it is a great anthology and was interesting. I think just by the nature of an anthology, I knew some of the stories and I didn't know others. That is why I think this would be perfect for a younger person learning about this time period.
October 19, 2020
I'm always on the lookout for non-fiction books that have a more global perspective to use in international schools. While there is a definite American bias in some of the selections where the author talks about "our country," and the focus does seem to be more on Europe than other parts of the world, this book still gets high marks for including non-American events and people that are not as well known. For example, I learned about Gustav III from Sweden, someone I'd never heard of who had a profound effect on the country Sweden is today. An excellent choice for middle and high school libraries.
April 16, 2021
I loved this book of essays by great young adult nonfiction writers. The idea of using a year in the life of the world, and capturing events of that time is brilliant. And I learned a lot. For example, I learned about the painter Marie LeBrun, who painted the queen of France, and the importance of style of clothing before the French Revolution. I learned about the the beginning of the study of Geology, which sounds dry, but since dating of the Earth was actually a religious question, was anything but. And the story of the mutiny on the HMS Bounty was a fascinating close to the book. Some of these essays would be great reading for World and US History high school classes.
April 2, 2022
I stumbled upon this very interesting book while browsing the shelves of one of my local libraries. Being a History Geek (Museum Educator/Living Historian) I simply HAD to read it (I didn't even notice that it was a YA book). There's a lot of information packed in a slim volume.
I love the variety of revolutions presented, proving that revolution comes in many forms. I also love that lesser known people were written about (some of whom I've never heard of).
Now I have to find 1968, as well as the other books mentioned in the Authors Notes (which are every bit as interesting as the main book).
I love the variety of revolutions presented, proving that revolution comes in many forms. I also love that lesser known people were written about (some of whom I've never heard of).
Now I have to find 1968, as well as the other books mentioned in the Authors Notes (which are every bit as interesting as the main book).
July 16, 2020
Really fascinating read focusing on one year of change rippling across different parts of the world, varying types of people, and diverse disciplines. It was incredible for me to read and see how the world was changing so drastically in that year. To think we take for granted the ability to know what is happening in far reaches and corners of the world and know they are connected because of technology; however, this book brought together a compilation of related and seemingly unrelated events and portrayed them from a bird’s eye view.
January 3, 2021
I read quite a few Young Adult and Middle Grade history books this year both on my own and with my boys. This one was my favorite. The twelve essays cover a wide range of topics from the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette's favorite portraitist to Sally Hemings' years in Paris with Thomas Jefferson to the Mutiny on the Bounty. It really was a fascinating look at a fascinating year, and I want to read the other book in the series, 1968: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change, as well.
October 13, 2020
I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I was expecting a historical fiction anthology for some reason, but I'm not mad when I found out that it's actually an essay anthology because all of the essays are captivating and interesting to read! All of them managed to capture the exhilaration and hopes in the year 1789, where revolutions are happening physically and through ideas, through various eyes of people involved in the events.
I was expecting a historical fiction anthology for some reason, but I'm not mad when I found out that it's actually an essay anthology because all of the essays are captivating and interesting to read! All of them managed to capture the exhilaration and hopes in the year 1789, where revolutions are happening physically and through ideas, through various eyes of people involved in the events.
March 21, 2021
Much like the 1968 anthology, this book will appeal to history lovers and students researching specific historical aspects surrounding the year 1789. While much of what I read were vague memories of what I learned as a student of history, the connections between all of the events could be seen as the tumult of the era was nearly global. I would love to use these essays in US History classes to challenge students to consider the connectivity of events across the globe.
December 9, 2022
1789 covers a diverse number of topics with the unifying theme of it mainly happening in the year of 1789. Each essay was relatively short (10-12 pages usually). Everything was very western focused (Europe/USA) so it’s not a worldwide snapshot of the year. I found each one fascinating and sometimes found myself wondering just why when told to write an essay about 1789 the author chose that particular topic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews