Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
In this fast-paced information age, how can Americans know what's really important and what's just a passing fashion? Now more than ever, we need a source that concisely sums up the knowledge that matters to Americans -- the people, places, ideas, and events that shape our cultural conversation. With more than six thousand entries,The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is that invaluable source. Wireless technology. Gene therapy. NAFTA. In addition to the thousands of terms described in the original Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, here are more than five hundred new entries to bring Americans' bank of essential knowledge up to date. The original entries have been fully revised to reflect recent changes in world history and politics, American literature, and, especially, science and technology. Cultural icons that have stood the test of time (Odysseus, Leaves of Grass, Cleopatra, the Taj Mahal, D-Day) appear alongside entries on such varied concerns as cryptography, the digital divide, the European Union, Kwanzaa, pheromones, SPAM, Type A and Type B personalities, Web browsers, and much, much more. As our world becomes more global and interconnected, it grows smaller through the terms and touchstones that unite us. As E. D. Hirsch writes in the preface, "Community is built up of shared knowledge and values -- the same shared knowledge that is taken for granted when we read a book or newspaper, and that is also taken for granted as part of the fabric that connects us to one another." A delicious concoction of information for anyone who wants to be in the know, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy brilliantly confirms once again that it is "an excellent piece of work . . . stimulating and enlightening" (New York Times) -- the most definitive and comprehensive family sourcebook of its kind.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
Customer Rating:
The book was in excellent condition and it arrived rapidly. Very pleased. Thanks for the great service.
A must-have reference book
Customer Rating:
Hirsch has done a great service for the public at large by compiling this reference work. Although the entries are intentionally very concise it lists for the reader all the basics and pointers needed to be literate in today's day and age. It masterfully avoids being superfluous. Supplements for specialized fields in this format would also be very useful to extend the core knowledge.
Need a survey book?
Customer Rating:
This is an excellent book for someone who wants to understand the basics of American culture, a survey. It contains definitions in alphabetical order. But do not be fooled--the information comes together through the definitions at the end of each section, making the book excellent for studying.
As a recent FSO test taker, this book was somewhat helpful for answering the questions on the test.
Poorly written and riddled with inaccuracies.
Customer Rating:
I agree that every American should be culturally literate; however, many entries in this book are simply inaccurate. For example, Guttenberg did not invent the printing press, and he did not invent movable-type printing. These inventions trace their origin to the east, where they were used aeons before Guttenberg even conceived of them.
I was also left with the impression that this book is too eurocentric, failing to adequately respresent non-european ancient cultures, to whom many Americans now trace their ancestry. No mention is made of mathematical or scientific discoveries by non-european cultures. For example, no mention is made of the fact that the maya independently discovered the concept of zero, or that they built the largest pyramid in the ancient world (containing 15% more volume than Egypt's largest). These little-known facts are just as important to cultural literacy as the fact that the ancient Greeks invented logic.
This is not to bash Europe. I think Europe is a great continent, with a rich history, and I certainly pay no homage to politically correct dimwits who equate tolerance with Europe-bashing. But Americans are increasingly diverse in their cultural and ethnic origins, and any book seeking to truly educate the American populace should keep that in mind...
Great Purchase
Customer Rating:
Every American family should own this book! It has all the essential details presented in an organized, succinct manner. Easy to use, fun to flip to random pages and see what you do or do not remember from school.
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