- Available now
- What's new?
- Popular titles
- Read-Along eBooks for Kids
- Check these out!
- Spanish Titles for Young Readers
- Spanish Read-Along eBooks for Kids
- See all
Fault Lines in the Constitution
The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today
Husband-and-wife team Cynthia and Sanford Levinson take readers back to the creation of this historic document and discuss how contemporary problems were first introduced—then they offer possible solutions. Think Electoral College, gerrymandering, even the Senate. Many of us take these features in our system for granted. But they came about through haggling in an overheated room in 1787, and we're still experiencing the ramifications.
Each chapter in this timely and thoughtful exploration of the Constitution's creation begins with a story—all but one of them true— that connects directly back to a section of the document that forms the basis of our society and government. From the award-winning team, Cynthia Levinson, children's book author, and Sanford Levinson, constitutional law scholar, Fault Lines in the Constitution will encourage exploration and discussion from young and old readers alike.
Read by Mark Bramhall, Arthur Morey, Kimberly Farr, Erin Spencer, and Adenrele Ojo
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Awards
-
Release date
September 5, 2017 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780525524960
- File size: 185476 KB
- Duration: 06:26:24
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 1110
- Text Difficulty: 7-9
-
Reviews
-
AudioFile Magazine
Adenrele Ojo, Arthur Morey, Kimberly Farr, Erin Spencer, and, briefly, the authors themselves assist narrator Mark Bramhall in delivering a reasoned argument that the Constitution of the United States was designed for continual improvement and is currently in need of a few changes. Bramhall's conversational tone engages listeners, good-naturedly urging them to consider weighty Constitutional matters like the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and proportional representation. The phrase "there are other ways" frequently transitions to statistical information regarding constitutions from other countries. The words "The story continues" signal a return to the narrative. Secondary narrators voice quotes from the Framers and politicians with mixed effect. The authors themselves contribute a chapter in which they debate each other over the best way to effect positive changes in our government. L.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from September 4, 2017
Cynthia Levinson (The Youngest Marcher) and her constitutional law professor husband hone in on select aspects of the United States Constitution; after scrutiny of the Preamble’s intentions and some of the document’s problematic provisions, they call urgently for reform, giving it an overall C+ grade. (Sanford Levinson’s 2006 book, Our Undemocratic Constitution, navigated similar terrain for an adult readership.) The authors focus on how bills become law, who can vote or be elected to office, succession provisions, and amending the Constitution; the conundrum of the Electoral College merits its own section. Interest-piquing anecdotes open each chapter, the effects of the Constitution’s provisions are dramatically summarized in poster-like illustrations, and the ensuing discussions—a review of the Framers’ concerns in 1787, analyses of various “Big Problems,” and possible solutions found in other operating constitutions—are both cogent and highly readable (“We continue to operate under the terms of their last-minute flip-flop”). This thought-provoking and exceptionally topical work concludes with a debate between the Levinsons over the best way to accomplish much-needed changes to America’s most basic governing document. Ages 10–14. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. -
Publisher's Weekly
August 3, 2020
This jaunty graphic adaptation of the Levinsons’ 2017 youth guide to “the framers, their fights, and the flaws that affect us today” highlights the enduring problem points in the foundational document of the United States. Each chapter opens with real-life dilemmas that, according to the authors, stemmed from “crises we’ve faced since 1787 the limitations, ambiguities, and flatly bad ideas in the Constitution.” The work is at its strongest in these personalized anecdotes, such as an elderly woman disenfranchised by voter ID laws and an undocumented immigrant’s fight for legal status, but focus gets lost as 21 chapters race to cram in examples of how the Constitution impacts contemporary America in matter ranging from gerrymandering to farm subsidies. Shwed’s crisp layouts and cute character design manage to make the information overload more digestible, while Gerardo Alba’s red-white-and-blue color palette provides even the driest topics some pop. The Levinsons can be credited with a mountain of research and noble aims. But while it may appeal to students eager to avoid a standard textbook slog, the combination of dense text and rambling focus proves less accessible than the comics treatment promises. All the elements for a timely resource are here, but the result feels a touch underbaked.
-
Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
subjects
Languages
- English
Levels
- Lexile® Measure:1110
- Text Difficulty:7-9
Loading
Why is availability limited?
×Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
×Read-along ebook
×The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.