The book starts out introducing the reader to the 50 selected subjects with their portrait, name, year of birth (and death, if applicable), and a quote from the subject. The portraits allow a younger reader to pick up the book and understand the reader's message. The mature reader can learn more about the fifty Americans who tell the truth by reading the biographies included at the end of the book. The author exposes the reader to people from various backgrounds since the selected Americans vary in age, gender, race, and class. The short biographies on the fifty Americans let the reader learn about the subject and helping them understand why the author selected them as a subject for the book. ( )

From the moment I started this book I could not help but think that someone wrote it for my future high school social studies classes. This book follows no narrative, and tells no single story. Rather, it is full of beautiful portraits of various American revolutionaries, abolitionists, politicians, and other figures who have opposed oppression throughout our history. Each portrait is accompanied by an inspirational quote such as Dr. King’s “Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” The end of the book holds an alphabetized list with a brief bit about each figure, telling pertinent facts about their history and impact. The book is neat, concise, and well organized. A reader could pick it up, and open to any page to find something good. This book would be an excellent starting point for any number of class discussions or writing assignments in any middle or high school social studies or English class. ( )

"Americans Who Tell the Truth" by Robert Shetterly was an interesting read, but it's organization is not something I am fond of. Shetterly displays a portrait of each person he believes told the truth about something, but he only gives the picture of them and a quote or tidbit of information. It isn't until the last 9 pages of the book that, in very small text, he gives you the information about how or why each person "told the truth". I didn't understand the separation of this information from the pictures and found myself very bored just looking at the pictures and not understanding why they were there without barely any info.

Another great book for Social Studies! There are portraits and biographies of 50 famous people, past and present. Love the illustrations. ( )

Review: "Americans Who Tell the Truth" is a informational book about figures in our nation's history who have worked to make our country strong and have allowed us to have the freedom that we have today.

Genre: Informational

Genre Critique: This book is an informational text because it highlights some very impacting figures in American history. Along with highlighting the figures, it also describes a bit about who they were and what they did to impact our country.