The Ten-Year Century: Explaining the First Decade of the New Millennium

by James B. Sutherland

Overview

Remember worrying about the Y2K bug in 1999? Or life before Twitter? Ten years ago, September 11 was just another day, Facebook didn't exist, and Barack Obama was a little-known state senator. Some have called the jam-packed first decade of the new millennium the "ten-year century" for all of the history-making, life-changing developments it's contained.

Now, James Sutherland explores these influential years for the audience that's grown up in it, putting history in context and explaining how the world is smaller, faster, and more connected than it's ever been-and why it matters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101457276
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/14/2010
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	165
Lexile:	1140L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

James Sutherland is a freelance writer. He lives with his wife and son in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

This overview of the first 10 years of the new millennium focuses on significant developments that have shaped life in the United States today. Former political reporter Sutherland (Up Close: Ronald Reagan) begins each section with a synopsis of trends in popular culture and newsworthy events (such as the creation of Facebook and destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003), before discussing specific topics, which range from the voter recount during the 2000 election to September 11, the war in Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. After addressing the prevailing pessimism as a result of the current economy, Sutherland ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that solutions come from "learning about the world and always trying to understand the times we live in." The lucid, balanced narration results in a nuanced representation of a rapidly changing era. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7–10—Sutherland's focus is clearly on politics, providing in-depth descriptions of the various campaigns and elections that have occurred over the last 10 years, including the Gore vs. Bush election and the wrangling that followed in Florida, ending with the Supreme Court decision. Details about September 11th, the wars that followed, and important players of the decade are all included. References to pop culture or social phenomena are mostly in passing. Lengthy descriptions are sometimes repetitive. However, the writing is accessible and readers will detect no real bias or agenda. The captioned stock photographs do little to enhance the text. Detailed source notes and a lengthy bibliography are included. While not providing any new information, this volume could be a solid choice for libraries looking to have some of recent history available to students.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

There was great anticipation for the arrival of the 21st century, but few could have predicted the rapid change the first ten years would bring. Stories of a contested election decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, the 9/11 attacks, two wars, natural disasters, the near collapse of the financial system and the election of the nation's first African-American president are woven with those of the dot.com bust, the rise of social networking, the explosion of new communication tools and the splintering of information media. Following an introduction and prologue that nicely set the stage, each year gets its own chapter, and events with the greatest impact are discussed in a lively manner. Sutherland tries to be evenhanded, although some might take issue with his positioning PBS's News Hour as liberal opposite conservative Fox News. The author provides the often-missing context for dramatic headlines. However, the unexciting format will do little to attract readers to these stories. There are a few familiar photographs but little else to grab readers who could be enriched by this perspective. Source notes and bibliography are included, as is an index (not seen). (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews