Changes

|title=Signing Their Rights Away

|author=Denise Kiernan

|borrow=Yes

|isbn=978-1594745201

|pages=256

|publisher=Quirk Books

|date=October 2011

|summary=An accessible look at the lives of the thirty-nine creators and signatories of the United States Constitution, in an attractive hardback edition. Would make a nice gift for a fan of Americana, a fresh US citizen or an American teen with an interest in history.

}}

It has to be said that, apart from the short intro and the text on the facsimile (and in the appendix), there is little straightforward information or analysis of the Constitution or even the process of its creation itself in ''Signing Their Rights Away'', although it's obliquely ever-present in biographical notes. Before picking up the book I expected more of a continuous narrative but I found the dip-in format surprisingly enjoyable.

Recommended.

If this subject appeals, [[Thomas Paine: His Life, His Time and the Birth of the Modern Nations by Craig Nelson]] offers a more extensive and in-depth look at one of the fathers of the American state. The lives of modern American politicians are charted in [[American Caesars: Lives of the US Presidents, from Franklin D Roosevelt to George W Bush by Nigel Hamilton]] while [[The American Future: A History by Simon Schama]] is a fascinating look at all aspects of the American history.

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[[Category:Politics and Society]]