Children's Literature - Paula McMillen

Written by a professor of political science at York University in Toronto, this title in the "Groundwork Guide" series covers the history of empires from 3000 BC to present day in a short (under 150 pages), dense text. The author discusses different types of empires: those based on a slave/peasant economy (e.g., Egypt, Rome, and China), those based on economics—"mercantile empires"—(e.g., Spain, France and England), and global empires (e.g., Russia and the U.S.). His predominant thesis for well over half the book is that the United States is the latest example of an imperial empire, and he offers up extensive data and documentation to support his claim. The book's text is supported by several maps, highlighted case studies, notes to sources of information, and an index. A timeline at the end of the book illustrates that, in the overall history of empires, the United States is a newcomer with a short track record to date. It also serves as a visual reminder that other great empires have all come and gone. The book is appropriate as a supplement for high school history, but will undoubtedly provoke reactions from those who disagree with the author's portrayal of the current war as the "invasion of Iraq." Canada has never been an empire, but has been the subject of previous empires; similarly, this outside perspective provides some balance to texts produced in the U.S.-centric worldview that are commonly used in schools.