Sac History Happenings: Sacramento One Book chooses two books on the U.S. Constitution

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

March 5, 2012

Sacramento One Book chooses two books on the U.S. Constitution

Penguin Guide.jpg The Sacramento Public Library is going for broke this year with its Sacramento One Book program, celebrating two books rather than one, according to director Rivkah Sass.

Appropriately for an election year, the library's main book choice is "The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution" by constitutional scholar Richard Beeman (Penguin, $12, 224 pages), Sass announced.

"The book is set in a small colony where a group of terrorists is plotting the overthrow of a king," Sass joked about the guide to the making of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. "Much like the characters in the movie 'Oceans 11,' each has a special skill."

The library's "companion" selection, "Constitution Cafe," is by educator Christopher Phillips (W.W. Norton, $24.95, 321 pages).

"The Penguin Guide" is described as "a marvel of accessibility and what every American should have: a compact, fully annotated copy of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution and amendments." Visit Beeman at www.richardbeeman.com.

Publishers Weekly magazine writes of "Constitution Cafe": "In an era of hyper-partisanship, it's refreshing to read instances of Americans from all political persuasions holding rational and respectful conversations with one another." Visit Phillips at www.christopherphillips.com.

California Reads: Sacramento One Book asks everyone in our community to read the same book and participate in events online and at library branches, schools and other venues. Programs will be tailored to adults, teens and children, and will include hands-on activities, films, music, writing projects, and group readings and discussions. The program is on track to start in mid-September and run through October.

For other information, call (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

-- Allen Pierleoni

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

blog comments powered by Disqus

California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

FOLLOW US | Get more from sacbee.com | Follow us on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook | Get news in your inbox | View our mobile versions | e-edition: Print edition online | What our bloggers are saying