The Spanish-American War
Grade 7 Up-- "A splendid little war!," exulted diplomat John Hay about the Spanish-American War of 1898. Marrin makes clear that this sentiment was shared by many--including the hero of San Juan Hill, Theodore Roosevelt--in this readable, fascinating account. In his usual taut, no-nonsense, research-based prose, Marrin delineates how American jingoists, expansionists, "big navy" advocates, yellow journalists, and filibusters manuevered the nation into taking part in the easy defeat of an outgunned Spanish fleet. He makes good use of relevant contemporary quotations, informative discussions of famous and not-so-famous participants, and incisive examinations of causes and results; he enables readers to understand how the war led directly to the bloody Philippine Insurrection and the many parallels that this antiguerilla war had with the U. S. participation in Vietnam. The book goes beyond the older The Spanish-American War (Crown, 1971; o.p.) by Chidsey and is an important contribution to literature for young people. --David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WACopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.