Stories that Changed America: Muckrakers of the 20th Century
Adult/High School-A professor emeritus of communications at Sonoma State University, Jensen produces an annual summary of the news stories that were most neglected (or censored) by the mainstream media. From his work as director of Project Censored came the popular compilation, Twenty Years of Censored News (Seven Stories, 1997). This new volume collects a century's worth of American muckraking, focusing on such noted authors as Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, I. F. Stone, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein. The author provides brief biographical and background information, along with samples from the writers' most influential work. This format serves readers interested in the broad topic of investigative journalism, as well as students doing research on a particular writer or writers. The prose is straightforward, the tone engaging, and the vocabulary nonacademic. Although some of Jensen's 21 selections are questionable (Malcolm X and J. William Fulbright are seldom thought of as muckrakers), all of his subjects have altered the political, social, and cultural course of our nation's history with their words. Many teens will be fascinated by these dedicated individuals who demonstrated by their courageous work that, without freedom of the press, democracy cannot be sustained.Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.