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Aronson, Marc, Editor

1789: Today's Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, & Change

208 pp. | Candlewick | September, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-5362-0873-3 $22.99
(2) YA As they did in their previous anthology, 1968: Today's Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution & Change, the editors take a pivotal year in world history and, through eleven essays (by authors including themselves, Joyce Hansen, Steven Sheinkin, and Summer Edward), explore global revolutionary themes in math, science, philosophy, art, government, and religion as well as the individuals who embody them. These "rebels" include a missionary, a geologist, an artist, two enslaved people, and a group of French fishwives. While proclamations about the "rights of man" appear to stress the worth of every individual, the global realities were often different. The editors' introduction asks, "What is a man?" and the subsequent discussions cement the idea that it is white males who were "created equal": women, native populations, and enslaved individuals enjoyed no such status, although their stories offer a glimpse into the tension inherent between the high-minded statements of the Enlightenment and the everyday realities of marginalized members of the population. Aronson's chapter, "The Choice," crystalizes this conflict, as readers learn that Thomas Jefferson could not only co-author The Rights of Man but also enslave people (and father children with teenage Sally Hemings). Each essay can be appreciated individually, but the overall picture, of societies reconciling competing ideas of science and faith or equality and oppression, becomes clearer throughout the book. Appended with author notes, documentation, and a complete bibliography of sources.
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

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