A History of Us: An Age of Extremes

Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text.

For the captains of industry men like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, and Henry Ford the Gilded Age is a time of big money. Technology boomed with the invention of trains, telephones, electric lights, harvesters, vacuum cleaners, and more. But for millions of immigrant workers, it is a time of big struggles, with adults and children alike working 12 to 14 hours a day under extreme, dangerous conditions. The disparity between the rich and the poor was dismaying, which prompted some people to action. In An Age of Extremes, you'll meet Mother Jones, Ida Tarbell, Big Bill Haywood, Sam Gompers, and other movers and shakers, and get swept up in the enthusiasm of Teddy Roosevelt. You'll also watch the United States take its greatest role on the world stage since the Revolution, as it enters the bloody battlefields of Europe in World War I.
About the Series:
Master storyteller Joy Hakim has excited millions of young minds with the great drama of American history in her award-winning series A History of US. Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text, A History of US weaves together exciting stories that bring American history to life. Hailed by reviewers, historians, educators, and parents for its exciting, thought-provoking narrative, the books have been recognized as a break-through tool in teaching history and critical reading skills to young people. In ten books that span from Prehistory to the 21st century, young people will never think of American history as boring again.

Hakim's ten-volume history of the United States makes American history as exciting as an adventure story and as stimulating as a suspense yarn. She tells stories with all the fascinating sides of factual history. The dates and events, characters and complexities, heroes, heroines and villains are woven into the great American history. B&W illustrations throughout, index and timelines.

[An] exciting series... Ms. Hakim braids multiple narratives together to bring alive material long dead to children's imaginations.--The New York Times Book Review

Joy Hakim didn't rewrite history. But she did make it a whole lot more fun to read.--Education Week

Readers young and old will find themselves amused, amazed, and engrossed by this searching, opinionated survey. In every sense a fresh look at our history. --Kirkus Reviews

Merits every accolade, starting with the most personal: I couldn't put it down.--Washington Post Book World

The liveliest, most realistic, most well-received American history series ever written for children.--Los Angeles Times

A thorough and accurate narrative of our nation's history.--The Philadelphia Inquirer

I think this is the best American history written for young people that I have ever seen.--David Herbert Donald, Harvard University; Pulitzer prize-winning author of Lincoln

When master storyteller Joy Hakim wields her pen, you're in for a breathtaking adventure.--Teaching K-8

An attention to detail and drama alike make these recommended choices for not only readers ages 8-13 but for entire families.--Children's Bookwatch

Absorbing, real and even fun to read.--Voice of Youth Advocates

Books of real substance that speak directly to kids.--Jean Fritz, author of Shhh, We're Writing the Constitution

One of the best nonfiction series of the decade. Impossible to put down.--School Library Journal