Teach Your Children Well: An Aging Rock Critic's Album of the Year
This is the first year in more than twenty that I haven't even bothered filling out any of those big, high profile critic's polls. Frankly, my beloved Dad is quite ill and it just hasn't seemed terribly important to let the world know that my own favorite album of the year is Home Before Dark by Neil Diamond or my personal favorite single of the year is "Waitin' On A Woman" by Brad Paisley. But as a concerned parent now myself, I wanted to take just a moment to honor one box set that I feel every parent with any disposable income ought to invest in even during these very trying times.
One Hundred Greatest: The Greatest Speeches, News Stories, Personalities, Scandals and Sports Event of the Last Century (Shout Factory) may not be everything your kids need to know about the history of this world they live in and some earlier trying time. Yet over the course of five CDs, it's sure one hell of a fine start. If we really want no children left behind, we all better try a lot harder to teach our kids the lessons of history that we as a country have been so busy ignoring these past eight years. Here's hoping that eight years from now, the folks behind One Hundred Greatest have to add a sixth CD that documents President Obama and some other inspiring men and women eloquently digging us all out of this huge hole of our own making.
No, Virginia, you can't really dance to Eisenhower's prophetic 1961 Farewell Speech or FCC chairman Newton Minow's visionary warning of a "vast wasteland" from the same year, but who knows, it just might make you -- or someone you love -- think.
Like the old song says, teach your children well.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
What a great idea! I haven’t seen this. I’ll look around. I have books on several of those topics, and some fun news of the world type books that walk them through American and World history. I am a stickler for history, and no one ever seems to get it right. They either want to gloss over the bad parts of our past, or they can’t resist focusing on everything bad, and acting like nothing good ever happened before the latest philosophy to save the world. Go good call. I’m going to look around. For what it’s worth, I liked Diamond’s album, too.
Right now I am reading " A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World" by Tony Horwitz. Also very illuminating about the mis-teaching of history in our country but about much earlier centuries. I highly recommend it.
Mr. Wild - I will look forward to hearing the CD you recommend also.
I will try and take that "Voyage"
Happy New Year
When my favorite contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine recommends a CD -- I have to buy it. Happy New year, buddy! Have a joyous 2009!
Thank you Alioto.
My first ego stroke of 09 -- thank you. I needed it.
Happy New Year to you.
DW
The chidrun, they learn. As a kid, my illiterate Dad and Mom would put pictures of the Kennedys, Khrushev, Che Guevara, Castro, and others on the walls of the rented houses we lived in and would buy an occassional kids book on the stories about them and basically, that is how I learned my history cause I sure didn't get it at school, especially by judging how my classmates never knew who those great people were. For the kid's sake, those CDs ought do the trick. It's a neat idea and I'll bet a nickel to a dollar that it will work. Happy New Year to youse.
Youse too!
Khrushev?
Very nice, what a great gift this would have been this Christmas.
Looked up the One Hundred Greatest on Amazon, only one customer review who wrote that, rather than including entire speeches, only 30 - 60 second sound bites are included. So, thanks but no thanks...
Yes, your'e right -- it's basically a sample of history's greatest hits -- that's why I suggest it's a good introduction for kids.
maybe now that we are closing the door on the Bush years and the Era of Anti-Intellectualism
we can finally rid ourselves of the question "Is our children learning"
We can only hope, or as He might put it, "We could only be hoping"
Street Dogs: State of Grace.
get it. it's good.
Listening to "Free" right now
wow, what a great song that is. incredible.
Link, please.
Great list. And child's first real history book should be Howard Zinn's "A People's History."
Happy New Year!
Love Joe Henry -- "Civilans" is indeed brilliant
Give Joe Henry, a listen too great song writer and producer of those such as Elvis Costello among others, his latest album is called "Civilians" it's great and you can see him live in concert on the Fab Channel...easily worthy of a Grammy nomination and I know a little bit about this stuff as well...
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
