Argh! I had the review written but then my cat decided she wanted to type and erased what I'd written!

I received this book as a GoodReads giveaway; I signed up for the giveaway because I like history. I'm also well-ware that my last government class was the summer of 1986.

The book's organization reminded me of a series I read in upper elementary whose title escapes me. Each brief biography, averaging four pages, is organized according to the state-represented. The length of the biographies shouldn't be intimidating to teenagers but the length of the book might be. (Teen novels, with a few rare exceptions) appear to be novella-length.)

At first I was put-off by the slang (i.e. one biography referred to a signer's schnoz) and modern history references (the Clinton scandals, the Congressional page scandals, and the housing bubble crisis) which many teens may not understand. Once I understood the writers' styles, the writers' use of slang and references lightened what could have become a dense and intimidating tome.

I began reading this book on the train on the last day of an AVID conference in Dallas. Each biography is chockful of information and I found the reading heavier than I expected. The authors worked hard to find distinctive characteristics about each signer. I originally believed that I could finish the book by the 4th of July. I spent two weeks in Washington, DC. Somehow this book did not make it into my carry-on luggage. I found the book in my to-be-read pile instead of my currently-reading pile of books; I'm not sure how that happened.

I'm glad I took the time to read the appendices, especially Appendix 2. Anyone wanting to learn more about the human element of the Constitution ought to read the Signing their Rights Away.