Ida Walker

I am really enjoying a new book club that I joined that focuses on cookbooks. I am learning so much about Vegan cooking, holiday treats, and now French baking. The 80 recipes in Simple French Baking by Manon Lagreve span many areas: desserts, pastries, afternoon snacks, and sweets. So difficult to pick a recipe to make and present to the class. The recipes all require golden caster, which I have never used. The metric system is the mode of measurement, but Manon supplies the Imperial system for those American bakers unfamiliar with the Metric System. The recipes are easy to follow and I am anxious for my venture into French baking.… (altro)

The Death Penalty by Ida Walker is an informative text that explores the controversial subject capital punishment. The book serves as a general overview of the capital punishment issue that continues to be a highly debated topic. Walker does a wonderful job of breaking down some of the main issues that surround capital punishment--The arguments on each side of the debate are compelling and encourage the reader to think critically about issues of justice, religion, human nature, and the purpose of punishment. She even discussed the practical aspects of the issues such as financial issues--how much it costs to keep an inmate imprisoned for life versus putting them to death. The language used in the book is clear, simple, academic, and easy to follow. The tone of this book is thoughtful and appropriately serious. This might not sit well with the younger audience that it was written for, but the unembellished nature of this book is a benefit in delivering knowledge of difficult concepts. I believe that this book could fall under the umbrella of a survey book because it provides a broad range of knowledge about the topic of capital punishment without going into great detail. The organization of this book follows most closely a topical structure. Although there is a touch of chronology to this book, it is not kept up throughout the entirety of this book; nor is the book centered around discussing the issues of capital punishment as it relates to time. The book discusses many subtopics in relation to the death penalty--religion, historical cases, legal terms, proponent/opponent views, etc. Therefore, it most closely follows a topical structure.

The cover of the book is a simple one: It is a photograph of a row of prison cells, with some of the inmates hanging their arms outside of the cell. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this cover is that one of the inmate's faces can be seen through a mirror that he is holding up. This particular inmate is a white male, and appears to be rather young—a fact that might be of interest to the younger audience for which this book was intended. There are no end pages featured in this book. The table of contents is clear and uncluttered, listing the books nine chapters (and on what pages they begin), which are themselves simply and straightforwardly titled. The chapter listings are followed by listings a timeline, essential facts, additional resources, glossary, source notes, index, and about the author.

Sidebars are includes in this book, and the often provide interesting additional information that it relevant to the topic of the book. For example, there is a sidebar on page 14 of the book that goes into brief detail about how Thomas Jefferson was the first person to limit the use of the death penalty. This is an interesting piece of information, and serves to provide historical context to a current issue. Walker includes inserted information as well, which is often valuable and relevant as well. For example, on page 11 there is inserted information under the heading ’The Death Penalty in the United States” that provides some interesting information--that the concept of death penalty was brought to America by British settlers, that the fist execution happened in 1608 to a man convicted of being a spy, and that, even then, there were some individuals who opposed the idea of capital punishment.

An index is included in this book, and is thoroughly and neatly organized, which I believe adds to its quality. Unfortunately, the index does not provide access to the visual texts that are featured in the book in many cases, which made the book feel somewhat disjointed and lacking. For example, there is a picture of ex Florida state governor Jeb Bush signing a bill that would "broaden the penalties for sexual crimes against children (Walker, pg. 87), yet there is no mention of him in the index. Similarly, a picture of Pope John Paul II, who adamantly opposed the death penalty, is featured in the book, yet there is no mention of him in the index either. There is however, an index mention of Christopher Simmons, who was seventeen when he received his death sentence. This is a good thing, but it brings up another aspect of this book that seems disjointed and out of sync with the overall message of the book: most of the photographs that are displayed in this book feature Caucasian people (even the reflection shown in the cover is the face of a white boy). Yet it is stated in the book that the group of individuals who receive the death penalty most often were "black, poor, and lacked education." It is a highlight of the book that facts like this one—which show the inequalities of our judicial system—are brought up. However, the validity of this particular fact could have been increased (and further illuminated) had the photographs represented individuals who fit this description. There are a handful of photographs that show both opponents as well as proponents of the death penalty --a sea of emotional white faces holding signs that support their strong beliefs, or pictures of loved ones who were victims of a brutal murder. Although these photographs help to highlight the strong opinions on either side, it is nonetheless a drawback of the book that would, I think, prevent African-American students from identifying fully with the information provided.

Other than the photographs mentioned above, Walker includes photographs of things such as an electric chair, a table that prisoners lay on to receive lethal injections, and a gas chamber. She includes a photograph of the supreme court. I didn’t see the point to added many of the photographs. I suppose that it breathes life into the text and gives the reader a visual image of some of the topics discussed, which would help solidify understanding, I believe. However, many of the photographs simply didn’t stand out as interesting or necessarily beneficial to the book’s quality. Walker includes a picture of an article of the United States constitution, which I believe would have helped illuminate the text and give the reader a primary source to see exactly what U.S. laws are built on. However, the article is blurry and unreadable, and therefore of no use to the reader. Had the article been readable, it would have been a wonderful addition to the book. There are other visual aids included in the book which help further the reader’s understanding--such as a map of the US that shows which states that shows how many individuals are on death row in each state, as well as which states allow the death penalty and which do not.

This book does have a reasonably sized glossary that provides definitions of words that are likely to be difficult for a younger audience to comprehend. However, many of the definitions that the book provides are simply not clear enough. For example, the term psychopath is defined as "a term for someone with a personality disorder marked by antisocial thought and behavior (Walker, pg. 105 )." One of the major problems with this definition is that it uses the word "antisocial" to clarify the term, but antisocial is a term that is just as vague and difficult to understand as psychopath and would require a definition of its own (which is not provided). Another problem with the glossary is that there aren’t enough details, examples, or comparisons to fully further the reader's understanding. Had the author included these elements, the quality of this book would have increased dramatically. There is no pronunciation guide included in this book, which I felt would be necessary considering the subject matter.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it provides a detailed, clear, and easy-to-follow collection of essential facts. The major arguments for those for and against the death penalty are bulleted and clearly stated. There is also a list of critical dates, which often highlights important Supreme Court rulings. She also lists the two quotes that she used in the book. This particular aspect of the book would be especially useful to a young audience because it breaks down the important facts--which can be challenging to comprehend-- very clearly and neatly. I also appreciated the author’s inclusion of a timeline, and I believe it achieves this same effect.

In the "about the author" section of the book, Ida Walker is described as an author of many nonfiction books aimed toward middle-grade and young-adult readers, and that she possesses a "special interest in civil rights and the history of their development in the United States (pg. 112). " Based on this information, which is rather limited, I do not believe there to be any biases of Walker’s that would harm the accuracy of this book. Although no information is given regarding the author's credentials that would give the reader insight into her level of authority on the subject, the fact that she has a strong interest in civil rights suggests that she may have an informed opinion on the subject of capital punishment. Moreover, the sources list that she provides is clearly organized and extensive, which suggests that she has done her homework on the subject. The sources that she provides primary and secondary sources which appear to be reputable. One potential drawback of this book is that it was published in 2008. Therefore, the knowledge that can be gleaned from reading this book is somewhat dated. On a positive note, I believe that Walker does a wonderful job delivering the information on the subject as objectively as possible. She is careful to include the main arguments of individuals on both sides of the argument. Finally, there doesn’t seem to be even a hint of sensationalism included in this book, which adds to the overall integrity and quality of the text. Walker describes a few things in great detail that would have been easy to sensationalize. One of those things is an of the various murder cases that she mentions. Although she often describes the various rapes or murders as “brutal,” she doesn’t give any specifics regarding these cases (gory details and the like). She doesn’t even mention how they were killed. She also fully describes the process of lethal injections--which ..are used, how they affect the body, and questions of whether the process is painful for the inmate. The detailed information that she provides in these two areas is important to furthering the readers understanding that capital punishment is a serious, highly complicated topic; and I appreciate the graceful and thorough way that she discusses both.

I searched the UNO children’s library for other books out that deal with the topic of capital punishment. There were only two others that came up in the results. The first is called Eighth Amendment : The Right to Mercy. Although this book seemed interesting, it can be gleaned from the title alone that the author definitely has biases regarding the issue of capital punishment. The second book was called No Choirboy : Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row. This book seemed interesting as well, and seems to provide first-hand accounts and personal experiences that would likely interest a young reader much more than Walker’s objective and unembellished account of important facts, dates, courtroom cases. However, the fact that the book is about personal experiences means that it is likely to be one-sided in the knowledge that it provides the reader--there would be an obvious agenda. Although these books seem interesting and valuable, neither seems to deal with capital punishment as thoroughly and objectively as Walker does. For this reason, I would recommend that Walker’s The Death Penalty be added to the UNO children’s library. Despite it’s drawbacks and datedness, there is plenty of useful and relevant information that a student could gain from reading this book, offered in an unbiased and unembellished way.

. Despite the drawbacks of this book, I feel that it could be useful in a classroom. It provides a general understanding of the history of capital punishment in the United States, an introduction to key terms, and an overview of the major arguments of proponents and opponents of the death penalty. Walker does not offer her own opinion on the matter, and gives all sides a fair representation. This book would be a wonderful introduction text to the issue of capital punishment, which could then be supplemented by other texts-- articles, documentaries, personal accounts, literature (Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird might be a wonderful companion text for the lesson), and so forth. It also brings up many other problems related to inequalities in the U.S. justice system (race, poverty, and educational background are shown to play a role in the likelihood that an individual will face capital punishment), questions related to religion and faith (and the role that it should play in our justice system), the nature of justice (revenge or reformation?). This book could be used to generate some wonderful essay topics, to further understanding of U.S. law, and to help students learn how to debate issues that are relevant to society. This book would be most appropriate for students between the ages of 11 and 15.… (altro)

Nonfiction Midterm

The Death Penalty by Ida Walker

1. Based on the Bamford and Kristo handout, I have identified The Death Penalty by Ida Walker as a survey book. This book begins by identifying the major topic of the death penalty and whether or not it is a solution to crimes committed in America. Throughout the book, Ida Walker identifies several subtopics to help create a deeper understanding of the controversy surrounding the use of the death penalty by the judicial court system. While this book does discuss major subtopics of the death penalty, it does not cover all of the information that could be presented with a deeper evaluation. Walker presented many illustrations throughout the book and the many subtopics. There pictures of criminals on trial and in jail; pictures of families mourning the loss of family members; a modern lethal injection table used for executions; both protestors and supporters of the death penalty outside of court houses; and many other illustrations detailing this very contentious topic. To go along with the illustrations, there were sidebars on a large number of pages throughout the book. Many sidebars referred to court cases in which the death penalty was the punishment; justification for the death penalty by judges and other government officials; as well as, information detailing the cost of the death penalty in relation to life sentences for criminals. Many of the subtopics included: reasons to object against the death penalty; reasons to support the death penalty; how different religions view the topic of the death penalty; how laws have changed over time based on different cases involving the death penalty including age, mental stability, and severity of the crimes. Overall, this book can be identified as a survey book because of is overview of the topic, the primary sources, and overall organization of the book.

2. This is the first book I have ready by Ida Walker. The Death Penalty is a part of a series of books called Essential Viewpoints, which “examines critical debates occurring today” (Walker). On the last page of the book there is a small excerpt about Ida Walker’s experience as an author. She has “written several nonfiction books for middle school and young-adult readers” (Walker, 112). Walker has a special interest in civil rights, which the topic of the death penalty definitely falls under. I believe that Walker is a well-qualified author based on her history of books. Brian Bix Ph.D., a Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, acted as content consultant for Ida Walker which helps to solidify the information in this book.

In my opinion, Walker did not insert her own opinion or use generalizations on this topic throughout the book. She merely presented the facts about this controversial topic with detailed research and primary sources. While there personal opinions in the supporting chapters, I do not think that she generalized or used any stereotypes to write the book. Walker even discusses how criminals receiving the death penalty are stereotyped because of their race or because of the race of the victim. “Opponents of the death penalty point to the fact that minorities are more likely to be sentenced to death for a capital crime than are white defendants. This is especially true if the victim was white” (Walker, 57). This information was supported by a study at the Stanford University, which reviewed the appearance of both victims and criminals in death penalty cases.

I found that the focus of this book was to inform readers about what the death penalty is and the arguments in favor and against using it as a form of punishment for crimes. The scope of this book is very concise. Ida Walker discusses the death penalty in depth including the history, changes to laws regarding its’ use, and how it is used today. The way that the death penalty is interpreted today is very different than the past which is very evident in this book about the death penalty.

In regards to the style of this book, the books objective was quite clear. It wanted to provide a overview of the topic in the first three chapters titled, Chapter One: “The Death Penalty: A Solution?”, Chapter 2:“Death Penalty Basics”, and Chapter 3: “Overview of the Controversy” (Walker). Throughout the text, the ideas and opinions were presented in a very clear and concise manner. This topic is has some grey matter surrounding such a very black and white issue, death. Along with the clarity of the book, the language is very clear and can be understood by students in middle school and above. I feel that the teacher must evaluate their individual class to determine whether or not the class is mature enough to learn about such a controversial topic. I found the tone to very formal because of the serious topic being discussed in this book. The author did an excellent job of always remaining formal throughout the book.

I found the overall organization of the book to very pleasing to the eye from cover to cover. The book’s cover is simple but sets the tone as to the severity of the topic. The inmate looking into the mirror has this cold, stone like look that helps the reader understand how serious jail can be for an individual. I found the organization of the book to be simple to complex structurally. The book introduces the idea of the death penalty basics, goes into the controversy from various angles, and then ends with complex reasons for changes to the death penalty based on particular court cases. The chapters were organized very clearly in the “Table of Contents”. The reader knew exactly what each chapter was discussing. Along with a clear understanding of the chapter’s content, there were subheads that broke up the chapters into even smaller details. Chapter Two: “Death Penalty Basics” had subheads such as: The States and the Death Penalty, Capital Punishment Crimes, The Process, and Carrying Out the Death Penalty. The table of contents also listed the timeline, additional resources, glossary, index, and author information. This comprehensive organization allows the reader to refer back to the text in a quick and decisive manner, especially while writing this critique. One of the biggest things that I really liked about this book were the numerous sidebars of inserted information. They are valuable pieces of information that support the text even further. The additional information and sidebars were presented in a very organized and appealing manner. They were always in a text that was different color than the main text. The index and glossary in the back of the book were very extensive. Many of the definitions apart of the glossary are important if students did not understand how the word was used in the text. I do wish that the glossary included pronunciations of the words being defined. The index is also very helpful while reviewing this book because it can help me find even the smallest topics mentioned in the book. Along with the index, the list of important dates and timeline were very helpful in understanding the chronology of the death penalty controversies. Ida Walker also listed additional sources on the death penalty and the sources she used while writing the text. Many quotes or information obtained through research are listed on these pages. Like previously stated, I found the book to very well organized from cover to cover with extensive additional information.

Along with the organization of the structure and reference aids, I found the illustrations to be very helpful in creating a deeper understanding of how the death penalty is controversial and final. Many of the images depicted family members crying at funeral services or in courtrooms. There were also images of protesters and supporters of the death penalty at demonstrations. The most powerful image was the picture of the table used to administer lethal injections to prisoners on death row (Walker, 67). There was also a graph of the United States illustrating how many death row prisoners there were in each state (Walker, 34). I found that the illustrations and graphs throughout this book to very important to depicting the main points on the controversy of the death penalty.

3. As a social studies teacher, I feel that this book would be a good reference in some lessons while teaching in a high school. Although, in order to use the book, the lesson would have to incorporate a major court decision about a serious crime such as the “The Crime of the Century” when Charles Lindbergh’s son was murdered by a German immigrant. I feel that this book would be better used in a Civics class. The book could be referenced when discussing civil rights of criminals through the judicial process, along with their treatment in the sentencing process. While I feel that this book can only be used in a specific type of lesson, it could be a great book for students to read to gain a deeper understanding of the controversy surrounding the death penalty.

4. While searching in the Destiny Quest database, there were no other books about the death penalty. I feel that because there are no other books to reference on this topic, this book by Ida Walker should remain as a part of the collection for students to read and reference.

5. After reviewing the book on several websites, I feel that my review touches upon many of the points discussed by professional reviewers. I found that the book had very simple language which coincided with the editorial review on Barnes and Noble, “In straightforward language, Walker begins by introducing readers to fundamental principles of government, state and federal laws, important national documents and landmark Supreme Court cases, all of which provide readers with a base of essential knowledge upon which to form their own views on this subject” (Hester, BarnesandNoble.com). There were not many other sources in which I could find a review of this book but I feel that I touched upon the major criteria in evaluating nonfiction books.… (altro)