The author pulls the reader in by telling him that he found a suitcase in the attic, and that suitcase was full of many, many mementos of our county’s history.  The material is presented in a form that looks like a scrapbook, and this makes reading history a pleasure rather than the drudgery some students find it to be.  The full-page photograph of the Statue of Liberty with pertinent facts spread around will bring goose bumps to the reader.

Some of the items are things many would not think of putting in a book of this magnitude.  For example, near the end of the book is a photo of the Slinky, with information about Richard and Betty James and how they came up with the idea while working on battleship development in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

One must simply put his hands on this book to appreciate its full richness.  There are the Wright Brothers, The Liberty Bell, and the White House, as well as other sites around the Potomac.  It even mentions songs like "This Land is Your Land" that have meant so much to our country.

If you have a student, get this book, and after you have devoured it (which you will), give it to your child.  He or she will see history as they have never seen it before.  This book would make a wonderful gift to nearly anyone on your list.  I loved it.