The New Dictionary Of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

Definitions are slightly longer than regular dictionaries. It differs from dictionaries in that paragraphs are grouped by TOPICS which are listed in the table of contents... examples: history, earth science, medicine and health..... and surprise... idioms and proverbs.It answers questions somewhat like Google does, but a Reader's curiosity will lead them to the next definition. I like this book for students looking for a topic for a report.. you might THINK you want to read about the Iron Curtain, but Ivan the Terrible is next and HOW much fun would he be to research? Google sends you to simolar topics;this book sends you to new ideas

My eighth-grade son told me he had an assignment that he couldn't finish until he got to school the next morning because he had to look something up in the Cultural Literacy dictionary. I thought he was trying to pull one over on me, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and told him he could only use this excuse once. A few days later he told me he used a special favor with his school librarian and was able to bring this book home. Huh? You mean he wasn't kidding me before? So I flipped through the pages to see what this was. I was shocked that he had assignments where he actually had to look something up in a paper book instead of Googling it. OK son, you have my attention. So he walked me through it and explained to me why he needed this reference book for his assignments. He showed me a few examples of references he had used for projects where the references used cultural terms he was unfamiliar with, like D-Day and the League of Women Voters. He explained that the reference book he was using was just a little mature for him, but that he could look up some of these unfamiliar issues, define them, and cite their definitions in his paper and then continue on with his research. Wow. I would have expected kids his age to just bluff their way through the assignment. So no more calling in favors with the librarian. I bought him his own copy for home. I can't believe any of my kids are using actual physical desktop references anymore, but I really love it. Although the definitions are a little simplistic in some cases, they give him enough of a frame of reference to be able to continue on with work without having to look up every single new item online. This book is great for young students. I imagine it would be useful for foreign students too. I guess it would be great for space aliens and time travelers too. It's really a great way for anyone who is unfamiliar with today's common cultural references to quickly define the term and "get it" like the rest of us. I realize this physical book will become dated before too long, but at least it covers common references from now through the past.

This book, to put it plainly, is awesome. It is crammed full of knowledge that will truly put you on the road to cultural literacy. This book does not go into detail on any given subject. Instead it gives you the general meaning on a variety of subjects. It describes itself as a dictionary and that is how it is formatted. I do not understand why people complain that this book does not go in-depth on all of the subjects. That describes an encyclopedia and encyclopedias are available for sale too. The definitions are presented according to subjects. The subject headers in this book are: The Bible, Mythology and Folklore, Proverbs, Idioms, World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion, Literature in English, Conventions of Written English, Fine Arts, World History to 1550, World History Since 1550, American History to 1865, American History Since 1865, World Politics, American Politics, World Politics, American Politics, World Geography, American Geography, Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology, Business and Economics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Medicine and Health, Technology. Home schoolers I highly recommend this to you. It will serve as a great general reference for a well designed curriculum. Public Schoolers I recommend you buy this as well. It will serve as supplement for the complete lack of curriculum and education that the government is providing you, that is if you have even been taught to read.

I am a foreign citizen living in the US for about 4 years for graduate level degree in the US. Culture as well as language are the biggest obstacles of my life in the US. I overcame the basic survival and class language barrier after living 2-3 years, but the cultural barrier with combined with conversational language is very challenging. Not only for more socializing but also more nature English writing and speacking, I worked hard, and Culturacy Dictionary helps me a lot. It includes expressions from various areas, e.g. bible, literature, idiom, etc. During the reading or watching TV, I can understand better the implications and expressions rooted from relgion, history, literature, and other areas of culture. I use this dictionary with several ways. First, just read the page I am intersted in. Second, I consult it during my writing to find better expression, and do more research to understand the background better via internet. Third, play game with this book with my American Classmates - in fact, this helps me the most. They explain what is not written in the dictionary, and this is the way I can acquire the knowledge of the expression easily and last long in my brain. This dictionary is wonderful, I think, for both for navtive and non-native. Non natives can upgrade their English level with cultural understanding, and natives can be more sophisticated using their languages. It is a great tool, and I am happy to find it!

This is a great reference book; I've read it three times, once for each edition. Having said that, I must point out its one huge flaw: its treatment of pop culture. This is briefly referenced in the Introduction to the First Edition: "Our collective memory of people and events in the fields of sports and entertainment is too ephemeral to take a permanent place in our cultural heritage. There are outstanding exceptions, however, and these are included in the dictionary." And in the previous paragraph: "If a person or event has been widely recognized for more than fifteen years or seems likely to be recognized by a majority of people fifteen years from now, that person or event deserved consideration in this dictionary." With those criteria in mind, here is a very partial list of the entries one will NOT find in "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy": Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, "Saturday Night Live," The Simpsons," Oprah Winfrey; Federico Fellini, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Howard Hughes, Stanley Kubrick; James Brown, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Williams." Each of those people or things has been a cultural icon for 25-50 years, and will likely continue to be so for many years to come. And my favorite example of a pop-culture exclusion: James Bond. Seriously? Did the editors do any pop-culture research AT ALL? I estimate that I've heard references made to James Bond approximately a million times. (Compared to zero references to Burkina Faso, which DID make the cut.) Try doing a Google search on James Bond and see what comes up. All one needs to do is check out the Wikipedia article to discover the MASSIVE cultural impact of the James Bond franchise. But I suppose the editors of "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy," if they thought about it all, decided it was "ephemeral." I want to repeat, the editors did a great job on the traditional, high culture content of the book, which is about 95% of it. But in the very few pop culture entries they DID include, and in the many, many more they DIDN'T include but should have, they seem almost completely ignorant. They even made some obvious factual errors; for example, they listed one of the members as Monty Python as "Graham Chapin." His last name is CHAPMAN! It would have been incredibly easy to check that, but it seems that the editors just didn't care.

Want to look up cultural references in Denis Miller's rants? Can't remember what the Byzantine empire did? Feel like your loosing your memory? This book can help! Yes, I'll admit the title does have a certain haughtiness and presumptiouness to it, but this book is packed with information. The topics covered are quite broad, and I guess it would HAVE to be if the goal is to ensure cultural literacy. Including all the things you should have learned in highschool had you been paying attention, this book is a great refresher course in everything from History, to Literature, to proverbs and idioms in the English language. It has a bit of a western bias, which is sort of what I'm getting at when I say the title presumes alot. Perhaps an alternate title (and I mean this without cynicsm) would be "what most Americans don't know about America but should." I include myself in that category, by the way. The best thing about this book is it's organization. At first, I was wishing it was all alphabetical, but then you realize that grouping entries in catagorized chapters is better. Additionally, the bites of data are concise and easily digested, enough to answer a question and provide enough information for you to look elsewhere if you want in depth explainations.

Heard Dr Hirsch being interviewed by Milt Rosenberg. Intrigued by Hirsch's "Core Knowledge" idea with respect to literacy. Have always been a fan of the "Harvard Classics" and the "Great Books". While surfing around Amazon, looking at the body of Dr Hirsch's work, found this dictionary and bought a used but almost new copy. No regrets. Although it literally is a dictionary; I am reading through it a few pages at a time. Learned a few things I didn't know before; however, I am pleasantly not surprised that I appear to be literate (at least through the two chapters completed thus far: The Bible and Mythology & Folklore). Important Note: This really is a dictionary. Not a book to literally read cover to cover in a few days, rather read a few pages every day.

This is 1st class reading material. I was born N America,and alot of the material N the book, wasn't taught N any school I've attended..It definitely leaves one wanting more,(Once you read it) if you have the mind 4 it.. I feel students would benefit greatly, if it were required reading or there was a class especially 4 it.With teachers interested N teaching.......I ordered one of the first volumes and completely read it thru,on my first trip 2 Brasil. Since then I have re-ordered and given several copies 2 my bookworm grandsons.They tell me they don't teach anything like that @ their school , either. SO, I have 2 ask myself,?WHAT R they teaching, N school these days?.....It sure makes me wonder.Both of my bookworms R N advanced classes. When they come 2 visit, they spend hours N my library, only coming out 2 graze ,,(raid the refrigerator),momentarily, then disappearing, back N-2 a good book. Jon R. Bass--Santa Fe,NM--87508

great book

素晴らしい本です、アメリカのこともと知りたい方は読んだ方がいいですよ!

素晴らしい本です。 「教養あるアメリカ人」として承知しておくべき知識を"The Bible"から"Technology"まで２３の大項目に分類し、簡潔に解説しています。 それぞれの冒頭に「何故この知識が教養人として必須であるのか」を分かりやすく解説しており、先ずはその部分だけを読むことで「知の全体像」が何となく掴めると思います。 あとは自分が興味のある部分（小項目）を拾い読みしてもよいでしょうし、知識欲旺盛な方は片っ端から読んでいき、そこからヒントを得て更に他の文献に当たるなど発展させていくのも一興かと思います。元より本書は"DICTIONARY"ですから、通読には馴染まないでしょうが、ページを開く度に、そこから「知」を深め、分け入っていく喜びの誘惑を感じます。 なお、既に「教養人」を自負されている方には、その教養が本物であるかを確認するのに好都合な試験紙となるでしょう。 「教養ある日本人」の知識ミニマムを凝縮したこの種の書物があればご教示下さい。

Excellent reference book.

This is a hefty book. I think I was expecting something smaller BUT it's proving to be interesting and informative. This book was recommended reading by J. J. McCullough.