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We recently read the book “The Tuttle Twins and The Road to Surfdom” by Connor Boyack. I was intrigued, as I don’t think schools do a very good job on educating children about history, the government, or civics- and heck, most don’t offer civics or geography at all. It was replaced a few decades ago by the blanket “Social Studies”, and as a result Americans are terrible at geography, world history, domestic history, and civic issues. Many don’t include much (if any) real information on how our government works, certainly not enough that most American children have any kind of grasp of how things work or what is involved. I am always excited to see anything to help educate children about these issues.
However, I found this book to be very heavy handed, biased, and repetitive. It also focused on a strange topic- building a new road and the unintended consequences that occurred for an imagined beach town- to portray how terrible it is to have any government involvement in life. Government is necessary, in my opinion. We just need better control of it- which would start with better educated Americans/children who know what the government is and does, and how and why it works they way it does. These super gung-ho kids and their just-happened-to-be-InternetFamous (and suited up at the beach) Uncle were there to spend their vacation interviewing shop owners and farmers who all morosely agreed on the same sad opinion. Bad ‘ol road.
Where things like that can indeed be disastrous to people, and proper planning is a must- does the author thing we should build no new roads? Not relieve traffic congestion? Do away with government agencies like the EPA and the FDA for example? The answer is yes. After visiting his site, he’s really down for very little government involvement- much less then I feel is appropriate for the world we live in.
But that’s the beautiful thing about America. We get to have out own opinions. This book is about his. This post is about mine.
Below, I’ve posted information about the book from the publisher, and links to buy as well as to the authors website and social media.
And now, you get to make your own opinion. Read on, my friends.
From The Publisher
“How do you describe liberty to a 7-year-old? Should your preteen care about the government? Are your kids learning about proper political principles in school? For too long, parents have been at the mercy of professional curriculum developers to instruct their children. History is watered down, key principles omitted altogether, and time and attention given to things of lesser importance.
With the creation of The Tuttle Twins and The Road to Surfdom, Libertas Institute president and father of two Connor Boyack is looking to assist parents in properly educating their children. This fun and unique new book aims to inform young readers about the importance of limited government. The book also offers:
- A resource for parents to quickly understand this complex issue so they can more effectively discuss it with their children
- Vital information not usually taught in schools that can help children grow into better, more engaged citizens
- Insight into how central planning often has unintended consequences
- Engaging illustrations and charming characters
- An introduction to F.A. Hayek’s famous text, The Road to Serfdom
Connor Boyack is president of Libertas Institute, a free market think tank. In that capacity he has spearheaded successful policy reforms on property rights, civil liberties, parental rights, education reform, government transparency, and more. He is the author of ten books on economics, education, politics, and society, and has written hundreds of columns on these subjects for newspapers around the country. Boyack serves on the board of the Utah Home Education Association and is a popular speaker at conferences around the country. He teaches several classes to teens in his home state and along with his wife, homeschools his two young children in Salt Lake City, Utah.”
The Road to Surfdom is available at TuttleTwins.com/Surfdom. For more information about The Tuttle Twins series and Connor Boyack, visit www.TuttleTwins.com.
Connect with the author on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cboyack
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/
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