Every Vote Matters

January 18, 2016
The Jacobs, a father-daughter team (who are a judge and a former attorney), examine 15 Supreme Court cases that were decided by one vote. After providing a brief time line of historical impediments to voting rights and some background on the Supreme Court, the Jacobs walk readers through cases that include Evan Miller v. Alabama, regarding the sentencing of juvenile offenders; Goss v. Dwight Lopez, about students’ right to due process; and United States v. Antoine Jones, about GPS monitoring and the right to privacy. Clear explanations, relevant supplemental cases, reader-directed questions, and suggested resources help make the legal issues at play relevant and readily accessible. Whether readers finish the book inspired to exercise their own future voting rights, it’s a fascinating window into recent U.S. legal history. Ages 13–up.

March 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-The unparalleled power of an individual's voice and vote is the prevailing sentiment of this title. The authors underline the importance of the individual voter by dedicating the majority of the text to covering monumental court cases that were decided by a single vote. Often lengthy in their explanations, the authors switch between encyclopedic explanations of the various departments of decision makers to "Did You Know?" tidbits. Bringing back the 1960s mentality of making one's voice heard in times of strife and indecisiveness, the Jacobs attempt to rally readers into joining rectifiers of unjust movements. There is a considerable effort to break up the text with sidebars and a "Talk, Think, and Take Action" section that pushes teens to examine their own relationship to the law. VERDICT The information is limited in its appeal; this work would be appropriate for an entry-level government course or as a reference for a secondary-level debate team.-Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, Dripping Springs, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 This exceptionally thorough examination of the voting process focuses primarily on the Supreme Court and the effect their decisions can have. The first of two parts explains the functions of the Supreme Court and discusses the American right to vote. In addition to outlining the history of the vote, it also addresses some of the commonly debated points: Should the voting age be lowered? Should voting be mandatory? The second part of the text elaborates on 15 Supreme Court cases that had a significant impact and were decided by only a single vote. This never loses sight of its target audience: many of the cases addressed have to do with education and juvenile rights, and each chapter ends with a Talk, Think, Take Action section that encourages teen readers to relate the cases back to their own lives and discuss the effects of each. Frequent Did You Know? boxes and quotes provide extra information, and primary sources and additional resources are well documented. A solid look at voting and the courts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)