Inspiring the American Dream brings us the book, Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream. As you may have guessed, it is a story of the American Dream. But what exactly is the American Dream?
The American Dream is the general idea that anyone through hard work can lead a happy, prosperous life. The implication being that our freedoms as Americans make this possible for everyone and that money = happiness. While we don’t necessarily agree in the idea of money buying happiness, the entrepreneurial spirit is something we do want to instill in our children. Everyone’s dream is not the same, but common values are used to attain those dreams.
The story, Abraham’s Journey, introduces those values. Through a time-warped dream, the boy, Abraham, learns these values and achieves his dream. Another Abraham (Abraham Lincoln) serves as his guide, introducing him to various figures throughout history who have worked to achieve their dreams.
A quick book to read and written at a level your children could read on their own (about 4th grade or so). The people met throughout this journey include Martin Luther King, Jr, Amelia Earhart, and Norman Rockwell from the past. The inclusion of Bill and Melinda Gates and Mark Zuckerberg let children know that this is not just a historical notion. Sadly, I had to explain who they were to my children
I read the book aloud, sharing the illustrations from each page. My children had no problem with a smart phone being the vehicle (though I was skeptical). After reading the story through, we read the included biographies. Upon reading the story again a few days later, my children pointed out that many of the people probably wouldn’t have even known each other. Some were a bit bothered by this, while others did understand why their siblings bothered.
We had recently watched an episode of an older TV show where the main character meets and spends time with a young Norman Rockwell. They loved this connection! We have recently begun mini-research projects to introduce the older children to using the internet. In reading more about Norman Rockwell, they uncovered that the historical figure sharing the same scene from Abraham’s Journey has something in common with well-known artist. I love it when they make these connections themselves!
We were happy to see that the story did not end with Abraham giving to his family. The additional scene on sharing helped to redeem the story for me. The overall feeling I had up to that point was the need for making money in order to be happy. We work so hard to keep much of this from gaining a foothold in our family. We try to instill contentment with what we have and looking to the Lord in times of need (not that this is the only time to look to the Lord). Our children are already bombarded with a (manufactured) need for “more”. I would have been happier with a slightly different focus to achieving the “American Dream”. Success for many is not always financial. Maybe another story could be written and added to the “Celebration of the American Dream”.
The book, Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream, is available in print ($14.99) or Kindle edition ($9.99). Crew members were given their choice of format for review. To read more reviews, be sure to visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.
