Her Right Foot
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
If you had to name a statue, any statue, odds are good you'd mention the Statue of Liberty. Have you seen her?
She's in New York.
She's holding a torch.
And she's taking one step forward.
But why?
In this fascinating, fun take on nonfiction, uniquely American in its frank tone and honest look at the literal foundation of our country, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America's most emblematic statue. What they find is about more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty's right foot is the powerful message of acceptance that is essential to an entire country's creation. Can you believe that? Plus, this is the fixed format version, which looks almost identical to the print edition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The history of the Statue of Liberty is well-known: Frenchman douard de Laboulaye conceived of the idea of a monument for the United States's centennial and persuaded artist Fr d ric Auguste Bartholdi to design it. Eggers starts his own story of the statue slowly, playfully ("Did you know that the Statue of Liberty comes from France? This is true. This is a factual book"). Newcomer Harris's friendly cut-paper spreads show the colossal statue looming over the men who build it. After detailing Liberty's installation in New York, where it welcomed waves of immigrants, Eggers makes a startling observation: the statue's right foot is raised: "She is on the move!" And why is this? "Liberty and freedom from oppression are not things you get or grant by standing around," Eggers asserts. "These are things that require action. Courage. An unwillingness to rest." Harris represents Americans of all colors veiled, in hardhats, in yarmulkes, in hoodies talking together, admiring the statue, becoming citizens. Eggers's crucial and timely re-examination makes Liberty an active participant in a debate that is more contentious than ever. Ages 5 8.