1,001 Reasons to Love America

The authors who gave readers 1,001 Reasons to Love Golf have turned their rose-tinted lens on America, and the result is this amusing, relentlessly upbeat illustrated gift book, which is decked out in blues, reds, whites, stars and stripes. Those who have a healthy sense of patriotism will enjoy perusing these pages, reading about great leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson (both of whom make the top 60) and remembering simple indulgences like apple pie, a ride in a Chevrolet Corvette or""mulled cider at Christmas."" The list of foods goes on and on; indeed, the authors name everything from Fig Newtons and""white bread sandwiches with a big glass of milk"" to Kool Aid, cornbread and""creamed chipped beef on toast,"" giving the impression that, if nothing else, readers should love America for its food. Great athletes and""immortal"" movie stars like Jean Harlow and Robert De Niro also make the list, along with numerous sites (Yellowstone National Park, The World's Largest Catsup Bottle, etc.) and sounds (like""barbershop quartets"" and the""howl of a wolf deep in the forest""). Despite the authors' assertion at the beginning of the book that the list of reasons to love America is""endless,"" one gets the impression that they were scraping the bottom of the barrel when they came up with these dubious selections:""the 'pffft' sound that accompanies the opening of a can of Budweiser,"" the""Boeing G-52 Stratofortress"" and""the dry song of the washboard."" Nevertheless, this book succeeds in doing what the authors hope it will, which is serve as an""inspiration to discover other things to love about our great country."" After perusing this book, readers will undoubtedly come up with a few of their own reasons to love America.