Burlingame, Jeff. Government Entitlements.

Burlingame, Jeff.   Government Entitlements.    Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark, 2012.  143 pages. $25.95  ISBN 978-1-60870-491-0 ms/hs VG         

     This book traces the history, funding, and features of the most popular government entitlement programs, such as Social Security, welfare programs, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and veterans’ benefits, for students in grades 7-12.  It is colorfully illustrated and provides two-page inserts that interrupt the flow of the text with further information about events and people mentioned in each chapter. The history of government entitlements starts in ancient times and continues to the present-day United States. The last chapter looks at smaller programs such as block grants, foster-care assistance, housing assistance, farm subsidies, earned income-tax credits, CHIP, and Head Start programs available in the United States. For students unfamiliar with these programs, the book presents background information and current concerns about the viability of each one. This book provides a good first place to start research on current-events topics, debate topics,and persuasive papers.  The book concludes with chapter notes, references for further reading,and an index.  The series, Controversy, includes six titles that reflect current events in the news. Each book provides a historical background on the topic as well as current concerns related to it. Each book is colorfully illustrated, and has an index, chapter notes, and references for further research.

Subject: Public Welfare Programs

Lois McNicol