Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

The Patriot Act. By Debra A. Miller. Detroit, Mich.: Lucent Books Thomson Gale, 2007. 1 vol. 112 p. $32.45. ISBN 978-1-59018-981-8.

While the author states that the U.S.A. Patriot Act is "simply the Patriot Act," its legal name has the beginning initials. It is unfortunate that the author did not use the full name in the title of the book. Chapter titles are "A Response to Terror," "A Controversial Law," "Civil Liberties Versus National Security," "A Permanent Patriot Act," and "The Debate Continues." This is a good introduction to the act and presents the facts with little additional discussion. Its passage with little understanding on the part of the legislators who voted and the continuing controversy about loss of personal freedom offer students a good starting point; however they will need to update what they find here when they write their reports because the debate continues.