LitPick Review
This Is Our Constitution by Khizr Khan is a well-written book that explains the Preamble, Articles, and Sections of the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments. It highlights the history behind why the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written and describes how devoted our founding fathers were to create them. It explains several Supreme Court rulings and why they are important to our history.
This Is Our Constitution also includes copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution because Khan believes every American should read them and understand that citizens in other countries are not always protected by laws similar to the ones that we have in the United States. Some countries do not allow citizens to have the freedom that we often take for granted. Khan wants people to realize that being an American means we have a responsibility to honor the principles that founded our country. He’s given people a list of ideas for what they can do in everyday life to play a role in our democracy. Khan also appreciates his freedom as a naturalized U.S. citizen so much that he actually carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution with him everywhere he goes.
Since this book is an extension of Khizr Khan's lifelong awe and respect for the vision that America’s founding fathers created, he hopes it will continue to educate people about how special our country and its founding documents really are well into the future.
Opinion:
This Is Our Constitution is a great book! It’s easy to understand, interesting to read, and well-organized. I’m thankful that I’ve had an opportunity to read it because it’s helped me realize how much I used to take my freedoms as a U.S. citizen for granted. I never thought about the importance of patriotism or the small ways that I could live out my life that would support the founding fathers’ values for America.
I often read in the news how citizens of other countries would be mistreated, disrespected, or worse for voicing their opinions or disagreeing with their governments, but I went on about my day not thinking beyond that it happened in places far away. It was easy to ignore because the news didn’t affect me directly, and then I read Mr. Khan’s book. He is right! Something happens to us when we take the time to read the actual wording of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other Amendments. It’s impossible not to feel the power of the words and not start appreciating the civil rights we have in America today.
This book is clear that our country is not perfect and never has been, but it shows how checks and balances are in place so that decisions about important issues can evolve as they are openly discussed and debated over time. The founding documents also come alive in the book as Mr. Khan compares them with his early experiences in Pakistan. This book is not like reading a traditional history textbook at all, so personally, I think every American should read it and think about how lucky we are to be U.S. citizens, no matter our circumstances.
