With her right hand she lifts a torch, the light of liberty.

In her left hand she holds a book whose cover read "July IV MDCCLXXVI," the date of the signing of America's Declaration of Independence. Under her left foot is a broken chain, symbol of the end of slavery.

The Statue of Liberty pays homage to what is best about America, but it was the idea of two Frenchmen. Living under the harsh rule of Emperor Napoleon III, Edouard Laboulaye and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi wanted to remind their countrymen that tyranny is not inevitable, that citizens have rights which no government can take from them.

It took two decades of planning, fundraising, designing, and building for their dream to cross the ocean. Now, 125 years after Liberty was placed on her pedestal in New York Harbor, she continues to inspire people all over the world.

So does her story.

From the dust jacket