See, history can be fun!
921890
I believe I received this book through Bookbub.  It sounded somewhat interesting so I gave it a try.  Loved it.  There is a very dry sense of humor running through the whole thing.  Although some liberties (ok a lot of liberties) were taken with historical content, as a history buff who often tries to imagine what it would have been like at certain events or times in history, it is a lot of fun to follow the author's take on it.  I am in the process of reading the rest of the books in the series.
4628570
This one is on the list of those that love history, especially Presidents.
Was a gift to someone who loved it!
3024292
What a delightful book, and one you can pick up even when your time is short. Whether seeking a history to the word listed, or just entertaining yourself, a lover of words will be thrilled with this capturing of pertinent and sometimes fun reasons behind the words we use today.
2532749
Lots of fun to read if you love plays on words and have some understanding of the  Roman Empire, and classic literature.  The comic book form makes it appealing to young readers as well, and may inspire them to look further into historical events parodied here.
3532104
This book is wonderful! It covers history, not in the way a history textbook might, but in the most entertaining way; by regaling the reader with hilarious stories of the people who lived it. The book engages the reader as they get a sense of living the history and adventuring with various scientists of the past.

This is a fantastic book if you like science, history, and/or amusing short stories.
538663
History can be pretty boring to read. But, with this series of books history comes alive with the pictures!  It's quite interesting to see real photographs of what life was like for our grandparents and great grandparents.
2866036
Fun, funny, entertaining, educational, Mon Dieu!  I am a dog person, but, hey, who can resist such a smart and multilingual cat.  A well written book that does not overwhelm, but entices children to read more history.  History is absorbed better when given in concise and accurate detail, children are well served by realizing that we all learn from it.  Her vivid description of airport travel made me remember why I do not like to travel anymore and Ko-Ko's hunger pains made me hungry.  This is a book where parents and children can enjoy together. What more can a parent want than to have their child enjoy history.  A job well done.  More s'il vous plait.
4210033
easy to play and based on historical fact - just plain fun and well conceived
4129948
This book entertainingly tells the story of the founding fathers in a way that engages the young reader.  (Fun for old, too.)  It is historically accurate and tells details they are not likely to learn in school.
3224113
I picked this book up on a whim, but I'm glad I did.  The 'history' is presented in a light and easy-to-read way that makes this book fun.  The stories of the individual "wonders" are presented as stand-alone chapters, so you can start with whichever one suits your fancy.

The book reminds us that history is really about people, not machines or structures. But the people who created those machines and structures tend to be fascinating. The ones detailed in this book were (almost without exception) highly-driven, obsessively focused individuals with lofty dreams they would nearly die to achieve.... and in some cases more-or-less did go that far.

If there's a downside to this book it's that the chronology of some of the events is occasionally hard to follow.  The author seems to jump ahead to near the end of a project, then back the beginning.  This isn't a deal breaker and once you get a handle on her style it's really not something that takes away from the fabulous (and true!) tales she tells.

On the 'worth noting' front is an extensive bibliography and a really interesting section called "P.S. Insights, Interviews and More..."  You get a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the author and a bit of what went into the creation of the book.  I would love to see more books include sections like this.

All-in-all a great read and highly recommended.
3701952
A well-told fascinating try story combining history, dedication and fun. A great read!
230199
Finally, history told in a fun way, where kids (and adults, too) can learn American history, without the revisionist versions that we get, these days. I'm hoping for one on the writing of the Constitution.
545915
If you are the kind of person who loves  historical trivia, if your idea of a vacation is visiting uncommon historical sites, if you are compelled to look for graves of former presidents and once famous locations that are now Chinese restaurants, then you are like me and this book is for you!  If you are interested in US history, and specifically presidential assassinations, this is a book you will enjoy.  It is not a "history book" as much as a travel log describing  her travels to  both well known and obscure places where historical events took place.  Sarah Vowell is also an extremely talented writer!  Her books are fun to read, informative, entertaining and very, very funny.
2020502
Historical fiction. Great for those of us who want to have a fun read and learn something at same time!  Occasionally the writing quality lacked, but in general the facts are strung together in a flowing way with plausible filler. Definitely worth the read!
2896428
So much fun to read and very, very interesting!  Since history does, in fact, repeat itself, I am a fan of studying history for clues on where we are headed.  This books provides some cool stories about interesting events that helped shaped this country.  In short, the  book succeeds in it's purpose.

I truly recommend buying it.  Especially the Kindle version.  BTW, if you don't have a Kindle by now, for goodness sake get one!  These are my opinions and I am not employed by Amazon or anyone else ;-)
4879335
I checked them out from the library years ago with my three older sons. We had fun then and I am sure my next three children will enjoy them too. They are easy to read with fun activities that make learning history more fun.
4416882
Full disclosure: I wrote a short piece for this volume.  And, after getting a look at the finished product, I can tell you without reservation I am so proud to have been allowed to participate.

Chuck and Gary have put together a great book, the type of thing that both entertains and - here's the cool part - inspires an interest in history.  (This book needs to be thrown into the hands of impressionable middle-schoolers everywhere.)

Wonderful art, well-researched stories, and factoids abound.  Worth your time whether you're a lover of history or solid storytelling.