A Different Look at American History
347949
I truly enjoyed this book. It is a fabulous story of a trip to Northern Michigan and the discovery of a rock carving of a Native American man's face in a rock along the shore of Lake Superior. The author tells us of her interest in this carving and unfolded a very interesting story about the native American Chippewa people who existed just prior to the advent of French explorers. The area is near the framed Picture Rocks and an Island (now a state park) where the subject of the carving once lived. It's a story of a peaceful band of Chippewa Indians their times, religion, history, wars, loss, and culture. If you plan to travel to the UP or interested in native American history and mystery, this is a book to read.
1463209
This is a very interesting book to read.  The history of some of the first families is there.  Some of the things surprised me and others didn't, it just went along with what I would expect from some of the people who lived in the White House.  A standing ovation to the people who serve and work within the US state residence, they have hard and thankless jobs that some first families have taken advantage of in a big way.  Ashamed of some of the people, but not surprised.
1628920
I like history, and especially American History. You may have seen my review of the Horrible Histories take on the American Revolution, and maybe you figured ah, those Brits, they're just bitter, they don't like what we're taught in school 'cause we beat 'em! Well, this book is by an American, and it doesn't always jibe with what we're taught in school, either. But it sounds a lot more likely to me than the official stuff. And it's funny! But, behind the humor, I understand why those troops fired during the Boston Massacre. Not sorry that Sam Adams made a big deal out of it, mind you, but I do understand. (It's not in this book, but John Adams was those troops' lawyer, and he got them off. Now I know why.) On the positive side, I learned things about Lexington and Concord that I never knew; those poor redcoats never stood a chance! (That's a good thing, don't read me wrong.) And I learned that General Burgoyne was a successful playwright after the war. Good for him, huh? Entertaining, fun, and the truth: who could ask for more?
2575509
Think it is a remarkable story of American politics told by someone whose life was spent in public affairs both military & government.  Quite a bit of it gives a different perspective on this section of history.
157259
How slavery evolved in early America is a story that is not often - or well - told.  This book focuses on slavery in Virginia during 1772-1832 and speaks to the daily lives of slaves as well as their masters.  It talks about the changing plantation economy during the period, the expansion westward from the coast, the freedom offered by the British during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and changing inheritance laws and how all of these events impacted slave families.  Prominent Virginians such as Jefferson, Randolph, Carter, and Madison are portrayed as real people - not icons; the book delves into their often contradictory and changing positions towards slavery during the period.
I lived in Virginia for over 20 years and therefore am familiar with many of the people and places referred to in this book.  It will make my next trip to VA's historical areas that much more interesting because I now have this book's perspective as context.
913462
This book gives American History a new perspective. In American History, we tend to light America as this perfect place for everyone to come and live, this book paints America in a dark light in which American's have made mistakes and have covered up information and withheld information from the US citizens. I really enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a well rounded understanding of many events that took place in America. I would take this book with a grain of salt like any American History book because of the amount of bias presented from both sides. I think that it is a great read for all adults and college student because it allows you to become informed citizens. I would not use this book as a primary history book in a classroom though because of the amount of bias. It is a great supplemental text for a class though. Great book and very interesting to read all of the lies that your teacher may have told you.
3859051
If you are a history buff, especially American history, well worth the cost and time to read.
1202357
1776 Adds perspective to the American Revolution, and provides many new details, but is a bit long for those just wanting basic history.
2771493
When I first received this book in the mail I was pleasantly surprised at the hardcover and soft binding. The quality is very good and looks expensive.

This book isn't your normal history text book. The way it is written is quite unique and I like how they divided up the chapters into months. For example, "chapter 1" is January. It goes day by day telling about the events that happened exactly on that day and about our country's heroic soldiers that keep America safe. You might want to read this book day by day, as I think that was the author's intention.

Besides the telling of America's finest men and women, it also goes in depth about our country's flag, symbols, important documents, and songs. Sometimes I have found history books can be sort of dry, but The American Patriot's Almanac was very interesting and I wouldn't consider it boring at all.

On the bottom of each page is a quick glance at some other moments of America's history, such as December 28 1945 when "congress formally recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance as the national pledge". These tidbits are interesting, but the book doesn't expand on most  of those ideas (if it did, this book would probably be over 1000 pages long!).

The only downside that I can see of this book is that they focus much of the book in the 1800's and early 19th century. There are only a couple entries about recent events (9/11, Hurricane Katrina). However, this is only a minor setback and doesn't take away what the book is all about: patriotism.

With Christmas fast approaching, I think this book would make a wonderful gift to someone who enjoys history of the USA.

Note: I am from a book review program and received this book free from the publisher. These are my own thoughts and I did not need to leave a positive review.
1951590
I really enjoyed this book, largely owing to the structure.  Rather than a dry recitation of the facts, the author chose six episodes from the period immediately following the American Revolution featuring the main players of the day (Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Madison), and presented them as separate short stories.  The author then deftly interwove the factual circumstances, the personality of the players and the issues (generally told from three positions, those of the opposing parties as well as the author's, presented with the historical hindsight and perspective)

Not only did I find it to be surprisingly fun to read, but this book was instructive to me on how we got to where we are now--red state versus blue state, the racial divide, intrusive government versus personal freedom, strong federal government versus states rights.  Clearly, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I also found some fascinating nuggets in this book, such as why the main street in DC is called Pennsylvania Avenue (a bone, tossed to the State of PA, for concessions on the location of the main government buildings) how fragile the newly conceived government actually was, and what a "rock star" Washington was.

All in all, an excellent first book for a novice in American history, who wants some idea of how we got from there to here.
3544317
As Abigail Adams reminds her husband to "Remember the Ladies", Cokie Roberts reminds the reader of the same thing as she discusses the birth of the USA as seen through the eyes of the influential women who lived during those years. Although, as a Social Studies teacher, I am familiar with the events leading up to the American Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, I learned so much about the women who are so often omitted from history textbooks. Not only does it make me wonder about how American History might have been different had Abigail Adams been permitted to serve as a delegate alongside her husband, but I am also left marveling at the economic innovations of Eliza Pinckney as well as the overall economic and political influence of the women of the times (boycott, propaganda, etc.)

Although there were times that I found the text a bit dry (unlike some other popular history books I've read recently, it did not read like a novel but like straight-forward history), I still learned a great deal and I plan to incorporate some of this information into my teaching curriculum this year!
4727070
Best history show I have ever seen. It shows a different point of view where America isn't always the good guys.
3284308
This book is interesting, gives a different slant on historical houses that are on tours for tourists.  It is especially enjoyable to me because I have been on a lot of tours of homes of famous people in US history.
3689233
A historical book that doesn't read like a textbook!  This book tells a portion of American history that is overlooked.  It gives the reader pause to think about our country's leaders as the flawed people they were and how they wrestled with the current issues of the day.
2972180
I am a history buff (with an undergrad degree in history), politically moderate, and rather patriotic so it seemed like this book was targeted at me.  Nonetheless, I was a bit skeptical when I purchased this book, expecting a version of American history littered with right-wing excesses as egregious as the left-wing exagerations and historical mistruths I'd encountered in previous historical reading.

And I was quite pleasantly surprised.

This book served as a great reminder to me that there is a lot that is both amazing and praiseworthy about America while presenting what I believe to be a fairly unslanted view of American history.  My academic study and historical pleasure reading is usually fairly focused; it had been a long time since I'd thought holistically about the history of America, and this book does that very well, telling a story with a consistent theme.  And that theme is that America is unique in its history, and while it is not (and certainly never has been) perfect, America is responsible for far more good in the world than bad.  This book will make you proud of US history, without resorting to tricks and gimmicks.

There are indictments of numerous gaffs by revisionist historians over the past 60 years.  These indictments are necessary to this book's mission, as what was once revisionist has successfully become the mainstream version of US history taught in elementary, high school, and college curriculums.  And in many ways, these indictments are the best part of this book, as they are written insightfully, backed up with facts, and caused more introspection about my own views on US history than any history book I've read since college.
3856324
A different look at early America; shows the warts on Jackson.  Worthwhile if you have any interest in native Americans and in particular, how sophisticated the native Americans were, especially Cherokee.
1760456
The history is well known but he gives it a whole new paradigm. This is an important new interpretation of our history. American history as it is taught will never be the same.