A great read, specially if you like US history
580972
Excellent historical coverage about a subject we seldom visit. The author appears to be relating a first hand account of these Texans.
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.
4258687
I bought this book to brush up on American history before I took a standardized test and I was delighted with how interesting it was. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book. I'm actually tempted to buy US History 1 just to read it for myself. The book moved along at a good pace and brought up aspects of history that I never learned in school.
694560
This was a great read - kept a good pace and I learned a lot about our country during and "after" the Revolution.  It's well researched but you're not burdened with footnotes, etc. - well documented at the end of the book.  I highly recommend it.
1805350
Ralph Peters, again, does a yeoman job of getting into the Civil War from the grunts viewpoint and with some insight from the officers with the troops.  The books a bit wordy and long (why I gave it 3 s) but well worth reading.  It provides significant insight to battle tactics as the Union Army under Grant presses Robert E Lees Rebs back towards Petersburg during the Union Armys march toward Richmond. The chapters on the Battle of the Crater are fascinating.  If you're a Civil War buff or just enjoy US History, this is a book for you.
4794598
I've read many books about the American Revolution written by contemporary authors, but I found this 19th century book fascinating.
Mr.. Fiske provides a well written and detailed account of the American Revolution and includes many back stories. I couldn't stop reading it.
As another reviewer mentioned, there were sections missing, but it was easy to fill in some of the gaps and the material still kept my interest.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in American history, it was a great read.
3204860
In today's environment, it is refreshing to find an account of U.S. history that does not portray America as the villain.  Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, in "A Patriot's History of the United States", tell the in-depth story of America from 1492 through the early years of the twenty-first century.

In more than 800 pages, the two authors cover all of the important topics of American history, from our independence and founding, through our westward expansion and modernization, including examination of religion, politics, race and gender relations, social trends, military history, and technological breakthroughs.  The drawback of the book is that the authors do get a few dates wrong.  On the whole, though, this work is a great history of America and would be enjoyed by anyone who believes that this country is not evil, but is the greatest nation the world has ever known.
1740649
The book arrive on time and in excellent order.
The author does an excellent job of exhibiting the backdrop of the era and the events leading up to the main theme of the book. Her discovery she really had three subjects to discuss instead of Roosevelt was excellent. She not only presented Taft in a good light, but she did a good job presenting the McClure group.
The downside of the book is sometimes she delves  into details too much, which sometimes make the reading drag.
In reading the book I many times thought I reading about current events of today, not the 1900'S
If you are interested in American History, I highly recommend this book
3684129
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even as an adult, and would recommend it to anyone, especially if you feel like American history is being increasingly distorted by the left.
1430229
The book may be a slow, fairly difficult read, but it is such a very good
look at the USA in the present time......and telling us what we have lost over the years since our formation.
  I recommend this for my adult children and for all Americans who wish to try and keep our country.
4506315
I chose this book to review because I thoroughly enjoy history, and in this volume you get a varied glimpse of the history of America, I especially enjoyed viewing the copies of various documents that shaped our nation, such as the Constitution, and Abe Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. I would easily say that my two favorite section of this book was at the very beginning. One was about five pages and is titled The American Patriot, the other is title Twelve Great Reasons To Love A Great Country. These reasons will remind us, if we need reminders, of why we should be grateful and proud to live in the greatest country in the world.

Each chapter of this book is actually a month of the year, and for each day of the month you are provided a list of historical events that happened on that day in history. It was quite interesting to look up what happened on my birthday, and a friend of mine was surprised that the Civil War began on her birthday in 1861.

There are articles peppered throughout such as The History of The Stars and Stripes, Flag Etiquette, The Bill of Rights and the Pledge of Allegiance to name just a few. It is really amazing that so much information can be packed in this book, it seems like each time I open it I find something new to read.

This book is a definite keeper and would make a great gift for anyone that loves American History. I think it would also be a valuable tool for homeschoolers. I think it would be great in public schools as well,because children need to know what makes our country great and this book does just that without making it boring!

Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review by Booksneeze it in no way alters my opinion of this book.
1867287
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well-written, informative, and entertaining. There are references to events in "Bess" but from a slightly different perspective and her grasp of the political process is very good. I am now convinced that Harry was one of our best presidents and played a crucial role in the post-WWII international politics. In fact, if the current Democratic party still reflected Harry's ideals, I would change my voter registration.
She also provides first-hand insights and observations about the social life of Washington, which is more interesting than you would think. I highly recommend this book.
4267726
I read this before I started grad school at Duke.  I found it very interesting and it gave me background knowledge of the school and the Dukes that most of my classmates will never know...  I especially love how it ended!  A little dry at times because of the details (sometimes Tolkien-ish with all the details), but just remember these were all real people, and that part becomes interesting as well!  Overall, a pretty quick read.  Great for anyone who enjoys the US history that rarely makes it into the classrooms (or Duke).
3513721
Outstanding. Generally US History is rather boring to me, but this book pulled me in and exposed me to many things which still affect the world today. My only complaint is the author stopped in 1848 . . . I wanted more!!!
29356
I had to read this for US History. It was actually very interesting. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't forced to read it.
4133429
As an American Revolution History buff this was a great work. It was written around the centenial of the Revolution and contained a perspective on people & events that has been lost to a more cynical view of history and events by many modern historians. I was amazed at how 'readable' the work was given its age. I certainly learned a lot not typically taught now about the origins of the struggle for independence and was particularly struck by Fiske's discussion of how each colony's unique history influenced their involvement in the Revolution.
1227336
An interesting and educational read -- well done, well thought out, well researched.  A good book for anyone to read if you enjoy American history.