U.S. History For Dummies (For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback)) Rating :
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199 of 229 people found the following review helpful.
History for Biased Readers Only
By Mary
You should only buy this book if you're actually hoping for a far-left opinion piece rather than a book on U.S. history. I expect some bias to seep through in a history book - we are all human beings and we all process information through our personal filters despite our best efforts at objectivity. But a historian should make an effort at objectivity. I bought the book in hopes of filling in gaps that I have in my knowledge of U.S. history but I felt so manipulated by the author's deliberate leanings when I read about incidents that were familiar that I felt I couldn't trust him on his coverage of facts that were unfamiliar. Moreover, I was very confused by events he chose to cover versus events he chose not to cover. For example, he devotes almost half a page to Muhammad Ali, but does not mention Jesse Owens at all. Ali was certainly famous and was a fantastic boxer, but I'm not sure how he affected U.S. history one way or the other. Jesse Owens on the other hand affected with his athletic abilities not only U.S. history but world history, proving to the world on Hitler's own turf that Nazi theories on race were absolute lies. He states that during WWII, the U.S. downplayed the horror of the Holocaust (which is certainly true), but never once mentions the U.S. relationship with Israel. In fact, he never mentions Israel at all. He does not mention that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan or President Carter's response to the invasion. At the end of the book, the author lists "ten inventions that changed life as we know it," and he lists things like the safety pin, the remote control, the brassiere, and post-it notes, but not inventions such as the lightbulb, the telephone, the airplane. A blatant example of the author's political bias is his coverage of Reagan's presidency. According to the author, the only people who voted for President Reagan were racists, money-grubbers and far-right Christians. He never mentions Reagan's anti-Communist stance, nor does he mention that Reagan won by two landslide elections or the unprecedented number of Democrats who voted for him. He never mentions Reagan's meeting with Gorbachev at Reykjavik, the "tear down this wall" speech, the treaties he reached with Gorbachev to reduce arms, or the fact that many credit him with winning the Cold War. Whatever you think of these events, you cannot omit them from coverage on Reagan's presidency and be considered a serious historian. (The author does however describe Gorbachev as "a remarkable man.") I am certain that the author loves history and knows a great deal about it, but his talents would be put to better use in political campaign management.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
A Good Refresher
By Lilac
Yes, here I am...boning up on American history that I should have remembered. I just wanted an overview and I got that and more. Wiegand paints US history in bold, clear strokes and highlights humorous and interesting .
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
US History: Facts and Humor
By A Customer
I found this book to be a great refresher for all of the facts I had learned about US History in high school and had since forgotten. Even more importantly, I learned a lot of not generally included in the names, dates, just-the-facts ma'am genre of most history textbooks. The book is well organized and it is easy to locate information about a specific period of time if you are just flipping through. The humorous and conversational style also make this book great to read cover to cover without feeling like you have to take a test afterward. I would recommend this book to any student needing to supplement their in-class learning and any adult looking to expand their knowledge a bit. I find it refreshing that Wiegand couples his facts with distinct opinions. It is widely known that it is impossible to write about anything, including history, with complete objectivity. The style in which this book is written is not hiding anything and it's a great resource whether you agree with the author's political commentary or not!
Product Description
Lots of people think that learning U.S. history is a punishment. It's a subject you had to take in school. You memorized a bewildering array of dates, absorbed definitions for terms like Manifest Destiny, and wondered if America really needed two presidents named Harrison. Historical figures were presented to you as if they were characters in a junior high school costume pageant, with their blemishes airbrushed out and personalities drained away in stodgy history textbooks.
History textbooks often overlook the fascinating moments of history. They present U.S. history as something dry and distant, all events and facts, and don't focus on what is really is: The story of Americans. It's the story of people – what they thought, did, and tried to do as they struggled to build a nation.
U.S. History For Dummies is not a textbook. It focuses on people – famous, infamous, and obscure. This book gives you a basic foundation of information about the history of the United States. Students and teachers can use it as a friendly, easy-to-understand overview of U.S history, and history buffs can use it as a reference to look up important facts, to settle debates, and to store up ammunition for future conversations with a know-it-all brother-in law!
Here's just a sampling of the topics covered in U.S. History For Dummies:
- Pre-Columbus: The earliest Native Americans
- The settling of the Pilgrims and the expansion toward the West
- The American Revolution and the establishment of a new government
- How the most influential presidents governed the nation
- The Civil War and the abolishment of slavery
- The development of modern industry
- Two World Wars and a Great Depression
- America matures through tragedy: The Kennedy Assassination, the Vietnam War, and Watergate
U.S. History For Dummies also includes Top Ten lists covering the best – and worst – presidents, inventions that changed the world, and events that defined American culture.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #815518 in Books
- Published on: 2001-03-01
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.29" h x.94" w x7.40" l,1.29 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 408 pages
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