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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned (Don't Know Much About...)
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $10.17
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Manufacturer: HarperCollins
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780060083823
ISBN: 0060083824
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 678
Publication Date: 2004-04-13
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 2004-04-13
Studio: HarperCollins
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Editorial Reviews:
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Who really discovered America? What was "the shot heard 'round the world"? Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: Did he or didn't he? From the arrival of Columbus through the bizarre election of 2000 and beyond, Davis carries readers on a rollicking ride through more than 500 years of American history. In this updated edition of the classic anti-textbook, he debunks, recounts, and serves up the real story behind the myths and fallacies of American history.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Flawed Effort
Comment: The book attempts to make history interesting and debunk many misconceptions. The initial writing starts off strong, then quickly falls into the following traps:
1) Opinionated. The author injects strong opinions where it's not needed or supported. For example, he likes to mention the "myth" of American opportunity, even right after sections about prominent figures that started from very poor backgrounds. Every motivation is boiled down to greed and racism, even the abolitionist movements.
2) Inaccuracy. This is a deal-killer for historical books. Facts are frequently wrong, which is a problem since there are no sources cited. For example, the "small and unprepared" Polish army in WW2 consisted of 900,000 men and had been industrializing and training three years before the NAZI invasion.
3) Tireless racial notes. The author never misses an opportunity to point out a person's racism or antisemitism, even though that was the rule as opposed to the exception in pre-1960's thinking. The book should have been titled "Greed and Racism in American History."
4) Dubious choices of inclusion. Why does Whitewater, Watergate, and Iran-Contra occupy passages as large as the Vietnam war? Far too much attention is given to meaningless detail in the later sections. What about the failed equal rights amendment, the fall of unions, and the airline strike?
5) Failure to connect the dots. "Historical inevitability" is a phrase I never want to hear again. It's a cop-out term when the author can't come up with a good reason for something.
The book isn't a total loss. Several ridiculous theories are debunked and some interesting anecdotes are included. But once you're past the revolution, you get a tireless sermon of greed, racism, and uninteresting, disjointed text.
What was the point of the Afterward, other than to lament America's violence?
I can't recommend this book to anyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What i learned about history
Comment: I am in the process of reading this book for my AP class. As a summer reading book and the third one I've read this summer, i was not expecting much from this book. I was pleasantly surprised upon completing the first chapter. Kenneth C. Davis writes in such a way, that you feel he is talking to you. As a book about history you would think it to be very dull and boring, but as i said before, his style of writing makes reading all the more endearing. Plus his "Must read" notations are surprisingly interesting, and I have to say, choices I would actually read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Built-In Bias Book
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In terms of objectivity, this book has little to offer. Bias in the modern sections is easily spotted. Read the sections that describe Ronald Reagan as an incompetent dolt and Bill Clinton as a brilliant but flawed politician. If his bias is so readily apparent in these modern passages, then what kind of bias is probable in sections where a reader is less able to discern his 'slant' on history to suit hisown agenda. Historians should offer up facts and figures and weave from a variety of sources to come up with a solid profile of history. Davis has an ax to grind for the liberal camp. At the end of the book, he refers to Howard Zinn, a hard left historian, who offers a 'necessary corrective' in his books.
If you're looking for history books, keep looking.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Good Starting Point
Comment: If the last time you read about history was decades ago in high school, this is a good book to use as a brief overview. The 1-star reviews are primarily from politically conservative readers. Mr. Davis does lean somewhat to the left, but leaning to the right is just as error-prone ( i.e. the recent reviewer who whitewashed JD Rockefeller, using JDR's autobiography, no less, as one of her 3 sources ). The book is a fun read, and might just get you interested in reading more detailed, nuanced works.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Still Don't Know Much About History...
Comment: As it purports to contain "Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned", I had hoped that this book would provide me with 1) the truth behind the many common misconceptions that we learn in elementary school history; 2) an interesting revisionist American history; or 3) some really neat trivia. Unfortunately, it did not live up to these expectations. I'm sorry, Mr. Davis, I did learn this history as a kid, and my school wasn't all that great. Getting past the notable quirks, such as abhorrant grammar and obvious biases, it simply does not deliver. It is generally an uninteresting, bland rehashing of American history, like a high school text book with less pictures. The book is unaccountable, without footnotes. This is a shame because some of the facts just don't check out. The most mentioned outside resources seem to be David McCullough's biographies, which are great reads but not academic texts by any stretch. The bias towards modern history (i.e., what the author has lived through; look at the section on Ronald Reagan) is obvious, as is the political correctness. History is history, regardless of how repugnant it might have been; sanitizing it or giving it to us through 21st century eyes helps nobody. There are many better "quick history" or "little known history" books out there, don't waste too much time with this one.
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