Don't Know Much About American History [Paperback]

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Matt Faulkner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Don't Know Much About

Was Columbus the first European in the Americas?

What sport became more popular after the Civil War?

Were the Little Rock Nine a rock-and-roll band?

As best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis knows, history can be fun, fascinating, and memorable. When his don't know much about® history was published in 1990, it was a sensation. The book delivered a fresh take on history with its wit and unusual detail. Davis now does for young people what his earlier book did for adults. In his trademark question-and-answer style -- peppered with surprising facts, historic reproductions, and Matt Faulkner's lively illustrations -- Davis introduces our ancestors who settled the East and expanded the West, as well as those who had been living here all along. His sure touch brings the drama and excitement of the American story vividly to life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-American history comes alive in this witty, yet informative account. Kenneth Davis (HarperCollins, 2003) explains complex issues like the controversy over slavery that led to the Civil War, the reasons for the Great Depression, and why terrorists would want to attack the United States on 9/11 in language that is easy for young people to understand. The narration by actor Oliver Wyman is broken up by the voices of three other actors who ask questions like: "How did Theodore Roosevelt get rid of 7,400 miles?" and "Were the Little Rock Nine a rock-and-roll band?" The narrative is also broken up by "American Voices," which include first-person accounts; American Portraits-brief biographies of noteworthy people, ranging from Harriet Tubman to Harry Houdini; Great American Pastimes, ranging from baseball to jazz; and American English, discussing how words became part of our language. Davis doesn't gloss over controversial parts of history, such as why not all Americans consider Columbus Day a holiday. and why the U.S. didn't do more to help prevent the Holocaust. He also addresses what our founding fathers meant when they said, "All men are created equal." As lively as this history book is, though, it's unlikely that young people will want to listen to it just for fun.
David Bilmes, Schaghticoke Middle School, New Milford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

“[Davis] steers an intelligent, non-partisan course through the thorny issues of the past.” (USA Today )

“Put the zest back in history” (Washington Post Book World )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064408361
• ISBN-13: 978-0060840563
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > General
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > United States
  • #83 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > General

More About the Author

Ken Davis is the author of Don't Know Much About History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don't Know Much About series, which has a combined in-print total of 4.3-million copies.Ken Davis has been dubbed The King of Knowing by Amazon.com because he becomes a subject expert in all of the areas he writes about; the Bible, Mythology, the Universe, the Civil War, for example. Ken has also been a Wise Man; on Who Wants to be a SuperMillionaire and a Life Line on the regular edition of the show. Ken Davis's success aptly makes the case that Americans don't hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. But many of them want to know now because their kids are asking them questions they can't answer. Davis's approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word. A somewhat well-kept secret: Ken Davis never graduated from college, but he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Concordia College in Bronxville, where he was also asked to give a commencement address. Ken Davis is a frequent media guest. He has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows, including NPR, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, CNN, and The Discovery Channel. He has been a commentator for All Things Considered, and has written for the New York Times. In addition to his adult titles, he writes the Don't Know Much About Children's series published by HarperCollins. He lives in New York with his wife. They have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Setting the story straight, March 16, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Know Much About American History (Audio Cassette)

This is a concise history of the United States, told from a decidedly liberal point of view. Davis begins his story with the various discoveries of America, informing us of Columbus motivations, Ericksons settlements, and the Native American migrations of 35,000 years ago. He continues with stories of the French and Indian Wars, the founding of the United States, the Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Twentieth Century events through the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Each chapter begins with a list of questions on a given period of history. Then Davis begins describing what happened during this period, taking up and answering each question in turn. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt, Davis own political persuasion starts to come through more and more clearly. While I myself agree with Davis comments about FDR and Ronald Reagan, I think conservative readers might find some of them a bit objectionable. In general, I found this a very readable concise history of the United States, but its not for everyone.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it for fun!, May 27, 2005

By 

Olivia - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Know Much About American History (Paperback)

The book came with the Movie "National Treasure". The movie was...not bad. But I really enjoyed the book. I was foreign born and learned American History among other history classes in high school. I went on to write History study guides for students later on.
This book was excellent in that it is concise and entertaining. Captures my attention all the way through. It is a history book for Dummies and I very much appreciated the simplicity, key elements and the openess of the author.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Overview of American History, December 20, 2006

By 

T. Carlsen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Know Much About American History (Paperback)

The purpose of this book is to make history approachable to people who might not know much about history or may not like history, hence the name. This is a very good overview primarily aimed at older children.

It takes a non-confrontational and non-confrontational approach to history, which fits with the generally conservative nature of history in education today. There are no debates. For example, it explains that, while slavery a leading cause of the Civil war, it weakly says that many factors were involved. It says nothing of the clash over the issue of slavery expanion to the western territories and the brutal confrontations leading to war.

By the way, I looked at the picture mentioned in another review. It does appear that the picture may be mislabeled, but it is not certain. The picture is a group of Russians. The Russian man in the middle is wearing a white outfit with several Russian medals, and he is obviously a Russian leader, although he probably is not Stalin. The man to the far right, two men over, appears to be a younger Stalin.

This is maybe the best overview of American history for older children and adults who do not know much about history. Considering the target audience, the book is a success.