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Don't Know Much About History

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Like a great baker, a great writer can turn even what might have been stale into something not just digestible, but delicious. Clever turns of phrase and crisp, engaging writing style (in an easily referenced question and answer format) allow historian Kenneth Davis to chart American history and debunk many of its myths in this exceptional update of his 1990 best-seller.

Drawing on reports of the period and on revisionist histories, Davis concisely shows the humanity in American icons known only by one name: Lincoln's views on race relations, Washington's at times bawdy sense of humor, Franklin Roosevelt's thirst for power and gift for political (and apparently, personal) compromise, Ford and Lindbergh's disquieting bigotry and animosity. (Robert E. Lee's quote on slavery's positive effects show him, despite honors afforded him in the Civil War's losing cause, very much a man of his time.) Davis also provides short biographies of historic's outstanding black voices, from Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois' passion to the Mohammad Ali's athletic urban poetry.

Davis also shows a refreshing desire not to be objective, a rarity in books like this. He attacks the nation's great shames (treatment of Native and African Americans, Japanese-American internment during World War II), targeting history's cynics and opportunists whose names still ring of American royalty: Vanderbilt, JP Morgan, Rockefeller, even the Kennedys. (Davis' coverage of the reasons and results of 1898's Spanish-American War will disturb those always thinking Americans fought defensively and for the right causes.) Davis also explains the interlocking events which started WWI, which (should you choose to read the book cover to cover) pour into every other tragic conflict which followed up to and including September 11.

Davis misses some steps covering the last 30 years. He covers Watergate in depth, including an events timeline, which he does for every war covered in the book. But he glosses over Richard Nixon's historic trip to China and for that matter, much of the Ford-Carter years. He again retells Monica Lewinsky's affair with President Bill Clinton but fails to capture (in fact, hardly mentions) the Whitewater and Travelgate scandals inspiring Ken Starr's investigation and staining Clinton's administration and legacy.

Davis` summary of American tragedies tying into September 11's horror is heartfelt but forced. But he also explains Electoral College and US Constitution, charts the US presidents, and provides an exhaustive list of referred readings to complete an exceptionally exciting retelling of history. "Don't Know Much About History" is a title only true until the book is completed; it is exceptionally helpful as a primer and essential as a supplementary history book.

Davis is very opinionated in his writing of history and furthermore, I happen to be politically conservative and he is very liberal. However, I nontheless really liked the book. Opinons are OK if the author does not let them detract from the presentaion of the facts. I have read several good histories of the United States and I am satisfied that Davis presents the essentials and then some. I think that if a high school student were to use this as a review book before the final examination, he/she would get the essential information and do well on the exam. Obviously, this book is not as comprehensive as, say, Paul Johnson's "History of the American People," however, it does what it sets out to do. That is to provide a reasonably comprehensive history of the United States for people who are not well versed in the subject. The facts are presented in a well organized and easy to follow question and answer format. The opinions drove me crazy at times but, then again, perhaps they kept me interested. All in all, a good book.

Although I'm an avid non-fiction reader, my tastes run more towards the sciences. While I do read a lot about Arizona history ( I live there) I must admit that I haven't read much on general American history since I left school. I decided to download the unabridged audio version of this book from AUDIBLE.COM.

In the book, Davis gives a fairly complete overview of the most significant people and events in American history. His writing style is casual, almost folksy. I particularly appreciated the fact that the author discusses both the good and the bad of American history. While I am proud to be part of this great nation, there are many events in our history that we should not be proud of - things that were not discussed in your high school history class. As other reviewers have pointed out, the author occasionally injects his own biases into the text. But, when he does, he backs up these beliefs with facts that are hard to dispute. Whether you're a history buff or someone that just wants to learn more about this country, this is a great text. I plan to read the other "Don't know Much..." books by this author.

Comments specific to the audible.com version: The reader is Dick Estell (of Radio Reader fame). He does an excellent job. His voice is clear and has a lively tone to it - perfect for those long commutes

This book isn't quite "everything" you need to know about American history, but its very close. In DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY, Kenneth Davis successfully identifies and desribes many of the key people and pivotal events of American history. He provides a brief synopsis of each, detailing basic information necessary for at least a rudimentary understanding of that slice of history: the who, what, and when. Most important, he provides the "why;" that is, "why is this event/person significant?" This is a critical difference between Davis' book and most textbooks: Davis explains why this person/event was significant then and how it still affects us today. And its highly readable, too. For the most part, the book is written in a light and entertaining style.

A cautionary note to any parent thinking that this book could fill the gaps in junior's education. This is not a neutral examination of American history. Davis rarely misses an opportunity to lecture and sermonize from his own perspective, which is decidedly liberal. As with any book, its not so much what you say, but the way you say it. Davis presents his own opinions as fact and offers no citations for his assertions and conclusions. In a dozen different entries, Davis asserts that America's history is the story of bigoted, patriarchal, imperialistic, white Anglo-Saxon males, hell bent on Indian killing, Negro hating, war profiteering, female domination, labor bashing, and red baiting their way to world domination. Its not quite what some call "revisionist history," but it is rather slanted.

This is not to say that DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY is a bad book: it isn't. But it should be read purely for entertainment, not for serious study and certainly not used for academic reference. Serious conservatives will need to take this book with a big grain of salt.

History is one of those topics that can make the eyes glaze over or appreciably brighten. Too many, alas, get their first and only taste of history in the classroom in either a grade school or high school classroom, where more immediate concerns, such as lunch or awakening hormones, often take precedence in learning what British general surrendered at Yorktown. Every once in a while, a teacher will come along and instill some relevance into the subject matter, demonstrating, for example, why everyone in New Orleans talks funny as the result of the Louisiana Purchase. But, for the most part, history class is where a young mind feels its mortality ticking away for the first time.

It is Kenneth C. Davis's intention to correct this state of affairs with DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY. The original volume of this work was published in 1990. This new one is, in the words of the author, completely revised and updated. It retains the strengths and the weaknesses of the original.

The format of DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY is very simple and straightforward. The book proceeds chronologically with each chapter divided into subheadings in the form of questions, which Davis proceeds to answer. Accordingly, the first chapter, "Brave New World," begins with the question "Who Really 'Discovered' America?" It is thus relatively easy to go directly to an event of interest. The book has an excellent and in-depth index --- which is nearly 20 pages long --- and lends itself well to picking up and reading at random.

Davis has a breezy and entertaining style that makes DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY hard to put down. If you open it in search of one topic, you'll undoubtedly read at least five or six before putting it down again. Davis also, as a general rule (with some lapses), takes pains to present all available facts regarding an issue and does so quite effectively when dealing with such topics as Alger Hiss, the secession of Southern states and the Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemmings controversy.

Where DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY breaks down is when Davis treats his subject matter as a vehicle for his own editorials. He is capable of being evenhanded, such as when he deals with the impeachment of Bill Clinton or the Second Amendment. That is why it is all the more glaring when he takes off on such topics as Iran-Contra and Oliver North, Plessy v. Ferguson, or what he refers to as "Contract with America." While he is certainly entitled to take umbrage at historical events, selectively or not, Davis's intermittent lapses of objectivity unfortunately result in turning DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY into a subjective treatise and casts doubt on the accuracy of what he presents.

While DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY is worthwhile as informative entertainment, it is not necessarily a work one would want to wholly rely on as a reference. If its intent is to make history interesting and relevant, it does so quite handily. However, one seeking an objective, more scholarly work would be better served looking elsewhere.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I bought this book several years to help me prepare for the State Department's Foreign Service written exam. I was pretty confident in my knowledge of foreign affairs and European history, but less so about the events that had occurred right here in my own backyard for the past 200+ years. Well, it really helped! I particularly remember questions on the exam about the Monroe Doctrine, the Missouri Compromise, and Marbury v. Madison that I could not have answered had I not read this book. I passed the exam, which is one of the most draining tests I have ever taken. It's like a super-SAT for adults.

Recently, I picked up this book again and thumbed through it. My one criticism is Davis's "anti-Manifest Destiny" rhetoric, which is true, I suppose, of most modern historians, with the exception, perhaps, of the incomparable Stephen E. Ambrose. General George A. Custer described as "probably deranged" is pure revisionism! Straight out of "Little Big Man," the 1968 movie with Dustin Hoffman. Anyhow, that's my one beef in an otherwise fun and engaging read.

(This review refers to the audio edition)

"Don't Know Much About History" is as hard a book to recommend as it is to truly scorn. Author Kenneth Davis succeeds in offering a single-volume of American history covering most major events and eras in simple, accessible language. Yet Davis fails to craft a balanced book, his own political viewpoints and biases too often intruding upon the text. It's unfortunate, because his victory in putting together such a book is noteworthy.

The audio reading here is extraordinary. The tone is lively and engaging, and the use of several narrators (changing places for chapter titles and famous quotes) brings a welcome change of pace to what could be a monotonous 20-plus hours. The production is very good, the sound crisp, and chapter titles are read aloud. (I hate audio books that skip chapter titles).

As it purports to do, "Don't Know Much..." runs the gamut of American history, from the earliest explorers to September 11, 2001, and just about every major event in between. Events are summarized and explained in easy to understand language, making a great starting point for those developing a love for history, or readers looking to refresh their memory of history lessons learned long ago. Throughout are timelines on major events (the Civil War, World War II, etc.) and quotes from key historical figures. Overall, the presentation is wonderful and will be a boon to those with even a passing interest in history. A well-formatted piece.

In the audio edition, the timelines come across as awkward. The quotes, however, are wonderful. Two other narrators, a male and female, handle the chores here, serving to break the listener away for a moment and sink into the famous quote. Impersonations are also excellent. These add a lot of flavor to the reading.

Unfortunately, despite his claims otherwise, the author fails to leave his political viewpoints out of the picture. (Right from the start, Davis spends ten minutes telling you why his book is NOT biased. That screams of protesting a bit too much). His viewpoint intrudes too often, and after a while it becomes an unwelcome distraction.

As far as Davis is concerned, business in America is a Great Evil, never having done anything that wasn't corrupt, dishonest and brutal. Not once does he offer a story about business improving the American way of life, yet dozens of examples are given about what mean-spirited murderers businessmen are. If it entails business, it is Bad. Always.

Corrupt seems to be Davis' view of all of American history. No bravery, sacrifice, grand vision, or good intentions in Davis' America (even those who fought slavery did so out of greed, not a desire to free slaves, according to the author). No inspiration, can-do spirit, hands-on building of a new world. Nothing worth being proud of. Only greed, murder, racism, and more greed. An objective writer would have noted that America was built on both the good and the bad.

Davis' propensity to inject racist motivations into event after event is equally troubling. America's history with racism is indeed disturbing and shameful; that it is well-chronicled here is unquestionably commendable. Yet the author also seems to inject racism in almost everything, whether or not there is any indication that race played a part in the historical event.

None of this is to say the book does not have merits. It does. The writing is crisp, fast-paced, detailed, and informative. The light humor is welcome. Almost every major era in American history is covered. Davis also makes an effort to put events in the context of their times, helping us better understand what key events meant in the long term. It is an engaging look at history.

Don't Know Much About History is easy to recommend to a casual reader looking for a quick primer on American history - with the caveat that they are getting a skewed view of things. The book will be all but worthless to a history buff - you won't learn anything new here. The book may well be abrasive and irritating to those who want their history with a little more balance, but as a single-volume chronicle of American history that is both complete and well-written, it would be difficult not to recommend this. The bias is there, sure, but for those willing to look past it, this is a solid selection. And for the price, the unabridged audio edition is a fantastic bang for the buck.

Unfortunately for Kenneth Davis, I DO know something about history. I have entire walls of boooks on historical subjects at home, particularly on the art of war and high level decision-making. For this reason, I am not overly enamored of Davis's book.

It's not bad in a simplified-overview sense. Davis does give the reader (who is presumed to be a teen with no interest in the subject, that he wants to interest in the subject) a sense of history as having been made by real people. However, he has a love-me-I'm-a-liberal slant to his writing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That, I can forgive; I do not demand that every writer be moderate or conservative.

The two things that I can't forgive are his political-correctness and his inaccuracies with reported, verifiable facts. I have no use for political correctness. I would much prefer information presented objectively, allowing the reader to make up his/her own mind. However, gross misrepresentation of fact by someone purporting to write history is a crime against the impressionable teen audience for this book. I'm not talking about minor mis-statements, such as his implication that the USS Yorktown survived the Battle of Midway with damage (Davis clearly has confused Midway and the earlier Battle of the Coral Sea) or his statement that the US Army Air Force (NOT Corps, stupid - that designation had long since changed) was solely responsible for the bombing of Dresden (the operation was British-inspired and RAF Bomber Command did most of the bombing). I am talking about things like his blatant misrepresentation of: Edith Wilson's role following Woodrow's stroke; Grant's tactics in the Petersburg/Richmond campaign and why he chose them; and the reasoning behind Truman's decision to employ the atomic bomb to end the war in the Pacific. And these are just some of the ones that caused me to slap the book down in disgust and pick it up again later. The facts on these examples are available IN THE WORDS OF THE PARTICIPANTS. Davis simply didn't want the facts contradicting his political-correctly written views.

Catching Davis out in both major and minor errors like the ones cited make me wonder what else is incorrect, that I did not catch because I am not as well read in areas such as economics and the history of the civil-rights and suffrage movements as in the art of war and how inventions have impacted the nation. As those I mentioned aren't the only ones, I presume there are many more.

Bottom line: Don't Know Much About History is entertaining, but is like cotton candy; it looks impressive but there's little substance. I would not use it as a teaching tool. Its most valuable part is its bibliography. When the kids get interested in history, they can read the pros and find out what really happened, not Davis's version of what happened.

Kenneth C. Davis does a very good job of overviewing American history in this book. His style is informative and very entertaining. The chapter titles such as "Apocalypse Then" are comically brilliant.

The book does suffer from a case of terminal liberalism though. While Mr. Davis is more honest than most liberals are about historical figures and events (he does actually criticize people like FDR and JFK for certain things), still Mr. Davis's bias does distort his interpretation of some historical events. One example is of Reagan's 1986 bombing of Libya which he chalks up as just a botched assassination attempt.

But if you can ignore the bias, the book is still an entertaining read (just don't take it as 100% gospel truth).

I bought this book as one of the many people who did not learn (or remember anything of) history in school. While the book holds a great deal of useful information, I quickly found the Q & A format just too cutsie and somewhat condescending, as if no one reading the book would be intelligent enough to simply read history but, instead, must have it fed to us in manageable little bites. I thought it would be highly readable; instead, I found it difficult to stay with for any length of time.