Customer Reviews

Enduring Vision a History of the American People

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am using this book as a reference in my high school history class, and it is clearly a well-researched, well-written, and easy to use resource. It is obvious that many people think it is too wordy and difficult to understand, but it is a college text and should be treated like one. I would definitely recommend it to anyone preparing for a college American history class.

Lets face it a lot of history texts are prozaic and they do not have to be. Boyer and the other contributers deliver a text that is well written in the sense that it is somewhat enjoyable. The most important aspect of a text book is the information and The Enduring Vision does not fall short here either. I have used this book for background information in American history as a serious history student. It is a great source for quickly refreshing your mind on seldom visited topics. This would also make an excellent high school history text, but was really written for introductry college courses in American history from the colonial era to the present.

I used The Enduring Vision as a text for my AP US History class in high school. The organization, development, and discussion in the book increased my understanding of each era of our history. When used as one of two or three texts for the AP class (which I do recommend), The Enduring Vision provided me with insight into the major aspects of our history. The Student Manual to accompany The Enduring Vision was also a helpful tool in preparing for the AP Exam.

Our class utilized this book in our AP History class during my junior year in high school. Back then it seemed like a big load to tow, but it was well woth the effort. The detail put into this volume proves it to be an indisposible source for writing concise, intriguing essays: something that your AP graders will appreciate. I also recommend the accessory study guide which will provide you with chapter summaries, and many other study clues. I enjoyed this book so much that I am now purchasing a copy of my own to use throughout college. If you have ever felt as if history was just a matter of memorizing dates and names, then you will be blown away at what is in store for you in The Enduring Vision. American History has never seemed so alive.

I've never read a more slanted view of American history. It makes absolutely no attempt to remain neutral.

I used the third edition of this book, it was only one volume covering from clonial age to the first election of Clinton. This was the book assigned to my high school and AP history class (my setup was weird 4 periods a week of standard High School history, and 2 a week of AP level history). This book prepared me really well for the AP US Exam, while I have not yet received my score, I am very confident I knew the material well. This book also really helped me for the SAT Subject Test: US History, on which I scored a 96th percentile 780. While this book is good for intense history courses, I believe it is too hard for a standard high school level US History course. This is because it covers too much material for that type of class. This book is very well written, and at times can often be interesting to read, what other text books can say that.

This book was very detailed and comprehensive. I used it along with two other books in my AP US History class. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it jumped around too much perhaps it could have talked about the 1930s in Chapter 24 then back to the 1920s in 25.

This book is a joy to read because the text flows in such a way that one would think he was reading the History Channel. While that may seem terrible to some, the book draws not just on secondary sources with a "hindsight" attitude toward the subject matter, but rather engages the reader by reflecting on primary sources, on individual stories while still giving the bigger picture. The incorporation of culural history is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this text, but I also liked how modern finds about certain events (such as the spainish american war) were given alongside the popular thought of the day.

I have read reviews from different students in regard to this book. It was really never designed for a high school text and yes it is difficult reading, but it contains more facts and information than any college level or high school level history text. I was so impressed that I ordered the cd-rom edition to use for my student teaching experience. I have found this book even difficult can be of great importance to the student and yes in College and as in high school if the instructor uses the book improperly it can be hell. It is best used by the chunking method a little bit at a time. I wish I could find a replacement cd-rom for the cd-rom version of this book it was most helpfull in teaching history with videos, pictures, and speeches. I kind of wish the book was not out of print though.

I am currently using the Third Edition in my AP US History class. The book gives a lot of information but it can be too wordy to study from. I recommend United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination, an Amsco publication as a good supplemental reading that is easy to study from and has practice test questions.