Customer Reviews

OHIO: THE HISTORY OF A PEOPLE

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Cayton does a splendid job of tracking the development of Ohio and Ohioans and, very much to his credit, he exhibits a wide range of personal profiles rather than just rehash the notables like astronauts and Presidents. Also to his credit he brings to light the nature of the times with greater candor and less "political correctness" than many academic authors these days, and that proves of immense interest.
He even - at the very last of the book - finally reveals the true character of Ohioans, past and present - but I won't spoil it for you. It's both a light, and an enlightening, read. Enjoy.

Wow. If only every state had the resources of such a gifted historian!

Dr. Andrew Cayton, Distinguished Professor of History at Miami University of Ohio, is in familiar territory with this book. He is a well-known, perhaps the best-known, scholar of the early history of what was once called the Northwest Territory. Ohio is a state born in the Connecticut Western Reserve, but eventually carved out from the Northwest Territory by an exceptionally diverse group of people, from native Americans to African-Americans, from French to Germans, from American frontiersmen to American land speculators, from New Englanders to Virginians.

This book tells the history of the great State of Ohio as a great mixing bowl of cultures and desires. It is essentially a cultural and institutional history, and reminds me very much of Kevin Starr's great California histories. The narrative skill of the author is profound, so the book is not crowded with illustrations and maps: They simply aren't necessary. This author is skilled enough to tell you without needing to SHOW you.

Ohio was (and is) a destination for a great many unrealized dreams, carried on the shoulders and in the minds of the people who moved there. The story is told here chronologically, sprinkled with biography and a touch of personal nostalgia, that comes together at the end to portray a lasting and engaging image of what Ohio and its people are today.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a fleeting interest in the history of Ohio, and also for students and enthusiasts of American Studies. Dr. Cayton has produced a book that speaks to us all, Buckeye or not.