Customer Reviews

U.S. History for Dummies

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

 

 

You should only buy this book if you're actually hoping for a far-left opinion piece rather than a book on U.S. history. I expect some bias to seep through in a history book - we are all human beings and we all process information through our personal filters despite our best efforts at objectivity. But a historian should make an effort at objectivity. I bought the book in hopes of filling in gaps that I have in my knowledge of U.S. history but I felt so manipulated by the author's deliberate leanings when I read about incidents that were familiar that I felt I couldn't trust him on his coverage of facts that were unfamiliar. Moreover, I was very confused by events he chose to cover versus events he chose not to cover. For example, he devotes almost half a page to Muhammad Ali, but does not mention Jesse Owens at all. Ali was certainly famous and was a fantastic boxer, but I'm not sure how he affected U.S. history one way or the other. Jesse Owens on the other hand affected with his athletic abilities not only U.S. history but world history, proving to the world on Hitler's own turf that Nazi theories on race were absolute lies. He states that during WWII, the U.S. downplayed the horror of the Holocaust (which is certainly true), but never once mentions the U.S. relationship with Israel. In fact, he never mentions Israel at all. He does not mention that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan or President Carter's response to the invasion. At the end of the book, the author lists "ten inventions that changed life as we know it," and he lists things like the safety pin, the remote control, the brassiere, and post-it notes, but not inventions such as the lightbulb, the telephone, the airplane. A blatant example of the author's political bias is his coverage of Reagan's presidency. According to the author, the only people who voted for President Reagan were racists, money-grubbers and far-right Christians. He never mentions Reagan's anti-Communist stance, nor does he mention that Reagan won by two landslide elections or the unprecedented number of Democrats who voted for him. He never mentions Reagan's meeting with Gorbachev at Reykjavik, the "tear down this wall" speech, the treaties he reached with Gorbachev to reduce arms, or the fact that many credit him with winning the Cold War. Whatever you think of these events, you cannot omit them from coverage on Reagan's presidency and be considered a serious historian. (The author does however describe Gorbachev as "a remarkable man.") I am certain that the author loves history and knows a great deal about it, but his talents would be put to better use in political campaign management.

Yes, here I am...boning up on American history that I should have remembered. I just wanted an overview and I got that and more. Wiegand paints US history in bold, clear strokes and highlights humorous and interesting details.

I found this book to be a great refresher for all of the facts I had learned about US History in high school and had since forgotten. Even more importantly, I learned a lot of details not generally included in the names, dates, just-the-facts ma'am genre of most history textbooks. The book is well organized and it is easy to locate information about a specific period of time if you are just flipping through. The humorous and conversational style also make this book great to read cover to cover without feeling like you have to take a test afterward. I would recommend this book to any student needing to supplement their in-class learning and any adult looking to expand their knowledge a bit. I find it refreshing that Wiegand couples his facts with distinct opinions. It is widely known that it is impossible to write about anything, including history, with complete objectivity. The style in which this book is written is not hiding anything and it's a great resource whether you agree with the author's political commentary or not!

This book is very interesting. It reads like a story. You just find yourself reading along and then you realize you've learned several facts of history. The book is written very well. There is plenty of interesting trivia and little known facts. It is well worth buying the book.

This is U.S. History in a nutshell!

Focusing on the most important details of our History, Steve Wiegand has compacted centuries of information into 360 pages.

Interspersed with the well-researched information are sometimes humorous, and sometimes amazing, tidbits of little-known facts about events, Presidents, and personalities that have shaped our country.(Did you know that "Uncle Sam" was really Sam Wilson of Arlington,Massachusetts ?)

Serving principally as a reference book rather than a textbook, I found myself reading this book as if it were a novel. Rarely does one sit down and read a History book from cover to cover as I did with U.S. History for DUMMIES. Each chapter had some topic that drew me on with interest.

Mr Wiegand's style and sly-humor are an easy read. In addition, some valuable reference tools are included in the Appendices.

I highly recommend this book for Educators, History buffs and all general interest readers.

My only complaint is what's in the title of my review. The history here is not groundbreaking but it is more than just the standard basics. Someone with a background lacking in historical knowledge can benefit from this book, and anyone who enjoys reading about history will be at home here. Nice brush-up for those who feel they'd like to update what they know in this subject. Compacts its information well into its space and breaks it down into chapters and sub-headings so certain eras can be focused on as needed. All but the most keenly educated historian can learn something from US History For Dummies.

I was very pleased to find a new type of book that teaches the basics without all the unnecesary details. Not having a scholarly type of interest in history, I found this book to be educational and fun to read. History is a very dry subject for most people and the author's humor was very entertaining. If you are looking for material for a dissertation, go to the library. Pick any history book because they all contain the same information. If you want to learn about American History by someone not afraid to offend others with the truth, you'll love this book!

As am immigrant my knowledge of American history was rather patchy and incomplete. With my citizenship process nearly done, I decided it was high time to shore up my deficiencies. I began to listen to the "Great Courses" tapes on American History but I also wanted a book that I could quickly follow along with and flip back the pages when needed.

This one fit the bill perfectly. And the strategy has worked magnificently. Having two sources helps memory with cross-association and more importantly contrasts errors and discrepancies right away.

I am usually somewhat wary of the "Dummies" moniker - the books are sometimes too dumbed-down and contain corny jokes. But this one is very well-written and very readable. You can breeze through it with little strain. It is peppered with interesting facts in boxes on nearly every page. The material in these boxes is not random but carefully chosen to highlight and flesh-out points made in the accompanying text. It is well-organized. Although not comprehensive, it is not superficial either. It explains not just events but the underlying causes - for example "What caused the Great Depression?".

The jokes are of a high quality and make the reading particularly enjoyable. I loved the fact that the Nixon re-election committee responsible for the Watergate fiasco was abbreviated CREEP (Committee to Re-elect the President).

I was impressed by the high degree of concordance between the tapes and the book. To me that is reassurance that the facts and analyses in the book are accurate. The lecture series at 42 hours is certainly more detailed and nuanced, but nearly every major fact mentioned there was contained in the book and most of even the minor events and "catch phrases" were at least alluded to in a brief sentence or paragraph. For example, it deals with each of the 44 presidents except Franklin Pierce.

One of my pet peeves is a history book lacking maps. But this one is quite satisfactory. It has clear maps covering several key events in American history such as the early sea explorations, the major battles of the American Revolution and the Civil War, the Louisiana Purchase and the Missouri compromise. (I also used a separate kids' "placemat" map with the states in bright solid colors to enhance my understanding and I found that very helpful). There are in addition a few scattered illustrations and photographs, some quite interesting, and the expected Dummies cartoons at the beginning of each section.

The only "bias" that I could detect was toward humor and good cheer. The author obviously had fun writing this book, and it shows.

It is easy to fault any beginner's book for what it doesn't include, and I'm sure the author faced some hard choices in deciding what to leave out. But what it does discuss it does very well.

This should be a great help and a fun trip for any beginner like me. For hard-core history buffs, this is not the right book, though that should have been clear from the "Dummies" title.

Steve Wiegand has a voice and he's not afraid to use it. It's wonderful to read a general history book with a little edge, a little attitude, and a lot of humor. This is no pussy-cat history, declawed and toned down with an eye to being totally inoffensive. This is fun to read -- and you'll learn something while you're at it. Great supplement for teachers seeking to spice up the curriculum a bit and engage their students.

Although I have spent more time in school than a sane person should, I still find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to the subject of history. So, when someone suggested I give this book a read, I overcame my pride (I mean, who really wants to be referred to as a "dummy"?) and got myself a copy. While I braced myself for a boring list of facts and dates, I was pleasantly surprised to find something very, very different! The author covers the entire span of U.S. history not only accurately, but with a sense of humor. I actually found myself WANTING to keep reading. The book is very well organized so it is easy to focus in on a particular event or person if you don't want to read the whole thing. I did read it cover to cover, but decided to not pass my copy on and have used it several times as a handy reference to look something up. In addition to basic facts, the author has included many historical anecdotes that make the events come alive. As noted in some of the other reviews, the humor in this book occasionally assumes a more liberal perspective, but this doesn't mean the facts aren't accurate! Besides, the way ALL historical accounts are presented is subjective because the author has to make choices about what to present and how. I prefer to know where an author is coming from than to guess at his or her intentions! I highly recommend this book to anyone like me who wants to be able to pretend that you didn't forget everything about U.S. History the moment you graduated.