American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America Kindle Edition

I highly recommend this book, but I'm submitting a three-star review based on the book's very weak and undisciplined finish. I thought the first two-thirds of the book provided a well-documented and well-thought-out presentation of America's regional differences and the history behind those differences. It was truly enlightening, even for an historian like myself. When writing the last third, however, the author clearly lost his objective discipline. Whereas the first two-thirds were well-reasoned and well-supported, the last third devolved into stereotypes and generalities, and contained more than a few downright errors, particularly concerning the modern Deep South and Greater Appalachia. I am an unapologetic Left Coaster with clear leanings toward activist Yankeeism, but even I was able to see Mr. Woodard's clear bias in the last third of the book. I found myself cringing more than a few times at the outright inaccuracies contained in his presentation of the modern South. I could list at least a half-dozen factual errors in his presentation concerning the practice and influence of Evangelical Christianity in the Bible Belt, for instance, but would rather not bog down this review with nit-picking. It would be great if Mr. Woodard could write a revised edition where he would exercise the same historical discipline in the last third of the book that he did for the first two-thirds. Such a presentation would truly be worthy of five stars. I still feel that this book is very much worth reading, but readers should approach the last third with a skeptical eye.

Just a word of warning about the Audible edition: there are far too many inaccuracies in the recorded version, inaccuracies which should have been corrected by re-recording. Some of the author's words are changed by the narrator. Some are omitted, while occasionally some are added. Some words are misread in ways that either alter the entire meaning of the sentence or leave the listener wondering what in the world the sentence was supposed to mean. Some words are mispronounced. After listening to about six chapters, I decided to buy the Kindle version so that I could understand what the author had actually written. I then read the text as I listened to the audio version, a process which showed me just how many substantial errors the narrator was making. This low quality of the audio version is unacceptable. By the way, I join those reviewers who praise the first 2/3 of this book, but I certainly urge others to purchase a text version.

This book should be required reading for all Americans. It would make a great textbook for high school American history. The book goes well beyond the pilgrim and Thanksgiving myths that create a unified and hugely simplified view of our country's founding. It describes the different groups that came to America for entirely different reasons and speaks to their varying attitudes and values. The book lends considerable insight to the regional and political differences that persist today. I read dozens of new books a year. This one stood out among all of the others. It was an absolutely fascinating read.

Mr. Woodard's 'American Nations' will help you see the forest for the trees. I'm a Mainer and laughed while reading the author's summation of the Yankeedom character. It fit to a tee. There are many perspectives taken by citizens, especially in the South, I find downright nutty. Mr. Woodard's very convincing argument shows that our nation's tensions have been consistently about cultural clashes between eleven areas. I understood the strong North and South difference, but the author gives a more detailed breakdown of what has been occurring even prior to the formation of the United States.

The near endless debates about the Constitution's "original intent" is laughable. There were and still are diametrically opposing values, politics, and social priorities in our country. The political experiment known as our Constitution was thrown together with concessions made and a reluctance to join together as one nation. Mr. Woodard also shows how cultural assimilation occurs and persists. An influx of immigrants do not change the area's cultural paradigm but, over time, it's the immigrants who take on the region's mores. The book also debunks cherished myths such as the founding of Jamestown, Puritans being champions of religious freedom, and how the American Revolution was one mindset. It also addresses such topics as why does Canada exist and did not become part of the United States; the stubborn caste system still prevalent in the South; how the various nations viewed Native Americans; the deep distrust between Yankeedom and the Deep South; why Reconstruction failed; and understanding the philosophical differences between freedom and liberty.

Mr. Woodard's work is a game changer. It not only helped clarify many puzzles I've witnessed over the decades, the book will influence my perspective from this moment on. The author states politics, religion, ethnic prejudice, geography, and agricultural practices kept colonists almost entirely apart. By the time other groups entered an already inhabited region, the first culture's ways had become fixed and remain so up to today. The important question Mr. Woodard asks is the United States sustainable or will it eventually break up into regions? It is not idle speculation. Take a look at the USSR and how it seemed to quickly crumble. National arrogance blinds many into believing things will remain the same here in the good ole U.S. of A. Yankeedom/New France and the Deep South/Greater Appalachia have mindsets in many philosophical areas that are simply nonnegotiable. It is a thought-provoking book that will help you see our nation for what it is... Sybil.

As I struggled to fathom what has happened to the US in the past year, this book came along and has begun to inform my thinking about how our current governmental scenario has developed.
Understanding the point of view/world view of people of the various "nations" of North America has helped me to be a bit less reactive in my responses as decisions get made that I think are bonkers. But bonkers because I've come from my nation and they've come from theirs.
Next challenge ... figuring out how to bridge the gap between the nations. That's a biggie.