Customer Reviews:
 What i learned about history August 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am in the process of reading this book for my AP class. As a summer reading book and the third one I've read this summer, i was not expecting much from this book. I was pleasantly surprised upon completing the first chapter. Kenneth C. Davis writes in such a way, that you feel he is talking to you. As a book about history you would think it to be very dull and boring, but as i said before, his style of writing makes reading all the more endearing. Plus his "Must read" notations are surprisingly interesting, and I have to say, choices I would actually read.
A Good Starting Point June 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If the last time you read about history was decades ago in high school, this is a good book to use as a brief overview. The 1-star reviews are primarily from politically conservative readers. Mr. Davis does lean somewhat to the left, but leaning to the right is just as error-prone ( i.e. the recent reviewer who whitewashed JD Rockefeller, using JDR's autobiography, no less, as one of her 3 sources ). The book is a fun read, and might just get you interested in reading more detailed, nuanced works.
 Still Don't Know Much About History... May 20, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
As it purports to contain "Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned", I had hoped that this book would provide me with 1) the truth behind the many common misconceptions that we learn in elementary school history; 2) an interesting revisionist American history; or 3) some really neat trivia. Unfortunately, it did not live up to these expectations. I'm sorry, Mr. Davis, I did learn this history as a kid, and my school wasn't all that great. Getting past the notable quirks, such as abhorrant grammar and obvious biases, it simply does not deliver. It is generally an uninteresting, bland rehashing of American history, like a high school text book with less pictures. The book is unaccountable, without footnotes. This is a shame because some of the facts just don't check out. The most mentioned outside resources seem to be David McCullough's biographies, which are great reads but not academic texts by any stretch. The bias towards modern history (i.e., what the author has lived through; look at the section on Ronald Reagan) is obvious, as is the political correctness. History is history, regardless of how repugnant it might have been; sanitizing it or giving it to us through 21st century eyes helps nobody. There are many better "quick history" or "little known history" books out there, don't waste too much time with this one.
Introduction to history, not all inclusive May 11, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Short vignettes which give the average reader the basics for history. Not in-depth, but useful for anyone interested in history. As with any history book, can be biased based on your views.
Not history, but what the author wants you to believe May 5, 2008
11 out of 20 found this review helpful
There ought to be a law against false reporting like this. The claimed premise of this book is that it reports the real truth about history, and the author's agenda is to affect the social attitudes of the reader. At best this is propaganda, seasoned with enough fact to lull the average gullible reader into accepting it. People believe what they want to believe, the facts notwithstanding, and in this case, it only interferes with our ability to control the bad aspects of our nature for our own betterment.
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