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Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned (Don't Know Much About...) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kenneth C. Davis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $3.56
You Save: $11.39 (76%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  157 reviews
Sales Rank: 7651
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 678
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0060083824
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780060083823
ASIN: 0060083824
Publication Date: April 13, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Finally, someone who tells history like it was, without the old textbook gloss that's put so many students into premature naptime and misinformed the few who stayed awake. Davis corrects the myths and misconceptions from Columbus up through the Clinton administration, and shows that truth is more entertaining than propaganda.
Product Description
Who really discovered America? What was "the shot heard 'round the world"? Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: Did he or didn't he? From the arrival of Columbus through the bizarre election of 2000 and beyond, Davis carries readers on a rollicking ride through more than 500 years of American history. In this updated edition of the classic anti-textbook, he debunks, recounts, and serves up the real story behind the myths and fallacies of American history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 152 more reviews...
 Interesting November 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Interesting but not exactly good to learn US history. If you already know US History I highly recommend it. If you want to learn, try something more traditional first.
 Disappointing October 20, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was hoping to get a nice factual primer on American History when I ordered this book. What I got was a writer projecting his political bias on as many topics as possible. I'm kind of a hybrid Rebuplican/Democrat so I'm far from a right winger. But the left wing slant of this book is obvious and obtrusive from the get go. If this guy wants to impose his political beliefs on others, he should try fiction because history is too important to become an interpretive exercise.
I couldn't recommend this author less.
A Built-In Bias Book October 8, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
In terms of objectivity, this book has little to offer. Bias in the modern sections is easily spotted. Read the sections that describe Ronald Reagan as an incompetent dolt and Bill Clinton as a brilliant but flawed politician. If his bias is so readily apparent in these modern passages, then what kind of bias is probable in sections where a reader is less able to discern his 'slant' on history to suit hisown agenda. Historians should offer up facts and figures and weave from a variety of sources to come up with a solid profile of history. Davis has an ax to grind for the liberal camp. At the end of the book, he refers to Howard Zinn, a hard left historian, who offers a 'necessary corrective' in his books.
If you're looking for history books, keep looking.
 "Don't Know Much About.." Series is Excellent! September 27, 2008
I've read all of the books in the "Don't Know Much About.." series. If you're interested in getting a rather thorough overview without becoming an expert, these books are for you. They are so easy to read, that I couldn't but them down.
 Very Flawed Effort August 22, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book attempts to make history interesting and debunk many misconceptions. The initial writing starts off strong, then quickly falls into the following traps:
1) Opinionated. The author injects strong opinions where it's not needed or supported. For example, he likes to mention the "myth" of American opportunity, even right after sections about prominent figures that started from very poor backgrounds. Every motivation is boiled down to greed and racism, even the abolitionist movements.
2) Inaccuracy. This is a deal-killer for historical books. Facts are frequently wrong, which is a problem since there are no sources cited. For example, the "small and unprepared" Polish army in WW2 consisted of 900,000 men and had been industrializing and training three years before the NAZI invasion.
3) Tireless racial notes. The author never misses an opportunity to point out a person's racism or antisemitism, even though that was the rule as opposed to the exception in pre-1960's thinking. The book should have been titled "Greed and Racism in American History."
4) Dubious choices of inclusion. Why does Whitewater, Watergate, and Iran-Contra occupy passages as large as the Vietnam war? Far too much attention is given to meaningless detail in the later sections. What about the failed equal rights amendment, the fall of unions, and the airline strike?
5) Failure to connect the dots. "Historical inevitability" is a phrase I never want to hear again. It's a cop-out term when the author can't come up with a good reason for something.
The book isn't a total loss. Several ridiculous theories are debunked and some interesting anecdotes are included. But once you're past the revolution, you get a tireless sermon of greed, racism, and uninteresting, disjointed text.
What was the point of the Afterward, other than to lament America's violence?
I can't recommend this book to anyone.
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