Recommend a general U.S. history book

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
Triple digit golfer
Posts: 10433
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 5:57 pm

Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Triple digit golfer »

I am embarrassed to say that when it comes to my country's history, I am ignorant. I know very little about the formation of the country and its history since.

I am looking to read a good, complete, U.S. history book, one that will present all of the major historical events, wars, and give me a good, solid foundation of U.S. history. I don't mind if it takes me a year. I just want to be well versed in my country's history. I'm not looking for any politically charged books. I want a good narrative that's easy to understand.

There are hundreds of books out there. Any recommendations?
User avatar
Aptenodytes
Posts: 3786
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:39 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Aptenodytes »

I have three thoughts.

1) A single book that covers all of US history is likely to be boring. All the meat and gristle will be hidden from view, and you'll just see the skeleton. I would read some books that dive into a particular period, written by knowledge good writers. Authors such as Stephen Ambrose, David McCullogh, and Douglas Brinkely come to mind. With books of this sort you'll learn a lot of US history but in a way that really grips your imagination and brings the past to life.

2) That said, having a broad survey at hand that you can skim now and then, or consult as a reference if a question pops into mind, makes sense. A good college textbook probably fits the bill. Buy a well-reviewed one used (the new prices are crazy).

3) You say you aren't interested in books with a political bent, but in my mind the most responsible approach to reading history is to read multiple perspectives. Any book has a political point of view of one sort or another. What you think of as apolitical would be seen as highly political by someone else. So I'd suggest at some point, not at the outset, getting from your library a book such as Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," which offers a left-wing interpretation, as well as a book such as Larry Schweikart's "A Patriot's History of the United States," which offers a right-wing interpretation. This doesn't have to feel like homework. You can scan a few pages and get a sense of how these people approach the material; you can read more if it interests you and if not at least you have a sense of what's out there.
jebmke
Posts: 25475
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by jebmke »

I'd add Bernard Bailyn to the list. Maybe Pauline Maier as well. Both are a little heavy lifting.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
larryinnewyork
Posts: 114
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:46 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by larryinnewyork »

This is a book I like.
You can easily jump around to what interests you.
Amazon shows an average rating. I highly recommend it.

The Handy History Answer Book
by Rebecca Nelson

http://www.amazon.com/Handy-History-Ans ... nswer+book
Casper
Posts: 311
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Casper »

It's a series of books instead of just one, but I'd recommend the Oxford History of the United States as a starting point. Each book is written by a prominent historian, and covers the main events and people of a specific time period in an engaging, narrative style. Examples from the series include The Glorious Cause, Empire of Liberty, and What Hath God Wrought.

Instead of reading the whole series all the way through, I'd pair each book with a book on a more narrow subject (which are often as educational as the broader treatments). I'm thinking of ones like 1776 and John Adams (both by David McCullough), American Lion by Jon Meacham, Undaunted Courage or Nothing Like It In the World (both by Stephen Ambrose).

David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman is fantastic and ends up covering a broad range of history from the late 1800s through the Korean War.

Most if not all of these should be available at a decent local library.
Michread
Posts: 151
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 11:50 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Michread »

The Teaching Company U.S. History is good. You can buy it from TC, Amazon, ebay or get it from inter-loan library. If you don't want to watch or listen (video/audio available) to it then read the book that comes with it for a good overview.
Early retirement 2018
whomever
Posts: 1202
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:21 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by whomever »

Kind of an oddball suggestion: I really enjoyed Churchill's 'History of the English Speaking Peoples'. Just flip past the parts that aren't about the U.S.

I thought the U.S. specific parts gave good coverage, if from Winnie's viewpoint. And his prose is delectable, just from a wordsmith's craftsmanship point of view.
Quotia
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2014 4:13 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Quotia »

I agree about the Oxford series - really excellent.
PVW
Posts: 807
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:01 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by PVW »

I recommend Kenneth Davis, "Don't know much about history". It is a pretty broad but superficial survey of American History. It is a good refresher if you didn't pay much attention in history class. Mentioning this as a source in any high brow circles won't win you any brownie points (or accolades, as it were, chap).
Valuethinker
Posts: 49032
Joined: Fri May 11, 2007 11:07 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Valuethinker »

http://www.amazon.com/The-Penguin-Histo ... 014025255X

gets pretty good reviews. For a one volume history.

There was a text we used in (Canadian) high school 'Manifest Destiny' which was pretty good. Can't find it though.
User avatar
Kosmo
Posts: 1303
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:54 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Kosmo »

Aptenodytes wrote:I have three thoughts.

1) A single book that covers all of US history is likely to be boring. All the meat and gristle will be hidden from view, and you'll just see the skeleton. I would read some books that dive into a particular period, written by knowledge good writers. Authors such as Stephen Ambrose, David McCullogh, and Douglas Brinkely come to mind. With books of this sort you'll learn a lot of US history but in a way that really grips your imagination and brings the past to life.

2) That said, having a broad survey at hand that you can skim now and then, or consult as a reference if a question pops into mind, makes sense. A good college textbook probably fits the bill. Buy a well-reviewed one used (the new prices are crazy).

3) You say you aren't interested in books with a political bent, but in my mind the most responsible approach to reading history is to read multiple perspectives. Any book has a political point of view of one sort or another. What you think of as apolitical would be seen as highly political by someone else. So I'd suggest at some point, not at the outset, getting from your library a book such as Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," which offers a left-wing interpretation, as well as a book such as Larry Schweikart's "A Patriot's History of the United States," which offers a right-wing interpretation. This doesn't have to feel like homework. You can scan a few pages and get a sense of how these people approach the material; you can read more if it interests you and if not at least you have a sense of what's out there.
+3 (1 point each). When I read the OP I was struggling to come up with a title that met his criteria. Any book that is so broad as to cover an entire 200+ year history cannot go into great depth on any single topic. I heavily agree that the author literally makes or breaks the book. A good author can make a terribly dry subject come to life. I'd add to your list Nathaniel Philbrick and Stephen W. Sears. I also think it's worthwhile to read multiple books on the same topic. Every author will approach the subject differently and huge part of American history (and current affairs) is understanding these differences (political, sectional, religious, etc.).

I just typed in "us history" to amazon, and all the first hits were AP exam study guides. That actually sounds like a very good tool to get a broad knowledge base. When you come across a specific time period, topic, person, etc. that seems more interesting, then find specific books to learn more.
vital15
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:15 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by vital15 »

Michread wrote:The Teaching Company U.S. History is good. You can buy it from TC, Amazon, ebay or get it from inter-loan library. If you don't want to watch or listen (video/audio available) to it then read the book that comes with it for a good overview.
+1

This is a great course and you can listen to it on your commute, etc. You can also get it through audible which I've found to be the most cost effective.
Spiffs
Posts: 224
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:33 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Spiffs »

Triple digit golfer wrote:There are hundreds of books out there. Any recommendations?
Stonebr
Posts: 1472
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:19 am
Location: Maine

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Stonebr »

Hastibe wrote:
Triple digit golfer wrote:There are hundreds of books out there. Any recommendations?
First one that popped into my mind.

Very unconventional and politically controversial, but it was a real eye-opener for me. The section on Columbus's genocide program (as evidenced by his own personal diary) alone is worth the price of admission.
"have more than thou showest, | speak less than thou knowest" -- The Fool in King Lear
User avatar
knpstr
Posts: 2894
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:57 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by knpstr »

+1
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. -Marcus Aurelius
lhl12
Posts: 728
Joined: Mon May 27, 2013 8:24 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by lhl12 »

"The American Pageant" is one of the standard AP US History textbooks. They make an abridged version, which would probably be a better choice for your purposes.
User avatar
Crimsontide
Posts: 729
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:32 pm
Location: DFW Metromess

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Crimsontide »

Hi,
I'm just curious as to why you feel that you aren't well versed in US History. Not being judgmental, just curious. Did you not attend US schools or were you not interested in history? I know for me my interest in history really took off my freshman year in college. My first History professor was fantastic, he really made it come alive and helped convey the feelings of the American people at particular times (for the first time it felt real and was not just memorizing dates and names). A good teacher makes all the difference in the world.

CT
Topic Author
Triple digit golfer
Posts: 10433
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 5:57 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Triple digit golfer »

Thanks for the posts and suggestions, everybody.

Crimsontide,

I was never really interested in school, so I did just enough to get by in school. Now I'm almost 30 and becoming interested in learning more. I feel like I probably have some serious gaps to fill.
User avatar
Whiggish Boffin
Posts: 277
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:20 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Whiggish Boffin »

Valuethinker
Posts: 49032
Joined: Fri May 11, 2007 11:07 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by Valuethinker »

Whiggish Boffin wrote:Paul Johnson's A History of the American People.
if one reads Johnson one should read a counterbalance. Call Johnson 'The Economist View' of American history-- ie unabashed admiration by a Brit. It really does take a fairly one-sided view (much more so than some American authors).

Perhaps Zinn's People's History of the United States. Or some other more centrist work. The magnificent achievement that is the USA also included racism, oppression, greed, unjustified war, genocide against Indian tribes etc. You have to see both sides otherwise things like the Civil War, the New Deal, some of the more recent political and social movements seem inexplicable.

I believe The Teaching Company does good courses, and so their American history primer would be an excellent introduction.
User avatar
telemark
Posts: 3389
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:35 am

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by telemark »

Thank you for wanting to learn some history. More people should do this (myself included).

I'll second the recommendation for the Cartoon History series. I haven't read the one on the United States, but I like his Cartoon History of the Universe. A great way to get a broad outline of the subject, and he lists the books he used if you want to dig deeper.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52215
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by nisiprius »

For the last several decades, what I have done is to follow my interests here and there and try to connect dots I'm interested in connecting. Instead of reading general history books--I rather prefer books that deal with more specialized topics, like the development of the Interstate highways or the building of the Panama Canal.

I confess that I find historical novels very helpful to me, though I worry about their accuracy. Every few months when I'm casting around for something to read I'll read another of Jeff Shaara's war novels. I loved Ken Follett's "Century" trilogy. And I thought Patrick O'Brian's novel, The Fortune of War, really helped me understand some basic things about the War of 1812.

I do find that an awful lot of history books fall down in not presenting the basic when-were-the-booms-and-when-were-the-busts backdrops to event. You may not need a lot of economics but it wasn't until I was in my fifties that I "got" that the William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold speech was a speech in favor of inflation and that it was occurring in the context of a Great-Depression-Like "Long Depression." I "got" the Great Depression because my folks lived through it and talked about it, but I never even heard of the Long Depression in high school history.

And they are bad on technology and its interaction with history. The cultural importance of rural electrification in the U.S. may be obvious to anyone properly educated in history, but I didn't "get" it until my wife told me about the things she'd learned from her parents!
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
saladdin
Posts: 535
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 5:45 pm

Re: Recommend a general U.S. history book

Post by saladdin »

Not a book but if you want some good history lessons listen to Dan Carlin's podcast. Listen to his "kahn" series. It's a thing of beauty.
Post Reply