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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)
A new, completely revised, expanded and updated edition of the million-selling New York Times bestseller that launched the entire Don't Know Much About(R) series
When Don't Know Much About(R) History first appeared thirteen years ago, it created a sensation. With humor, wit, great stories, and a trademark conversational style, the book brought Americans a fresh new take on...more
When Don't Know Much About(R) History first appeared thirteen years ago, it created a sensation. With humor, wit, great stories, and a trademark conversational style, the book brought Americans a fresh new take on...more
Hardcover, 704 pages
Published
April 1st 2003
by Harper
(first published 1990)
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There was a TV documentary called, America the Story of Us on the history channel that only gave the good things about American History. This book was nothing like that. It gave everything, the good and the bad, and this author must have read a freakish amount of books to know that much. I learned so much and it proves that America wasn't just made up of perfect people who did perfect things. The only reason it isn't 5 stars is that it doesn't describe the weakness of the Articles of Confederati...more
Aug 16, 2007
Sabrina Moser
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
justfinished
It is infinitely easier to critize a book like this one than it is to write one. Succint, interesting summaries of sweeping historical eras are almost always doomed to failure on some level, and I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, Davis does an Ok job. It's just that his writing is so bad. His prose is littered with pronouns lacking clear antecedents and most irklingly, he constantly repeats proper nouns making for some seriously bumpy, seriously irritating reading:
"Almost from the moment...more
"Almost from the moment...more
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Its always disconcerting when the first few lines of a book try to turn George Washington's prayer at Valley Forge into a farce made up by hyper religious people. Right then I knew I was reading a book written by a liberal. But I continued. He spent the first chapter cutting down Columbus and his greediness in order to explain that he wasn't the first person to discover American land (duh!) and then never answered who really did (Amerigo Vespucci). I thought his history way too basic at this poi...more
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More reflections on style in history writing: Davis uses what one reviewer calls the FAQ approach. The effect is to break down the subject to a series of chunks, or essays roughly equivalent in scale to what I was expected to write in my history 'o' level. Given the Amazon reader reviews, one could be cynical and think that this an exam friendly format. I prefer to think that Davis is following current good pedagogical practice and presenting each topic as a problem the student is invited to sol...more
This was a fairly good book and has been the perfect book for quite some time for my visits to our home library (bathroom). Events throughout history are simplified into a couple of pages making it perfect for your home library (ya, you know). I've really enjoyed this book.
The part about "never learned" in the title is awesome as it makes you want to read it but it is a very basic recount of historical events, all of which you would have learned in school.
I've realized that most history books ar...more
The part about "never learned" in the title is awesome as it makes you want to read it but it is a very basic recount of historical events, all of which you would have learned in school.
I've realized that most history books ar...more
Good overview of American history. The more I read about history, especially American history, the more appalled and the more hopeful I become. Appalled, because humanity keeps making the same mistakes fueled by greed, apathy, and ignorance. Hopeful, because eventually a movement starts that achieves real change for the better and because we as a species have proven our resilience over and over.
Every single one of our founding fathers and all the men and women we consider great in the history of...more
Every single one of our founding fathers and all the men and women we consider great in the history of...more
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Where in the world did I get this book? I was cleaning out some stacks of books this weekend and there it was. Written in a question and answer format, this book tries to explain basic principles of American History. Example, "What is Manifest Destiny?" "What was the Era of Good Feelings?" "How the Hell did George W. Bush ever get elected?" Actually, I just made that one up, but there was a question about the disputed Election of 2000. Since I teach U.S. History at the college level, there wasn'...more
Every American should be lashed to a chair and forced to read this book. That's the sort of thought that pops into my head every now and then when I get in touch with my inner-despotic dictator. A benevolent despot, I hasten to add, because it truly would do all my fellow citizens a world of good. Americans are frighteningly ignorant about many things, especially their own history.
Eventually my inner-freedom-fighters overthrow my inner-despot, and re-establish the right of all Americans to be i...more
Eventually my inner-freedom-fighters overthrow my inner-despot, and re-establish the right of all Americans to be i...more
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The real problem with “Don’t Know Much About History” is that it prescribes to the Modern School of History, namely: anything white males did in the last 3,000 years is criminal, all of white men’s successes are on the backs of other people, and white men are very lucky.
This is not to say DKMAH is a bad book or even bad history; its not. The book is, though, pedestrian in the info contained and in the events covered. However, what it lacks in material, it makes up for in righteous indignation....more
This is not to say DKMAH is a bad book or even bad history; its not. The book is, though, pedestrian in the info contained and in the events covered. However, what it lacks in material, it makes up for in righteous indignation....more
Overall, it was OK.
Interesting story about not only the civil war, but a history of the world leading up to the civil war.
The politics of slavery were the cause of the civil war, and the seeds that started this war were planted as soon as America declared independence. The confederacy was controlled by a small number of souther politicians, and those politicians owned a lot of slaves - so when the north wanted to abolish slavery, the slave owners rebelled.
The north had a bigger economy, better...more
Interesting story about not only the civil war, but a history of the world leading up to the civil war.
The politics of slavery were the cause of the civil war, and the seeds that started this war were planted as soon as America declared independence. The confederacy was controlled by a small number of souther politicians, and those politicians owned a lot of slaves - so when the north wanted to abolish slavery, the slave owners rebelled.
The north had a bigger economy, better...more
I would never recommend this book to anyone who loves America. This author mainly gives his opinions, not actual facts. When he does make statements, he doesn't do any follow up. It seems to me that he is a hater of America, and never should have make a book on our history. In my opinion, he should have stuck to facts instead of his anti-american views on our history. If you are a true American who loves this country, I would avoid this like the plague. He bounces around on subjects, and then wh...more
Currently rereading, actually. I taught advanced US History I from this book, nearly twenty years ago. Davis has this new addition and my old one got "loaned out", so I bought new to find out what had been added.
OK, book read. Just as entertaining, witty, and iconoclastic as the original edition. I am very glad this book is back on my shelves.
OK, book read. Just as entertaining, witty, and iconoclastic as the original edition. I am very glad this book is back on my shelves.
It is astonishing the amount of information that is omitted in text books about American History. Even today, as a teacher of adult basic education, the reality of the stories we grew up with and continue to teach is shocking. I am a student of history, both academically and as a continuing hobby, and I like to give the general population the benefit of the doubt concerning their ability to handle the truth about our past as Americans. It does not detract one iota from the great service FDR prov...more
History books, by their nature, are never "definitive" no matter what the title at the front or the blurb at the back may state. However, a good history book will give the reader some sort of springboard from which to launch into the lifetime's pursuit that is history. This book's accessible, often witty style will inform, but more importantly will stimulate the thirst for knowledge, which is as it should be. I don't think the author seeks to offend, but some formerly sacred and venerated histor...more
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Finished "Don't Know Much About History" by Kenneth C. Davis, which discusses the "messy ripples of history," from the discovery of America to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Overall it was a very good treatment of history, though I thought the coverage of earlier history was better organized than the more recent events. Earlier history seemed to be in a more logical order, perhaps because it is so long ago and we've had time to sort through it more completely. One feature of the book that I will like...more
Apr 25, 2009
Jeff Bird
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History buffs, history teachers
This edition of "Don't Know Much About History" takes the reader to the early years of President Clinton (©1995). Subsequent versions, I believe, bring readers to more current affairs (no pun intended).
I found "Don't Know Much About History" a difficult read. While the author, Kenneth C. Davis, undoubtedly knows his subject extremely well, the book read like a semi-narrative text book. Repetitive anecdotes would surround time-lined historical events throughout the book. While it was intended to...more
I found "Don't Know Much About History" a difficult read. While the author, Kenneth C. Davis, undoubtedly knows his subject extremely well, the book read like a semi-narrative text book. Repetitive anecdotes would surround time-lined historical events throughout the book. While it was intended to...more
What started as interesting soon became dull and ended up being infuriating. This book should have been titled "How Kenneth C. Davis Wished U.S. History was Taught." The more recent the history was, the more of Kenneth's bias shone through. He spends page after page ripping down Lincoln and Washington, who have become overly "mythologized" in history, yet pages later, he puts FDR up on a shining pedestal. Jimmy Carter is discussed for half a page, while Reagan gets page after page blasting his l...more
I've always enjoyed history, and I like to think that I have a good working knowledge of it. I was relieved to find that I still remembered much of the material covered in this book (then again, I did survive AP history with Mr. Player!). But this was a good review presented in an engaging, easy-to-follow format. I learned a lot and found that the time passed quickly as I listened. There were, of course, sections where I thought Davis spent too much time and others where he didn't spend enough....more
I loved this book.
Audio versions are always my first choice in books ... I loved listening to this wonderful book. First, it reminded me of a favorite History teacher from my early high school days who's teaching method was to offer stories similiar to the vignettes presented in Don't Know Much About ... Perhaps that predisposed me to the author's style.
But, the work involved in the time span and capturing highlights of each era just spurred additional historical reading choices for me. The enca...more
Audio versions are always my first choice in books ... I loved listening to this wonderful book. First, it reminded me of a favorite History teacher from my early high school days who's teaching method was to offer stories similiar to the vignettes presented in Don't Know Much About ... Perhaps that predisposed me to the author's style.
But, the work involved in the time span and capturing highlights of each era just spurred additional historical reading choices for me. The enca...more
Where to start with this review – there are so many things that I want to tell you about this book that they are all fighting to be first on the page. So I apologize if the structure is a bit off.
I always thought that I knew a lot about American history – certainly more than my peers in school, that much was obvious. But, reading this book certainly showed me the areas where I was weak, but also reinforced that I did indeed know a decent amount about history. The edition that I read was a revis...more
I always thought that I knew a lot about American history – certainly more than my peers in school, that much was obvious. But, reading this book certainly showed me the areas where I was weak, but also reinforced that I did indeed know a decent amount about history. The edition that I read was a revis...more
Short review: History is important and many people do not know much about history. If you are one of these people this single volume, easy to read history of the US is worth the time. I listened to it on audiobook, but it might be better in paper, not because the narration is bad, but because the narrator reads the timeline at the end of each section and most people would get that info better visually reading rather than listening. There are several versions of this book. Originally it was writt...more
If you enjoy history, then obviously this is a book you'll want to read. But don't expect surprisingly new discoveries that blow-your-mind. It's a good read and I always like learning about the past, in this case, learning a different account in many instances. At the close of the book, Davis provides a few quotes pertaining to the definition of history. One of my favorites has always been from Winston Churchill; "History is written by the victors". I also believe that to understand history, you...more
This book is perfect example of what happens when someone reads a few American history books and decides he is now qualified to write a comprehensive history of the United States. The author's liberal bias shines through clearly. Because he has a bias and is attempting to distill only viewpoints consistent with his own, the author fails to explore scholars who take a position contrary to his own. So, the reader is left with a book that doesn't present a true history of our nation.
I prefer Paul...more
I prefer Paul...more
A friendly question-and-answer format with entertaining answers about American history from Columbus to Clinton. The post-Watergate coverage is pretty slim, but at that point it could probably be assumed that most readers remembered those years clearly. (There is an updated version, but my copy was printed in 1995.) I learned quite a bit about those bits we skipped in school, like the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Though it could not replace a traditional history course, since there is an assumption...more
A good read as a refresher or if you prefer to look up a topic for historical accuracy.
I read this book as a refresher on American History with a view to sitting a specific exam. In that respect, I suppose the book was successful in achieving my objective. However, I would generally not recommend this book for anything other than as a springboard into further study and thankfully for this purpose Davis provides a very detailed list of further readings for each section.
It is a good succinct summary of American history. A distillation, if you will, of a large amount of research and...more
It is a good succinct summary of American history. A distillation, if you will, of a large amount of research and...more
Kenneth C Davis' look at history is not quite as entertaining as Bill Bryson, but you actually feel like you take more away from it. The what it told its stories in question and answer format was not only helpful but useful. Davis likes to use timelines a little too much in talking about the wars and that is unfortunate because he turns what is an anti-textbook history book into a by the numbers textbook format. It removes the curiousity and inserts boredom. When I would get to the timelines I a...more
Note: This review is of the first two chapters of the book.
"Don't Know Much About History" has been one of my favorite books ever! It was easy and fun to read and it helped me learn more about history in so many ways. For example, say you wanted to know about when and how Jamestown got started. So all you need to do is flip to that chapter of the book and then look up that section of the chapter. Plus, the book has many timelines that help you put stuff into perspective. Some of the books intere...more
"Don't Know Much About History" has been one of my favorite books ever! It was easy and fun to read and it helped me learn more about history in so many ways. For example, say you wanted to know about when and how Jamestown got started. So all you need to do is flip to that chapter of the book and then look up that section of the chapter. Plus, the book has many timelines that help you put stuff into perspective. Some of the books intere...more
I thought this was a good overview of American history and a good read for anyone who wants a crash course in American history.
At times I did seem to detect a slight slant toward traditional "liberal" philosophy when interpreting historical events. I say this because I took careful note of what facts were chosen to be included and which ones were left out.
For example, the role of religion throughout America's history is presented generally in a negative light. Reports of where religion has "gone...more
At times I did seem to detect a slight slant toward traditional "liberal" philosophy when interpreting historical events. I say this because I took careful note of what facts were chosen to be included and which ones were left out.
For example, the role of religion throughout America's history is presented generally in a negative light. Reports of where religion has "gone...more
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Ken Davis has been dubbed “The King of Knowing” by Amazon.com because he becomes a subject expert in all of the areas he writes about – the Bible, Mythology, the Universe, the Civil War, for example. Ken has also been a “Wise Man” on Who Wants to be a Super Millionaire and a “Life Line” on the regular edition of the show.
Ken Davis’ success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, ju...more
More about Kenneth C. Davis...
Ken Davis’ success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, ju...more
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“The following twenty years would be the nadir of American Indian history, as the total Indian population between 1890 and 1910 fell to fewer than 250,000. (It was not until 1917 that Indian births exceeded deaths for the first time in fifty years.)”
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