The American West: A Concise History

by Anne M. Butler, Michael J. Lansing

Tracing events from the pre-history to the present day, this book offers a concise and accessible history of the American West.

259 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I really liked this because much of what we learned in school about westward expansion and so on. I feel like what we learned in school was like a brick in a building. What this book talked about was the complete history of North America. Something that I learned was that The Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark) were not the first whites to trek across North America. There were many otter pelt trappers and traders from France and America. I also learned much more about the situation in Alaska and how the Russians were ruthless to the natives. Something that I liked was that the facts in this book were not biased. They were just straight up. Something that I found interesting was the whole history of the American West today and "The Mythic West". There are so many western films and this book really exposed where the filmmakers went wrong. I'd have to say my favorite part was the history behind the National Parks which I thought I knew about, but now I do. I learned about Conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir and the Sierra Club. I definitely recommended it for people looking to know more about the American West.

[E.C. Frey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clear and accessible history of the West. In many ways, the conjunction of diversity occurred and continues to occur in the West. Without an understanding of the complexity of its history, we can have no understanding of ourselves. It is where indigenous, Anglo, and Spanish cultures collided and continue to affect each other. History is story and this book tells the story of the West.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my history of the American West class. It gives a concise history of the West and gives minorities including Chinese and women their rightful place in the causes and effects of the events. It was interesting, but I wouldn't have read it if it weren't required for the class.