More Shocking Secrets of American History

by Bill Coate

A brief look at the often overlooked stories of American history from colonial times to modern times, stories such, the original Emancipation Proclamations, the plot to kill Martha Washington, terrorism in the Civil War

Genres: History, Nonfiction

218 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sarah Holz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I really wanted to be a good sport and at least give this two stars, but once the editorial team called John Adams by his son's name in one vignette, I was done. Bill Coate states in his introduction that he set out to write history for "the hectic pace of twenty-first century life," where "not many of us have the time to devote to the five-hundred page historical treatises that abound." America, I'm begging you: make the time at least once in a while. That's why I'm being hard on the typo mentioned above - if you're writing pop history for the masses, you need to get the facts straight because your audience won't know any better.

Each vignette is barely two pages long, so each episode is hardly exhaustive in any way imaginable. Many of the stories are set up as if they are supposed to leave you guessing as to whom the protagonist is until the final paragraph, which is baffling in light of most chapters headed by the face and name of the historical person in question. Even Americans probably still have longer attention spans than that. As usual, mostly stories about our famous white male countrymen and many (Washington; Jackson; Lincoln; Teddy Roosevelt; and John Quincy Adams, weirdly enough) get more than one entry, which in such a short book is ridiculous.

I know these stories are billed as "shocking," but mostly they qualify as stories that might make you go "huh" if they even manage that. And some authorial choices are just bizarre. An entry about Taft chides us for focusing on the infamous White House bathtub fiasco and then proceeds to talk about Taft's contributions to baseball of throwing out the first pitch and the seventh inning stretch rather than notable accomplishments such as being the only man in our history to serve as both president and as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings is treated as unsubstantiated, which is unusual to say the least in contemporary scholarship. I know we live in a post-Hamilton world, so maybe I'm being too forgiving in turn, but Coate has a serious axe to grind against Aaron Burr and little animosity towards arguably equally divisive figures like Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. And then there is a strange attempt in the very last vignette to portray Willie Hitler as a patriotic American immigrant who detested Nazism, rather than a self-serving mooch who'd worn out his welcome sponging from the German government in Uncle Adolf's Reich.

Anyway, it's a fast read that is certainly in no danger of talking over anyone's head. I'd say it would be good for a middle school-aged audience, but the pictures the stories present are so narrow, I'm afraid of younger children walking away with only a fragmented understanding of larger issues. Maybe that's asking too much from this kind of book. Maybe we're supposed to expect a curious audience to seek out more information. However, at the end of the day, I think we need to hold books - even light pop history books - to a higher standard than a toss away Buzzfeed List of "fun facts."

[The Logophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars is probably a better score. This book had a lot of potential, but it fell a little bit short for me. I really like the idea of putting together a bunch of unique stories from history to elicit interest, but I was bored by the 1/4 of the book & I found that some of the stories were inaccurate. The important details were correct, but the minute details (the ones that history lovers really like) fell by the wayside at times which was disappointing. Having said that, I did learn a few things that I didn't know & ultimately enjoyed it for the most part.

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author seems very judgmental of American historical figures. It’s like he is looking for dirt. The tone is sarcastic and sometimes bitter. The writer is purposely trying to degrade our nation’s heroes. No one is perfect, after all. I did learn some interesting things but will not keep the book.

[Ruth Bookridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a history buff, but I found this an interesting light read. I learned a few things about noted historical figures. Each story is 2 pages each so you can stop and start when you feel like it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice anecdotal stories.

[Barbara Lovejoy]

I wanted to support "KidsEat" when it held a fundraiser at the Barnes & Noble in Sugar House, VERY close to my house. Therefore, while I was at B&N on December 17th I took a look at books, primarily the bargain books. I found this treasure!!! "KidsEat" didn't get a lot of money from my purchase of this book, but I discovered all kinds of "gems" in this book that sparked my interest in history. That is what stories do! :)

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Hardly "shocking"....interesting, a bit...."shocking", nah.

[Larry Van Bibber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable quick read of many historical events

[Geoff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every story is 2 pages so you feel like you're reading it quickly and you encourage yourself to read one more story. It gives great detail in such short narratives but because they're short, it's hard to remember all the details as they can start to blur together.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read. It had some interesting anecdotes from American history. It was not, however, the kind of book you pick up and can't put down. It is something you read when you only have a few minutes to fill as it has break points every two pages.