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America through the Eyes of Its People, Volume 1
This collection of primary sources includes both classic and lesser-known documents describing the rich mosaic of American life from the pre-contact era to the present day. The sources, both public and private documents–ranging from letters, diary excerpts, stories, novels, to speeches, court cases, and government reports–tell the story of American history in the words of those who lived it.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 22, 2012
This book was one of the required texts that I was supposed to read while taking US History over the summer. From what I remember [as of reading it over a month ago] it wasn't your common book/textbook. Unlike the common information-filled books that are usually assigned for classwork, this book was written from the perspective of the people who lived through that part of American history. By that I mean that the book was composed of various sources like speeches, court sessions, letters/writings, etc. from people of that time.
Although this text differs from "normal" textbooks (in the way that it doesn't directly give you all the information/facts) I found it more interesting to read. Because it was written in a different format I felt like I was able to follow along more and actually picture the events. For example I remember reading a chapter containing a court case; it was formatted like an acting script which to me made it easier to follow along with who was saying what, why they were saying it, who that person was, why they were there, etc. Plus the change was nice because most books aren't written in that way and it's alway nice to experience something new.
Personally I'm not really into history all that much but because this book was written in such a unique way I can't say I hated it. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, just because it's not really your average read and it's basically just a collection of "primary sources".
Although this text differs from "normal" textbooks (in the way that it doesn't directly give you all the information/facts) I found it more interesting to read. Because it was written in a different format I felt like I was able to follow along more and actually picture the events. For example I remember reading a chapter containing a court case; it was formatted like an acting script which to me made it easier to follow along with who was saying what, why they were saying it, who that person was, why they were there, etc. Plus the change was nice because most books aren't written in that way and it's alway nice to experience something new.
Personally I'm not really into history all that much but because this book was written in such a unique way I can't say I hated it. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, just because it's not really your average read and it's basically just a collection of "primary sources".
March 11, 2016
Nice well written school book. Well laid out and organized. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews