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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Excellent read! If you don’t have time to read this is a short book that will give you a brief history of our Country. The author has a way of making you remember and appreciate our history and not to be ashamed. But to honor history and learn from it!
An enjoyable collection of speeches given by David McCullough. Lots to glean in regards to how we best love, serve and honor our country.
One action point: read history.
One action point: read history.
I love the way David McCullough writes and speaks about America. This was a collection of his speeches over the years. I learned some interesting things about history and reminded why I love America. He has some great words of advice that apply even today, sometimes 20-30 years after he gave the speech. Good quick read.
Good, quick read compiling some of his speeches over the years with photos.
“Why do some men reach for the stars and so many others never even look up?”
One of the more powerful reads I’ve enjoyed in quite awhile.
One of the more powerful reads I’ve enjoyed in quite awhile.
The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For is "David McCullough Lite." If you've read some of his famous tomes such as John Adams and 1776, then you will be familiar with a large portion of the content in this little book. If you've not read McCullough before, this might be a good entry.
The American Spirit is a collection of speeches (mostly commencement speeches) delivered by David McCullough between 1989 and 2016. After reading through the speeches, you'll become familiar with McCullough's pet topics: John Adams, the past as the present, the value of education, the value of history, and a deep passion for American history. Overall, this is an enjoyable, light read despite the fact that it gets a bit repetitive by the end.
The American Spirit is a collection of speeches (mostly commencement speeches) delivered by David McCullough between 1989 and 2016. After reading through the speeches, you'll become familiar with McCullough's pet topics: John Adams, the past as the present, the value of education, the value of history, and a deep passion for American history. Overall, this is an enjoyable, light read despite the fact that it gets a bit repetitive by the end.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The book started off OK, but eventually just became a tedious repetition of McCullough talking about some dead white guy (admittedly important to our country's history, by the popular "consensus" definition of historical importance), paying lip service to their imperfections and the imperfections of the country at the time, and then just going full speed ahead talking about how great they are while avoiding all historical context. Sure, the book is a collection of his speeches, rather than writings, so you expect some degree of superficiality, but it makes me wonder if McCollough was even involved in organizing the collection.
When he talks about greats in US literature, he mention Longfellow and Lincoln and MLK, but why not mention Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois? He clearly idolizes JFK, but manages not to mention Vietnam or Bay of Pigs at all, or LBJ's contributions to civil rights and our social safety net despite his glaring imperfections.
This book tries too hard to be feel-good and ends up just having a shallow candy-coating.
When he talks about greats in US literature, he mention Longfellow and Lincoln and MLK, but why not mention Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois? He clearly idolizes JFK, but manages not to mention Vietnam or Bay of Pigs at all, or LBJ's contributions to civil rights and our social safety net despite his glaring imperfections.
This book tries too hard to be feel-good and ends up just having a shallow candy-coating.
I loved learning more about John Adams!
My favorite quote “Information can save your life but it isn’t learning it isn’t poetry, or art.. or faith or wisdom facts don’t have soul.
You can have all the facts and miss the truth.
You can hear all the notes and not hear the song.”
My favorite quote “Information can save your life but it isn’t learning it isn’t poetry, or art.. or faith or wisdom facts don’t have soul.
You can have all the facts and miss the truth.
You can hear all the notes and not hear the song.”
I have long been a fan of David McCullough's work and this book of speeches definitely endears him to me more, covering a variety of historical and political topics. Recommended to any lovers of history!