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I have finally. FINALLY. finished this massive book which I had to read for school. This review will be rather short in comparison to some of my others due to the fact that it's a history text book and since I'm not a historian myself, I'm not entirely sure how to approach reviewing this.
The book is very very biased which I don't necessarily find to be a bad thing since it's called A Patriot's history etc...which implies that it's history from the view point of a particular person (or "type" of person per say) and not an overall strictly factual textbook.
I do appreciate that this book covers everything from Icelandic Vikings and pirates that existed before the discovery of America to 9/11 and everything in between and covering all topics from politics to war to religion to entertainment to industry and so on.
I also enjoyed the timelines that each chapter had as a way of showing you beforehand what events are covered in the specific chapter.
I found that this book revealed a lot of ways in which or history effects the state of the United States today from cultural difficulties to international wars to governmental decisions etc. The point of this book is seemingly to show America as a country built on hard work and character rather than the bigotry, racism, and sexism it seems to be based on today. Which I liked.
I also agreed with a lot of the more biased statements in the book though I would not necessarily recommend this to someone who wants a history textbook for pure factual content. I have studied much American history before reading this to have a grammar for it before reading a more biased book on the same events. For someone who wants an American history book which will provoke discussion this is the one for you!!
I am glad I read this. I learned a lot!
The only reason I left off the 5th star has everything to do to entertainment value because I found some parts uninteresting with too many names to keep straight in which the authors made it rather confusing.
Again, I recommend this to anyone who a)loves history and wants something that will invoke thought and discussion as well as making you view the U.S. history in your own pov b)has a ton of time on their hands and c) likes big floppy paperback books (because man is this HUGE.)
The book is very very biased which I don't necessarily find to be a bad thing since it's called A Patriot's history etc...which implies that it's history from the view point of a particular person (or "type" of person per say) and not an overall strictly factual textbook.
I do appreciate that this book covers everything from Icelandic Vikings and pirates that existed before the discovery of America to 9/11 and everything in between and covering all topics from politics to war to religion to entertainment to industry and so on.
I also enjoyed the timelines that each chapter had as a way of showing you beforehand what events are covered in the specific chapter.
I found that this book revealed a lot of ways in which or history effects the state of the United States today from cultural difficulties to international wars to governmental decisions etc. The point of this book is seemingly to show America as a country built on hard work and character rather than the bigotry, racism, and sexism it seems to be based on today. Which I liked.
I also agreed with a lot of the more biased statements in the book though I would not necessarily recommend this to someone who wants a history textbook for pure factual content. I have studied much American history before reading this to have a grammar for it before reading a more biased book on the same events. For someone who wants an American history book which will provoke discussion this is the one for you!!
I am glad I read this. I learned a lot!
The only reason I left off the 5th star has everything to do to entertainment value because I found some parts uninteresting with too many names to keep straight in which the authors made it rather confusing.
Again, I recommend this to anyone who a)loves history and wants something that will invoke thought and discussion as well as making you view the U.S. history in your own pov b)has a ton of time on their hands and c) likes big floppy paperback books (because man is this HUGE.)
informative
slow-paced
This book was thick. It had some interesting information but it was so long. 😂
informative
slow-paced
It was good, but I would have liked a less biased perspective even if I do agree with the author on certain core beliefs. I know that all history books are biased to some extent, but sometimes the author(s) made no attempt to find a middle ground or merely portrayed all other perspectives as ridiculous. Plus sometimes some crucial ideas were not explained or were brushed over quickly, such that I missed some of the stock market and political subtleties
This is the first attempt I have ever seen or heard of to write a truly unbiased account of American history. However, Schweikart fails that goal, and instead presents a moderately conservative view, with a few surprising incidents of liberalism.
Basically, Schweikart and his co-author researched meticulously for years before beginning to write, and they do a good job of presenting history as it happened, then interpreting it for modern audiences. The references and citations included at the end of the book show their careful research, and overall, they're careful about not coming down on one side or the other.
The only thing that might put some people off is that Schweikart skews Christian, and often references God's hand, or a historical figure's faith. Perhaps the most speculative occurrence of this is in his discussion of Abraham Lincoln, when he claims Lincoln's true Christianity with little proof. However, most of his references to God can also be read as references to fate, if you are so inclined.
I truly enjoyed this book (even though it took me years to finish) and I highly recommend it as a nearly bias-free picture of American history.
Basically, Schweikart and his co-author researched meticulously for years before beginning to write, and they do a good job of presenting history as it happened, then interpreting it for modern audiences. The references and citations included at the end of the book show their careful research, and overall, they're careful about not coming down on one side or the other.
The only thing that might put some people off is that Schweikart skews Christian, and often references God's hand, or a historical figure's faith. Perhaps the most speculative occurrence of this is in his discussion of Abraham Lincoln, when he claims Lincoln's true Christianity with little proof. However, most of his references to God can also be read as references to fate, if you are so inclined.
I truly enjoyed this book (even though it took me years to finish) and I highly recommend it as a nearly bias-free picture of American history.
Phenomenal book! I absolutely recommend it, although it’ll make some people angry because it discusses positive contributions that white people made to the world (it also discusses in detail contributions made by people of other races, fyi). Schweikart also makes solid arguments for the perpetuation of free market capitalism. His book definitely details why America is the greatest nation on earth.
I would give this book 4 stars for the thoroughness of the history it reports. The presentation of facts is detailed, except where the author felt the need to digress into near rants in an obvious effort to counter the arguments posed in the people's history of the United States by Howard Zinn. In these cases, it is obvious that while an accomplished historian, Schweikart is a weak debater. He should have opted to present the facts in the same tone as the majority of his work and left the reader to make their own opinions based on the facts he presented.
I would give it 2 stars for tone. Dry and monotonous, this book reads only slightly better than a text book. Definitely fails to make history come alive for the reader.
I would give it 2 stars for tone. Dry and monotonous, this book reads only slightly better than a text book. Definitely fails to make history come alive for the reader.
This book was selected as my curriculum's foundation for learning U. S. History this year. And while I likely only recall 10% percent of the frankly staggering amount of information this book contains, it undoubtedly left me far more informed than when I started in many ways. It is indisputably a conservatively biased book; think of that what you will, but reading things that might not 100% align with the reader's specific worldview and opinion isn't always the worst thing in the world. If we surround ourselves with yes-men and perfectly aligned perspectives (a goal which can't be completely achieved in our current society) what we believe won't ever be challenged and hence strengthened. Sure, you plethora of dismissive Goodreads reviewers, maybe this book lingers more on the high points of American history and didn't touch on every single issue (of which there are many) which have plagued this country over the 250 years it's existed. Maybe it could have said more negative things about the country which advanced the global standard of living and stands as a beacon of hope and prosperity to many oppressive regimes and demonstrates the success of a well-crafted democratic republic designed around freedoms and unalienable rights. But there is plenty the Framers got right along with their faults, far more than other systems of government then or since. This book does a lot of things satisfactorily and could do better at others, but it is salubrious to hear multiple perspectives on many topics, and this book brings a refreshing interruption to the often repetitious landscape of history textbooks.
Absolute schlock. This book is garbage, false, racist, and 100% propaganda.
Content Warnings
revisionist history
Do not be fooled by the claim that this is an unbiased view of history.