Review by Booklist Review
In the series including Gombrich's A Little History of the World, written for children 80 years ago, this volume by historian Davidson (coauthor of the highly popular textbook The American Nation) should appeal to both teens and adults. It is, as the title suggests, a brief (barely 300 pages) account of a 5,000-year span of history, going back to exploration, and, as a result, is highly selective in its points of emphasis. Though Nat Turner is mentioned, the prevalence of slave revolts is not, nor is even much about the conditions. Though the frontier is discussed perfunctorily, little of the Great Plains or the Midwest is covered. The growth of big business in the late nineteenth century is discussed, though unionization occupies a mere two paragraphs. Hiroshima is mentioned; Dresden is not. Rosa Parks' story is oversimplified. Emerson and Thoreau are quoted, but literature (save for a bit of Whitman and Twain) and most cultural history (music, art) is missing. Yet, for all that, this is a clear, at times dramatic (sometimes melodramatic, the chapter endings framed as cliff-hangers), traditional historical narrative that can serve well as an introductory text.--Levine, Mark Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Historian Davidson (coauthor of The American Nation) opens this smooth overview of 500 years of American history, beginning with Columbus's arrival, with an engaging premise, arguing that we all make our own history pieced together out of personal memories, which in turn become the warp and weft of the cloth of history. With those pieces Davidson stitches together the people and events that created a country united "under a banner of freedom and equality." Crafting a "little" narrative requires the skills of a seasoned historian, and Davidson accomplishes it through a combination of structure and approach. The book is divided into 40 brief, easily digestible chapters composed in a conversational style akin to a historical fireside chat. To organize hundreds of years of events, Davidson keeps his focus on politics, economics, and war, which allows him to demonstrate that Americans' dedication to freedom and equality was not uncontested. Because of the vastness of the continent and of the many people who lived there, freedom and equality meant different things at different times. This is particularly evident in the chapters on the Civil War, the Progressive movement, and the post-WWII movement for civil rights. Davidson subscribes to American exceptionalism, which, in light of his own material, may strike some readers as Pollyannaish. Illus. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
"Little Histories" are written by established researchers who can encapsulate a complex body of knowledge in relatively few pages without oversimplifying. Independent scholar Davidson is a good choice for the series, having written several history textbooks and coauthored a book on historical evidence (After the Fact). This attractive, eminently readable account covers the United States, from founding times to the current day. The discussion of political and social history is solid and sensible. However, little information about the arts is included; the only reference to jazz is in relation to the Charleston fad, not a milestone in the development of America's music. Nor does Davidson cite authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Fenimore Cooper, or Richard Wright, even though mentions could have easily been integrated into his discussion of social history. More seriously, there is no commentary on the growing income gap between rich and poor, the emigration of industry from the States, and changes in campaign financing, which are altering the dynamics of politics in America today. VERDICT While this title suffers from some omissions, seldom has this story been told from such an approachable viewpoint. Students will flock to the book.-David Keymer, Modesto, CA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this breakneck survey of American history, Davidson (co-author: Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure, 2006, etc.) condenses 500 years of war, exploration, and social change into a 300-page crash course.Starting with Christopher Columbus, the author follows the usual grade school timeline, from the conquistadors to Vietnam. He quickly summarizes major movements like the Industrial Revolution and the Cold War, distilling entire decades into a few paragraphs. Davidson takes familiar stories from America's past and adds novelistic flaire.g., "In 1620 five or six Nauset Indians were trotting down the Cape Cod beach one November day, their dog in the lead, when they saw sixteen strangers coming toward them. The Indians didn't wait for an introduction; they turned and ran, whistling for their dog to follow." From the first pages, the author shows enthusiasm for his project, describing the difference between people who "make" history and people who "write" it, and he refers to this theme several times throughout. However, Davidson breezes through major national events, sewing anecdotes and trivia together without much direction or purpose. We revisit well-worn yarns, like Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the Cuban missile crisis, which are told in the traditional way. Davidson introduces some recent scholarshipe.g., the Chinese arrival in the Americas in 1421 and the exploits of Osama bin Ladenbut the expected chunks are missing: women are absent until they eventually make cameos as suffragettes. African-American history barely exists between Reconstruction and Martin Luther King. Davidson tries to liven up his story with nuggets of wisdom, but most of it is boilerplate: "Sometimes the tiniest events have immense consequences"; "Sometimes it seems as if all American history has been a scramble for more and more." In the end, Davidson glosses over his topics and adds little to the broader conversation. An admirable attempt to get readers excited about history, but the approach is too hurried and shallow. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
