Rating: 
Summary: An Adequate Portrayal of an American History
Review: A History of the American People by Paul Johnson, is 976 pages that adequately covers 400 years of American history. While it is admirable that anyone would go through such a labor as to research and write such a volume, this one is particularly unforgiving to the reader ending somewhat abruptly and in a disappointingly strong conservative tone. Parts one through six are impressive, describing a somewhat easy to follow history and relaying important, but not all significant, episodes of the American past. However, the last two parts seem to be detached from the rest of the book and frequently delve into obscurities, sacrificing the tale of key historical events. Perhaps this reflects the English view of modern America. A majority of the book is worth the read and relates the never-ending ability of America to continually reinvent itself. But it is important to understand that it is a view of American history written from afar.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine narrative generously sown with intriguing nuggets
Review: I resubmit this review, to link with my current list.To all the tenured radicals libeling America as the enemy of humanity, this book is a decisive refutation: America _is_ humanity. This book follows the familiar Johnson formula of telling history: An adverbial phrase summing up a generation's attitude here, a half-page biographical sketch illustrating a trend there, and so on, with plenty of astringent value judgements inviting further investigation. Yes, there is "bias" here, but it is a corrective one. Of course he goes overboard in spots--one can agree that Nixon was unfairly smeared by liberals his whole career without excusing him entirely of wrongdoing, as Johnson does. But it was news to me that many of the people baying Nixon's heels themselves covered up wrongdoing by Lyndon Johnson in the '60s. And it's good to have it made plain that there was indeed a Kennedy conspiracy--to get him into office, not out. Throughout, many of the ills we deplore nowadays are shown to have been with us since the beginning--the endless Presidential campaign is as old as the early 1800s, for instance. And Johnson's ventures into mass-psychologizing are funny. Or unsettling, depending. Particulary novel in a modern history book is the way that agitators and radicals are nearly absent here. Instead, pride of place is given to ordinary working people and the industrialists and inventors who drove the astonishing engine of progress and innovation that America became after the Civil War. Johnson well understands that complainers are present in every age, but that such a sunburst of accomplishment is a rarity. All in all, an informative, entertaining and inspiring read.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome book!!!
Review: I enjoyed this book as reading a novel. If you don't know much about American history, this book offers a very good chance to learn.
Rating:
Summary: Tasty Johnson treat, not quite as great as "Modern Times"
Review: Johnson's long-awaited US history volume is more like his earlier "A History of the English People" than the ultra-comprehensive "Modern Times," in the sense that he offers insights and thematic overviews rather than creating the most complete and richly detailed portrait. (To do the latter would have required twice as many pages, and this is NOT a short volume.) Among the many treats are refreshing views of many of the Founding Fathers (Washington especially), as well as underappreciated players (e.g. Henry Clay, Jesse Jones) and the historically overrated (Woodrow Wilson and FDR, to name two). Probably most surprising is his praise for Warren Harding, but his argument is well-buttressed and worth reviewing. Johnson also treats Coolidge kindly, but rips into Hoover from the right (i.e. the Great Engineer was the real "father" of the New Deal). He also lauds Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan generally, and credits Margaret Thatcher with stiffening Bush Sr.'s backbone on Iraq in 1990, leading to the Gulf War. There are some factual mistakes that disappoint (e.g. completely missing the fact and significance of Reagan's primary challenge to Ford in 1976). The existence of these has led some critics to dismiss the book entirely. This is both unfair and wrong. Johnson is always a cracking read, but his handling of the Civil War years and the latter half of the 19th century was somewhat thin. One could have wished for more use of incisive statistics (but those Johnson does use are telling). He notes that America is the first major nation whose entire history and origins are known and written down for all to review, and Johnson's review has been comprehensive and objective, with surprises for conservatives and liberals alike. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: He knows what he's talking about, but........
Review: I found this book to be informative but extremley boring. It's not very well written, and the theme shifts very rapidly and quite often. While the book does go in chronological order, the sub-topics jump around a lot and it makes the whole book rather confusing. For example, on one page he'll be talking about Benjamin Franklin's relations to the west, and on the next page he'll be discussing the Indians and what crops they grew. There's no real order to it all....the information is there, it just isn't well written. This book was VERY VERY hard to read. While I did learn a lot from it, it was an unpleasurable experience and I would not reccomend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: One side of the story
Review: While Johnson might not be objective (he's well known as a conservative), that is not a good reason to keep away from this book. I would recommend reading Zinn's version also to get a viewpoint from the liberal side. One idea that works in this book is that America has gotten away from the religious foundation that it was originally based on. The end of the book offers evidence on how America has gotten away from its roots and has consequently suffered for it. While the book offers many other high points it is far from perfect. Many reviewers have noticed a great deal of errors in the book. The next edition will take care as he offers his address in the book so he can be notified for this very problem. This is not the only problem in Johnson's work though. While I do agree that Lincoln was one of our great presidents, I think Johnson is stretching the truth when he depicts Lincoln as the great abolitionist whose utmost priority was to free the slaves. There is plenty of evidence for the other side of that argument. Another problem I had was how Johnson devoted more time to Reagan's sense of humor than to the Civil Rights Movement. I understand that in covering 400 years some subjects must be given the short end of the stick but I do not think that should have been one of them. Overall, Johnson's book makes for an interesting read. From Jackson's inaugaration to Truman's years in office or JFK's presidential campaign against Nixon, Johnson enlightened me on several periods of my country's history.
Rating:
Summary: This book must be read at some point in your life!
Review: I got this book as a Christmas gift and it was the first one I read after graduating from college. If you have the slightest interest in history, you must read this book and pass on the important information to your family and friends. This country did not magically come together and is by no means innocent. The only way America works is through struggle. This book is a beautiful monument to that struggle. Thank you Mr. Johnson.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of information, but biased and opinionated
Review: A very thorough book, but not really a good book. History is meant to be factual and objective. Unfortunately, Mr Johnson's rightist views are not only extremely obvious to the reader, but he sometimes rambles like a demagogue. I prefer a history where the writer states the facts and information, and I decide for myself whether Reagan was a good president or whether FDR's New Deal really worked. And now after reading other reviews, I find that there are factual inaccuracies as well. But the book is informative, I gotta grant it that, and it covers US history pretty well. That's why the three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview of American History (despite the typos)
Review: A nice, readable overview on a subject with tremendous scope. The author has opinions, expresses them, and usually backs them up. Unlike most historians, he puts his biases up front for the reader to analyze so that one can agree (or disagree) more easily. He has nice insights and isn't afraid to go against the grain. The only nonsubstantive criticism -- the book has an unusually large number of typos, which ocassionally (perhaps every 30-40 pages of this 800 page book) trips up the reader with incorrect dates and words (for example, South California never seceded from the U.S.). An enjoyable book, just never hire those proofreaders again.
Rating:
Summary: MONUMENTAL WORK!
Review: First of all, I've not finished the book yet. I read until the end of World War One and Wilson's attempts to impose his 23 points. But one can clearly say that, if you recognize Johnson's ideas and have read anything else from him (Modern Times, for example), attending to his points of view, this is a really formidable book, though one can surely not be on accord with many subjects. On the whole, this book is very readable, pure literature combined with pure history, something one cannot find in most books. I'm enjoying it very much, though I do not agree with many issues like benefits of monopolies or concentration. The best part? No doubt, Civil War!
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