Rating: 
Summary: Ramblings of a Patriotic Historian
Review: The subtitle of this final book by Stephen Ambrose tells it all - "Personal Reflections Of An Historian". This book is NOT a story or a historical perspective. It is the story of Stephen Ambrose and his perspective along with the major characters he wrote and about and feels a certain connection. Ambrose became famous by hitting the emotional and sentimental bulls eye of Americas retrospective look at World War II. He accomplished this by seeing the war from the perspective of the common soldier. However, Ambrose started as a historian writing about great historical leaders like Henry Halleck, Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. This final book takes another look at Ambrose's life and the characters he met in his travels or his research. It does not shed new light on characters or tell a new story. It does tell the authors story. This is a great book if you enjoy talking to our more mature citizens. Ambrose was near the end of his life when he wrote this book and he knew it. This was his chance to, like Grant, record his actions and thoughts for posterity while providing for his family. In the end you see that Ambrose enjoyed a wonderful life by sharing his love of the past with his family and those great people that made history.
Rating: 
Summary: I lliked it.
Review: These past couple of years has been really hard for america, but i found this book to make me feel good about the country that i come from. This book was very insightful and intellectual
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: This book is a good overview of some key points in American history. Ambrose's legacy lives on!
Rating: 
Summary: A passionate cry for better history
Review: This book is not about history, or only superficially so, but mainly on history teaching, as seen through the eyes of a fundamentally optimistic person. Ambrose sees history, or at least the last 200 years or so on which it concentrates, as "the human struggle" on the path of a better world. The book bubbles with the kind of American optimisms that is to be expected by such as successful history writer. Even fairly controversial figures are illuminated with a light that makes them positive, at least from some perspective. Previously I have read Ambrose's Undaunted Courage, and honestly I found that book not as good as To America. This is the kind of book that so many boring history teachers have never read. It makes you wish to run to the library and read more about the people described, mainly because, as the author himself says, it is not about history as a succession of dull dates and battles, but of people's desires, aspirations, passions and also weaknesses.
Rating:
Summary: We will miss you Mr. Ambrose.!
Review: This book let me say good-bye to the greatest American historian in my generation. Mr. Ambrose will be missed. I looked forward to reading more of his future works. It's too bad I will never read his "Pacific Theater" version of Citizen Soldier. He brought the battles of WWII to life for me and showed me how ordinary men could do extraordinary things in the worst of circumstances. I'm sure he battled cancer to the end, just like Dick Winters or his boys were fighting the Germans. It's hard to imagine he didn't outlive many of the heros he admired so much and wrote about. I hope he and Ike are sharing stories again and he is meeting some of the boys he wrote about who gave their today for our tommorow. Thanks again Mr. Ambrose, Your writings are your legacy. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Fun to Read, but an Incomplete and Uneven Picture
Review: This books is very fun and entertaining to read, but Ambrose, in my opinion, tries to be balanced but tends to be opinionated throughout the book. He gives some of the facts and paints a cold story that leaves out several hues (facts) to make it complete and fair. In fairness, Ambrose spent around six months writing this book. I think that Ambrose is trying to get people to come terms with the inconsistency of the found fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson. He bashes Jefferson a lot through the first chapter, yet he only praises Jefferson for his "words", "universal education", "University of Virginia", and questionable for the "Lousiana Purchase". Ambrose really did not treat Jefferson in a complete and understanding fashion, as any true historian should. He judges Jefferson according to present day standard not his time. Jefferson for all of his faults was a man of his time. Ambrose just paints too negative a picture of this mere human being, not a diety. Ambrose treats George Washington fair, yet he leaves a lot out about this man. He barely give John Adams a sentence! He quickly drops the John Adams didn't own slaves! Thats all! What about Alexander Hamiliton, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and etc.? He takes TR's quote about Thomas Jefferson out of context, to imply that sums up his complete opinion of Jefferson. Ambrose fails to completely paint a true account of Andrew Jackson, too. Ambrose forgets to take in account that Andrew Jackson was a man of his time and should be judge as that, too. He even neglects to mention the circumstances around the duel between Andrew Jackson and Thomas Benton! It gets better as you get to the past century, World War II and up. This is where Ambrose shines. Ambrose bashes a lot of great man who were flawed throughout his book. He fails to paint a complete and understanding picture of these HUMANS that were flawed, imperfect and not gods. This is what makes them so great and tragic sometimes. I, personally, expected more than short sighted and incomplete reflections throughout American history. I find myself asking why is he being so unfairly negative or unduely positive. I would say stick to his WWII book: Band of Brothers, D-Day, and Citizen Soldier. I believe, if Ambrose would have had another year or so, sadly, this book would have greatly benefited. The book is written very well and flows like water off the page. It is a very pretty book with cover and etc. Overall, Ambrose's final book is uneven and incomplete yet very fun to read, despite his opinionated take on history. I would hold of buying this book and checkout it out at the library, like me. I doubt Amazon will like my review and not post my review, because they want to sell this book. I want to say that Stephen Ambrose's death is a tragic lost to America. Atleast, he is leaving behind some great books. He died of lung cancer, because he was heavy smoker. People should look at it like a lesson to quit smoking. Cigarettes have taken another person and a great historian at that. Tragic. Don't smoke for your own sake. I have lost numerous family members to smoking.
Rating: 
Summary: Spinning History for the Politically Correct
Review: This is an appalling book that at best "damns with faint praise". It is clearly a book by an academic with an agenda. While Ambrose states that as a historian he is limited by facts he certainly isn't limited by adjectives or adverbs or his selection of what facts to focus on. Thus Jefferson and the other founding fathers are viewed as petty men. Jefferson in particular is reduced to a hypocrite who did not believe in the things he wrote. Ambrose cannot get past their slave holding status. In fact throughout this book the ethnicity of the characters is cited as if they had some bearing on their actions or the result. He cannot simply state the facts but seems compelled to focus on the most negative interpretation of those facts. Consequently, the Marines in the Pacific Campaign were "racist". In the Indian Wars Amnbrose focuses on "Wounded Knee" and how the "white man" brutally subjugated the Indians. While he does take passing note that the Indians weren't boy scouts he seems to ignore that the Indians gave as good as they got, but they lost. He then accuses Grant of turning the bureau of Indian Affairs over to the "religious" groups. Far be it from me to defend the Bureau of Indian Affairs but the "religious" appellation is really unnecessary and misleading, but that is the Ambrose style throughout this compilation of politically correct and highly colored "facts". While he appears to take issue with his academic colleagues for their highly biased teachings he simply proves "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". The educational system in the United States has become very politicized, anti-white, and politically correct. Ambrose simply reflects that attitude and the acceptance of multi-culturalism. A much better book is "What's So Great About America".
Rating:
Summary: Know the author to know what you're reading?
Review: This is my first real foray into the realm of Ambrose, and these essays written at the end of his life have proven to be challening in a way I wasn't expecting. Other reader reviews have pointed towards Ambrose's patriotic zeal, and it's on full display in these essays. There is no doubt about it, Ambrose loves America. However, he might be deserving of more credit than you'd think in his view of history. Hindsight is indeed 20/20, and Ambrose has a good understanding of this. His essays often underline the true essence of humanity. Like many of us who come out of college, we are educated to sometimes see the ills of our country. And while I do think that Ambrose glosses over such things, I also feel that he understands that few, if any, groups of people or nations are morally pure. The essays are laid out in a chronological order, from the founding fathers to the civil rights movement. The back end of the book entails more personal essays revolving around the development of a WWII museum in Louisiana and such. Though it should be noted that all the essays are full of Ambrose. His head seemed to swell a bit, but his casual and almost cheerful tone makes this easy to forgive. Ambrose is the rare historian who can be known by name. Judging by his faith in country and man in general, I can see why. Very personable, and at times, fairly impartial. Still, as a border-line historian, I can appreciate his understanding of history on a whole, or his interpretation if you will. While Columbus Day loses more and more meaning, Ambrose reminds us that conquest or not, the natives were playing their own games of RISK. When writing of the founding fathers, he can pummel Jefferson for owning slaves and not living up to his own words of equality, while highlight just how important those words are to our progress. As he highlights the shady practices of corporations when building the railroads, he doesn't overlook the industrial progress and its impact (nor does he short the working man either, as Ambrose takes delight in the works of man). Essays that discuss such things show that while Ambrose may have been a bit full of himself, he is a fair historian. For an overview of American history, this isn't a bad book to read. In fact, it borders on fascinating, and the personal angles show how the bigger world can affect the small ones we live in (Nixon created such heated opinions in his family that they would split up to watch or listen to news reports about him!). Ambrose's patriotism is at times too hokey and cheery, but his fair interpretations at least balance things enough to remind that for all that is wrong, if nothing else, we have a system that can allow for fixing.
Rating:
Summary: A great final ending
Review: When I bought this book, I really had little expectation that I'd like it. It sat on the shelf for weeks, then I happened to pick it up and randomly selected the chapter on Nixon. What I found was a writing style that was unlike the author's previous books. What you'll find here is much like sitting down in your living room and having a great discussion with Ambrose about history in general. Generally, each chapter takes on a certain time period, event, or person- then he discusses some of his personal experiences and opinions about the subject. A few of the facts could be debated, as well as the smoothness and style of the writing- but nonetheless the book was captivating. There's no doubt in my mind that the author knew this was going to be his last book. I believe you'll find much interest in reading about how he did his research as well as his confessions about things that he used to teach or write that he knows now to be untrue. Pick up the book and read a chapter at a time. If you find one that you don't like, then skip to the next. When you finish the book, I believe that you'll agree that most-if not all- chapters were written in an honest and highly entertaining style.
Rating:
Summary: A great final ending
Review: When I bought this book, I really had little expectation that I'd like it. It sat on the shelf for weeks, then I happened to pick it up and randomly selected the chapter on Nixon. What I found was a writing style that was unlike the author's previous books. What you'll find here is much like sitting down in your living room and having a great discussion with Ambrose about history in general. Generally, each chapter takes on a certain time period, event, or person- then he discusses some of his personal experiences and opinions about the subject. A few of the facts could be debated, as well as the smoothness and style of the writing- but nonetheless the book was captivating. There's no doubt in my mind that the author knew this was going to be his last book. I believe you'll find much interest in reading about how he did his research as well as his confessions about things that he used to teach or write that he knows now to be untrue. Pick up the book and read a chapter at a time. If you find one that you don't like, then skip to the next. When you finish the book, I believe that you'll agree that most-if not all- chapters were written in an honest and highly entertaining style.
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