Rating: 
Summary: Bias Disappoints, audio reading is fantastic
Review: (This review refers to the audio edition)"Don't Know Much About History" is as hard a book to recommend as it is to truly scorn. Author Kenneth Davis succeeds in offering a single-volume of American history covering most major events and eras in simple, accessible language. Yet Davis fails to craft a balanced book, his own political viewpoints and biases too often intruding upon the text. It's unfortunate, because his victory in putting together such a book is noteworthy. The audio reading here is extraordinary. The tone is lively and engaging, and the use of several narrators (changing places for chapter titles and famous quotes) brings a welcome change of pace to what could be a monotonous 20-plus hours. The production is very good, the sound crisp, and chapter titles are read aloud. (I hate audio books that skip chapter titles). As it purports to do, "Don't Know Much..." runs the gamut of American history, from the earliest explorers to September 11, 2001, and just about every major event in between. Events are summarized and explained in easy to understand language, making a great starting point for those developing a love for history, or readers looking to refresh their memory of history lessons learned long ago. Throughout are timelines on major events (the Civil War, World War II, etc.) and quotes from key historical figures. Overall, the presentation is wonderful and will be a boon to those with even a passing interest in history. A well-formatted piece. In the audio edition, the timelines come across as awkward. The quotes, however, are wonderful. Two other narrators, a male and female, handle the chores here, serving to break the listener away for a moment and sink into the famous quote. Impersonations are also excellent. These add a lot of flavor to the reading. Unfortunately, despite his claims otherwise, the author fails to leave his political viewpoints out of the picture. (Right from the start, Davis spends ten minutes telling you why his book is NOT biased. That screams of protesting a bit too much). His viewpoint intrudes too often, and after a while it becomes an unwelcome distraction. As far as Davis is concerned, business in America is a Great Evil, never having done anything that wasn't corrupt, dishonest and brutal. Not once does he offer a story about business improving the American way of life, yet dozens of examples are given about what mean-spirited murderers businessmen are. If it entails business, it is Bad. Always. Corrupt seems to be Davis' view of all of American history. No bravery, sacrifice, grand vision, or good intentions in Davis' America (even those who fought slavery did so out of greed, not a desire to free slaves, according to the author). No inspiration, can-do spirit, hands-on building of a new world. Nothing worth being proud of. Only greed, murder, racism, and more greed. An objective writer would have noted that America was built on both the good and the bad. Davis' propensity to inject racist motivations into event after event is equally troubling. America's history with racism is indeed disturbing and shameful; that it is well-chronicled here is unquestionably commendable. Yet the author also seems to inject racism in almost everything, whether or not there is any indication that race played a part in the historical event. None of this is to say the book does not have merits. It does. The writing is crisp, fast-paced, detailed, and informative. The light humor is welcome. Almost every major era in American history is covered. Davis also makes an effort to put events in the context of their times, helping us better understand what key events meant in the long term. It is an engaging look at history. Don't Know Much About History is easy to recommend to a casual reader looking for a quick primer on American history - with the caveat that they are getting a skewed view of things. The book will be all but worthless to a history buff - you won't learn anything new here. The book may well be abrasive and irritating to those who want their history with a little more balance, but as a single-volume chronicle of American history that is both complete and well-written, it would be difficult not to recommend this. The bias is there, sure, but for those willing to look past it, this is a solid selection. And for the price, the unabridged audio edition is a fantastic bang for the buck.
Rating: 
Summary: A Contrast Needed
Review: Kenneth Davis' book about American history needs to be compared and contrasted with other recent American history books such as James Loewen's _Lies Across America_. Davis writes another US history including things which he considers everything you need to know, historical shortcomings. "Truth isn't cosmetically perfect, " he writes. Quite often history is skewed by myths and misconceptions.
Davis writes along the traditional line of history from America's "'discovery' by Europe" to the Bill Clinton administration. His intention is to write a narrative that could be read from beginning to end and debunk myths and misconceptions along the way. In that regard he has done a good job. However Davis has a far gentler attitude than Loewen.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview, but biased and editorial
Review: Davis writes a good overview of American history, summarizing some of the key and decisive events of the past. While no substitute for a text book, Davis makes interesting subject areas which have put generations of high school history students to sleep. As augmentation to a prescribed course of study, or as a refresher for a HS/college graduate, this book is worth reading. A word of caution. This is not a 'bare facts' history. Davis' writing style is heavily laced with very liberal editorialism. Davis also tends to insert his own opinions as fact. Overall he seems to view American history through liberal hindsight, rarely hesitating to impose his own value judgements on historical events and decisions made by political, military and business leaders.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent remedy for school history
Review: Like many other reviewers, I didn't do well in history courses. Yeah, that may have been a fault of my academic laziness--I've always preferred reading what I want to rather than what someone else tells me to read. But mostly it was teachers not good at expressing the value of history (except in what grade I might get) and at the revised fairy tales of which most texts consisted.
Since school, I've grown more fond of history, and use it a lot in my profession. And I find that most people are still fond of the fairy tales. (Those are what got us into Iraq!)
This is a great summary of US history. For those who proclaim a "liberal bias," well, I've corresponded with some of you who claim Ann Coulter is objective. (!) Any history is open to interpretation. A true historian must keep what he or she writes into various perspectives. Like Davis proclaims, for example, that by today's standards Lincoln is a hopeless racist, but by the standards of his day, he was a liberator.
I warn you, the book can be depressing. Like the allegations that Roosevelt was a red-flag-waving commie, while making some right wing loons feel comfortable in this era, it seems ludicrous to those of us not drowned in ideological fantasies. FDR, while revising a traditionally anti-labor system to PRESERVE the system rather than destroy it, was seen as a traitor to his class.
I particularly liked Davis's comments on various Supreme Court justices whose biases led to decisions many of which have long since been overturned. So much for those who feel the Supreme Court is somehow above partisan politics...
There are quotes galore, of Henry Ford's accusations, for example, of the workers' laziness as the cause for the depression; of Herbert Hoover's naivte, if not idiocy.
For the one reviewer who decried the book for lack of footnotes--an oft-used ploy by the right to claim a book has no credibility--each section has a "Must Read" list of books which the author presumably used as his sources. I have many of them, and they are "must reads."
Sad that a fine summary such as this is seen as iconoclastic, when it is those who spread the fairy tales that are the real rebels against reality.
If you thrive on the fairy tales that had, say, one paragraph on Joe McCarthy in the text, and chapters on the evils of the commies overseas--put into no context--or of how if only blacks were to have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps they could have defeated slavery on their own, then this isn't a book for you. But if you'd like a great HONEST summary of American history, complete with reference books galore to follow up with, I heartily encourage you to read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting yet slanted view
Review: I read about 40 of the most recent reviews and I was glad to see that I wasn't in the minority for a change. This book is interesting and an easy read but the author clearly slants to the left, just keep that in mind and you'll be fine! I like the format but like others have mentioned, the more recent history is better off skipped because the author's agenda is all too clear. Mr. Davis was on the O'Reilly factor a few weeks ago, seems like a really nice man, just blatantly left although he swears he's centered...don't they all, lol.
Rating:
Summary: Biased, but lots of info
Review: The only reason why I do not give 1 point to this book is that there is a lot of value of information in it indeed. But when the author discusses most controvercial aspects of the American history, his leftist bias shines. I just wonder why people like him consider the most shining periods of American growth and strengthening as the most shameful ones, why he and others repeat obvious lies (like, robber barons inflated prices; America was saved by new deal, or there was no commies in the 1950s to hunt for). On the other hand, I found a lot of entertainment reading the discussion of whether FDR overslept Pearl Harbor intentionally to drag the US into war, and, for a leftist liberal like Davis, goodness, a favorable account of Ronald Reagan, pigs flew! Well, the reader can see I am biased too, somewhat, overall, read this book with some understanding that the author have strong and partisan opinions, and to balance them, I advice you to read this book together with the The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
by Thomas E. Woods Jr. Compare and think for yourself. OK, after all, I give Davis 3 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining for its Obvious Bias
Review: In terms of objectivity, this book has little to offer. Bias in the modern sections is easily spotted. Read the sections that describe Ronald Reagan as an incompetent dolt and Bill Clinton as a brilliant but flawed politician. If his bias is so readily apparent in these modern passages, then what kind of bias is probable in sections where a reader is less able to discern his 'slant' on history to suit hisown agenda. Historians should offer up facts and figures and weave from a variety of sources to come up with a solid profile of history. Davis has an ax to grind for the liberal camp. At the end of the book, he refers to Howard Zinn, a hard left historian, who offers a 'necessary corrective' in his books.
If you're looking for history books, keep looking.
Rating:
Summary: My review is not from the "biased" Christian viewpoint!
Review: Unlike the people who have reviewed this & hated it because the book does not promote the careful propaganda campaign that has been shoved down our throat as the "true history", especially since McCarthy in the latter part of the past century, this book sticks to the facts as shown by actual historical documents. I'm so sick of the rewritten garbage that has been passed down for the past few generations and found the book terribly refreshing. As a genealogist/historian who is constantly digging through original records and first-hand information of the past, I'm always astonished at how much I previously learned in school had been stinted from the truth. I'm very grateful to find something that's both accurate and entertaining!
Rating:
Summary: Don't know much history
Review: Interesting book...well written and easy to read. It's a good refresher for those who have not had a history class in a while. This book is a "must read!"
Rating:
Summary: "...that bloody road map of American history"
Review: While Mr. Davis offers readers an engaging top-line recap of American history, his decidedly liberal bias reveals itself as the 20th century unfolds. One only needs to skim the Afterword from pages 589 to 593 to see his single paragraph recaps of our country's internal growing pains and struggles end again and again with "American Terror", including the WWII ending Hiroshima bombing.
I do not recall a single positive word he has to say about American business, dismisses at least ½ of our Presidents as incompetent in single sentences, and when considered as a whole really makes all of us out as greedy, racist ethnic cleansers.
There is no doubt that our proud country has had many dark periods and bad turns but I like to think we, at the end of the day have done much to correct our ways. There is no hope to be perfect in everybody's eyes.
I didn't know as much as I wanted to know about America's history when I started the book, and after seeing his left leaning spin from the 1940's forward, I wonder how much I now know about the truth of the preceding 348 years.
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