Rating: 
Summary: Good history, sub-par alternate history
Review: "Almost America" by Steve Tally is an excellent idea: take the recent craze in alternate history, and apply it to familiar (and unfamiliar) events from American history. In part, it is a success; Tally has identified many notable potential turning points, from areas of the American experience. Rather than focusing solely on military or political what-ifs, he considers sports, entertainment and business as well. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Tally has identified some of the most genuinely fascinating potential alternate histories I have ever encountered in the genre. In particular, his discussions of the battle for Fort Sackville, Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", and IBM's relationship with Microsoft, are both original and no less important for being somewhat obscure.Unfortunately, this is where Tally stumbles. While his training as a historian allowed him to select and intelligently discuss a variety of events, his alternate histories are sorely lacking in creativity and consequence. More often than not, Tally writes a history that is almost completely convergent with actual history, which undermines the significance of his selection. Moreover, for someone who has a firm foundation in history, he posits some extremely unlikely events. For example, in his alternate history where Bastogne fell to the Germans, he has them pressing the attack all the way to Antwerp on the supply of 4 million gallons of gas captured in Spa. Even if the Americans had been utterly routed, it would have been a simple and certain procedure to destroy those stocks, which is precisely why the German offensive was doomed from the get go. Finally, there are frequent, blatant typos that distract from both the flow and the credibility of the book. One in particular that jumped off the page was that the U2 looked down on the Soviet Union from "seventy thousand miles up"! If that was the case, it is even more impressive that the Soviets were able to shoot it down, as it was one-third of the way to the moon. In the end, Tally has done an admirable job of illuminating some forgotten, or unappreciated, episodes in American history, and for that reason alone, "Almost America" makes for interesting reading. Unfortunately, his alternate histories are more often than not, clunky and uninteresting. If he were to partner with a novelist, I think there is some great potential to be found in this book, but as things stand now, it is only a half realized project.
Rating:
Summary: Good history, sub-par alternate history
Review: "Almost America" by Steve Tally is an excellent idea: take the recent craze in alternate history, and apply it to familiar (and unfamiliar) events from American history. In part, it is a success; Tally has identified many notable potential turning points, from areas of the American experience. Rather than focusing solely on military or political what-ifs, he considers sports, entertainment and business as well. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Tally has identified some of the most genuinely fascinating potential alternate histories I have ever encountered in the genre. In particular, his discussions of the battle for Fort Sackville, Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", and IBM's relationship with Microsoft, are both original and no less important for being somewhat obscure. Unfortunately, this is where Tally stumbles. While his training as a historian allowed him to select and intelligently discuss a variety of events, his alternate histories are sorely lacking in creativity and consequence. More often than not, Tally writes a history that is almost completely convergent with actual history, which undermines the significance of his selection. Moreover, for someone who has a firm foundation in history, he posits some extremely unlikely events. For example, in his alternate history where Bastogne fell to the Germans, he has them pressing the attack all the way to Antwerp on the supply of 4 million gallons of gas captured in Spa. Even if the Americans had been utterly routed, it would have been a simple and certain procedure to destroy those stocks, which is precisely why the German offensive was doomed from the get go. Finally, there are frequent, blatant typos that distract from both the flow and the credibility of the book. One in particular that jumped off the page was that the U2 looked down on the Soviet Union from "seventy thousand miles up"! If that was the case, it is even more impressive that the Soviets were able to shoot it down, as it was one-third of the way to the moon. In the end, Tally has done an admirable job of illuminating some forgotten, or unappreciated, episodes in American history, and for that reason alone, "Almost America" makes for interesting reading. Unfortunately, his alternate histories are more often than not, clunky and uninteresting. If he were to partner with a novelist, I think there is some great potential to be found in this book, but as things stand now, it is only a half realized project.
Rating: 
Summary: More thoughtful than most alternative histories
Review: "Almost America" is one of those books which may be overlooked and that would be a shame. Unlike many books in this area which assume that the reader is already familiar with "what really happened," the background is given by Tally which makes it easier to appreciate how things could have turned out differently. It's the kind of book which encourages one not just to read the book itself, but to dig deeper. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: wish
Review: I actally wish some of this stuff had happened. Especially Teddy Roosevelt banning Collage football. It was fun. This guy knows his history. Hence my enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: wish
Review: I actally wish some of this stuff had happened. Especially Teddy Roosevelt banning Collage football. It was fun. This guy knows his history. Hence my enjoyment.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Fun To Go There!
Review: I was quite intrigued with this concept. Mr. Tally has outdone himself. Many may think this somewhat unpatriotic, especially in light of the recent events in New York, and Washington, but I have a different perspective.
I find that I am more of a patriot having read 'Almost America.' It has solidified my position that through all the gloom, and despair, our founding fathers, and those who have followed, tend to make more right decisions, than wrong, when faced with great trials.
I am glad that Ricahrd Nixon decided to resign and not drag this country through a difficult impeachment trial. His was a bold decision that could have just as easily led to more turmoil for this country. And, following what we had just been through in Vietnam, it was a relief.
What if Samuel Morse had ineed abandoned his plans with the telegraph. How would we communicate? Would we be capable of what we are now? I know I would most certainly not have the time to write this review.
I am thankful that Mr. Tally followed through with his plans to write 'Almost America.' Because, had he not, I would have been unable to have expanded my mind to the point that I have or to realize, to the point that I have, what a great country this truly is.
Rating:
Summary: Good despite a few factual errors
Review: Some of these are really thought-provoking and well thought out. I especially enjoyed the one concerning Teddy Roosevelt following through with his plan to ban college football unless they did something to curb the extreme violence (23 young men died in the 1905 season). The consequences were interesting and I thought very plausible. The book is marred by a few factual errors. They really are not terribly important to the outcome of the author's alternate histories but show a sloppiness in editing. Some examples are placing the Revolutionary War fort of Kaskaskia in present-day Kentucky when it is actually in Illinois and saying that people blamed Lincoln's assassination on people who were wanting to revive the Union cause (obviously the Union cause was in great shape by the point of the war - I assume his editors did not catch it and he meant to say Confederate). Despite the errors, the book is still a fun read. The author has a website for the book at www.almostamerica.com with a couple of his alternate histories if you want to get a feel for the book.
Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Look at History
Review: Steve Tally is a great humor writer with a one-of-a-kind perspective on American politics. That's why his latest book, Almost America, should appeal to anyone with an interest in humor, history or politics. The beauty of this book is that it's not just amusing; it's informative, too. When it comes to the well-known historical events, Almost America is a wonderful refresher course. When Tally deals with the more obscure events in history, he doles out some fascinating trivia. How often do you get to laugh out loud while studying American politics? Almost America is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: What Might Have Been...But Wasn't
Review: Steve Tally's "Almost America" explores one of the oldest questions of all--"What if?" From the dawn of colonial America on through the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Tally offers a chapter exploring pivotal moments in the nation's history, then follows up with a speculation on how it might have turned out had things taken a different course. The selections all fall within the range of the plausible--there are no aliens, time travel or magic involved in these tales. Thus, we learn what might have happened if Richard Nixon had chosen not to resign, if Robert E. Lee had accepted Lincoln's offer to lead U-S forces in the Civil War, if Samuel Morse had given up trying to perfect the telegraph...the list of ideas shows a real breadth of scope and imagination. Unfortuately, Tally's vision seems to fall short when he considers the possibilities of what might have been. Most of these sketches are just too skimpy to be fully satisfying. Perhaps fewer chapters, with more fully realized concepts, might have produced a more satisfying volume.
Rating:
Summary: What Might Have Been...But Wasn't
Review: Steve Tally's "Almost America" explores one of the oldest questions of all--"What if?" From the dawn of colonial America on through the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Tally offers a chapter exploring pivotal moments in the nation's history, then follows up with a speculation on how it might have turned out had things taken a different course. The selections all fall within the range of the plausible--there are no aliens, time travel or magic involved in these tales. Thus, we learn what might have happened if Richard Nixon had chosen not to resign, if Robert E. Lee had accepted Lincoln's offer to lead U-S forces in the Civil War, if Samuel Morse had given up trying to perfect the telegraph...the list of ideas shows a real breadth of scope and imagination. Unfortuately, Tally's vision seems to fall short when he considers the possibilities of what might have been. Most of these sketches are just too skimpy to be fully satisfying. Perhaps fewer chapters, with more fully realized concepts, might have produced a more satisfying volume.
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