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Rating: 
Summary: Another great work by Walter McDougall
Review: For sheer intelligence and insight, coupled with stunning articulation, few can match the ability of Walter McDougall. In fact, I am not sure that there are any better living historians.This too will delight and inform and offer a lifetime's food for thought.
Rating: 
Summary: A Tour De Force
Review: In his foreword, McDougall is candid about his own doubts about whether America needs yet another multi-volume set of tomes chronicling its history. As the existnece of this book indicates, McDougall answered his own doubts. The book is built around the central thesis that "America is a nation of hustlers". McDougall's central insight proves to be fresh and interesting enough to carry subject matter that has (as the author admits) been covered many times before. His sythesis of recent scholarship in the field of American History is top notch, and the notes alone make the book worth the cover price. Interested readers will find hundreds of jumping off points for further exploration in the field of merican history. McDougall is cognizant of the diversity of "histories" which have multiplied in recent years. He includes citations to and summaries of gender and ethnic histories that demonstrate his familiarity with recent scholarship. At the same time, he drops footnotes lauding Huntington (a historian favored by conservatives) and certainly doesn't shy away from the "great man" school of scholarship.
I especially enjoyed the treatment of the links between intellectual history in Britain in the pre-revolutinary era with the developments in America leading up to the revolution. On the whole, this is a balanced, nuanced reading of American history and I anticipate the next chapter(this is projected to be a three volume set).
Rating:
Summary: A Tour De Force
Review: In his foreword, McDougall is candid about his own doubts about whether America needs yet another multi-volume set of tomes chronicling its history. As the existnece of this book indicates, McDougall answered his own doubts. The book is built around the central thesis that "America is a nation of hustlers". McDougall's central insight proves to be fresh and interesting enough to carry subject matter that has (as the author admits) been covered many times before. His sythesis of recent scholarship in the field of American History is top notch, and the notes alone make the book worth the cover price. Interested readers will find hundreds of jumping off points for further exploration in the field of merican history. McDougall is cognizant of the diversity of "histories" which have multiplied in recent years. He includes citations to and summaries of gender and ethnic histories that demonstrate his familiarity with recent scholarship. At the same time, he drops footnotes lauding Huntington (a historian favored by conservatives) and certainly doesn't shy away from the "great man" school of scholarship.
I especially enjoyed the treatment of the links between intellectual history in Britain in the pre-revolutinary era with the developments in America leading up to the revolution. On the whole, this is a balanced, nuanced reading of American history and I anticipate the next chapter(this is projected to be a three volume set).
Rating:
Summary: Like a Novel
Review: McDougall nails who we are as Americans, where we come from morally, socially, politically and why. This book is like citizenship therapy.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand and Sweeping Spectacle
Review: McDougall offers an account of the American experience distilled to its essance, our irresistable enterprising nature. Though we are a nation comprised of immigrants, he asserts that the prior legacies of new arrivals are quickly supplanted by the unleashing of human nature...to pursue that which is in our own self interest. That is what powers our drive for innovation, for progress, and above all profit. It is refreshing to find a bold central thesis to such a sweeping historical account. This is not a textbook regurgitation of well worn historical fact. In this book you will enjoy an articuate perspective of the unique character of American ingenuity woven through a narrative of the major figures and milestones of our nation's history.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand and Sweeping Spectacle
Review: McDougall offers an account of the American experience distilled to its essance, our irresistable enterprising nature. Though we are a nation comprised of immigrants, he asserts that the prior legacies of new arrivals are quickly supplanted by the unleashing of human nature...to pursue that which is in our own self interest. That is what powers our drive for innovation, for progress, and above all profit. It is refreshing to find a bold central thesis to such a sweeping historical account. This is not a textbook regurgitation of well worn historical fact. In this book you will enjoy an articuate perspective of the unique character of American ingenuity woven through a narrative of the major figures and milestones of our nation's history.
Rating:
Summary: A fine history. Compelling and engrossing.
Review: McDougall's new spin on Americans as a nation of hustlers is an interesting one. For some time I myself have struggled to find a definition of just what it is that makes Americans "American" and makes them so distinctive as a culture. Perhaps hustling is a large part of that recipe. Some may view it as cynical, but if it is true, it has clearly been a liberating characteristic that has served us well. Nowhere in the world is their such a large capacity for innovation and such a vitality.
Not that America doesn't have its fair share of contradictions and hypocrisies, as McDougall generously points out. No, this is no gilded history, with perfect Founding Fathers and benevolent leaders. It is a very honest history, that makes the reader reflect upon themselves and ask "Am I a hustler?"
It is a fun and entertaining read, but it assumes that the reader knows a little something about American and world history. Therefore, it is not a "History for Dummies". The only minor annoyance I have with the book is McDougall's liberal sprinkling throughout the text of Latin and French phrases with no translation. It is assumed that the reader can decipher these phrases, and they present themselves at critical times in the discussion, especially when McDougall is seeking to make a clinching or final point about an event or issue. Some of his most important points, therefore, might be "lost in translation" as the reader trys to figure out what the phrase means, but instead gives up and moves on. Personally, I've always thought that writers who use unfamiliar phrases and words are just showing off and acting superior (George F. Will comes to mind). Regardless, I don't believe such a practice serves the reader quite as well as it may serve the writer's ego.
This minor flaw is not a deal-breaker, however, and I recommend the book to anyone who wants to know why Americans are the way they are. I'm looking forward to the next installment. I just hope McDougall dumps the romance languages and just sticks with good old American English.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Story Ever Told
Review: Move over Charlton Heston. The founding of America is the greatest story ever told. McDougall tells it with panache, humor, and exactly the right measure of detail to make it come alive and keep on moving at the same time. You don't even have to be a history buff to love this book. It's tops.
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