Rating: 
Summary: Fun, intelligent and worth having around
Review: I'm reading this book for what must be the fourth or fifth time now. I picked it up as an undergrad, to refresh my memory of the History I'd learned in High School - now I'm in grad school for Literature and it's still a useful tool since I rarely have time to read anything more focused or comprehensive. Quite simply it's a sort of mnemonic device - much better than having a set of history notecards and much more fun. Ignore the reviewer who said it's anti-Republican biased - it most certainly is not. Kennedy is drawn with a more foolish grin than Eisenhower (whom I actually think looks regal) and LBJ's caricature is certainly not flattering. The book's tongue-in-cheek political slant is apolitical - almost anti-politcal. It pokes fun at everything and everyone because Gonick has read the unpalatable (and biased) history books we were all forcefed in High School and offers his graphic history as an antidote to them. Recommended for busy readers and Trivial Pursuit players of all ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Biased? yes. Funny? yes. should you read it? yes.
Review: Is Gonick biased? Yes, every historian, actually every person on the planet has an opinion and that is called bias. Gonick is at least honest and makes it clear how he feels about things and that is a strength. To one who is solid in American History this book is a light look at one person's perspective on history without all the pretention of ivory tower academia. For a child or young student it is a good strategy to get him/her interested in American History, You can give them a more balanced view of History later, right now have fun and get them interested or they'll be idiots.
Rating:
Summary: Should be Used in Schools
Review: Larry Gonick has created an excellent History book, even better, it's one that kids can enjoy. Even if used only as a supplement, it has tremendous educational value and potential. History buffs will like the book to because it includes many jokes that are not often noticed by the general reader. The book is unbiased but not afraid to take a stand on specific issues.
Rating: 
Summary: far below his standards.
Review: Mr Gonick set the bar very high with his 'Cartoon History of the Universe'. This book is terrible by comparison. The art work is primitive at best, and his biased perception of American history borders on the comical. Unfortunately, that is the funniest part of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as his other work, but still good.
Review: Overtly sensitive Republicans might hate this book, but it is a good historical perspective on the contradictory entity that is the United States. It is also a great book to read in light of the Impeachment trials since it discusses the Andrew Johnson impeachment, the Nixon resignation (whose abuse of power was so pronounced that he was a military advisor away from being one of those third world dictators.) as well as the idiocy of the Senate throughout history. There is criticism of bias, however this is the same bias that Gronick shows throughout Cartoon History of the Universe without criticism (not many fans of Alexander the Great or Julius Ceasar around these days, although the Jesus cartoons from that book should annoy almost any Christian). My main problem is that the artwork is too sketchy. It seems like it was hastily scribbled, and the quality of the storytelling isn't as pronounced as in his other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but not a history
Review: Perhaps it is just too ambitious to squeeze 400 years of U.S. history into 380 pages of cartoons. Although I found Larry Gonick's "Cartoon Guide to Physics" both educational and entertaining, I was more than just a bit disappointed in this book. (Of course, I knew so little of physics that I'm not really sure how accurate he was. I do know a bit more about history, particularly U.S. history, and I am convinced he is both inaccurate and biased.) Gonick refers to himself as a historian in several places in the text, but shows many lapses in good, historical thinking. For one thing, he suffers from present-mindedness and parochialism of view. Good historians try to understand the thinking of whatever time and place they are writing. I'm a comics fan, and I know that the medium has to be tightly scripted. Pictures really do need to convey a thousand words, and text can be nowhere near that length. The creator chooses carefully what goes in and what gets left out. The point I'm trying to make is that while I was disappointed in what material was "in" the book, and particularly what was "left out," I realize that this work was a difficult task and there's no way any creator could please everybody. That said, there are still major shortcomings in this book as history, even as infotainment. Gonick makes no attempt to hide his biases, but bias is hardly commendable. While members of all political parties (including those historical parties that no longer exist) are ridiculed and caricatured (not all undeservedly), it is apparent that one modern political party is especially lambasted. Southerners, which are caricatured as a group--no individuals here--are made to look especially bad. The author grew up in the 1960s and still lives there. Every excess of that era is glamorized. Communism and socialism (throughout the scope of U.S. history) are glamorized. And just like the nightly news, the negative is given prominence over the positive. Multiculturalism is good; e pluribus unum, bad. Far from giving the reader a feeling of pride in his country, one finishes the book feeling a bit dirty. Of course, I wouldn't consider a book a good history just because it was filled with jingoistic patriotism and portrayed the U.S. as a utopian society where everyone lived happily ever after. Such a book would lack balance. This book lacks balance. I recommend that this book not be used in schools as children and teenagers lack the faculties to see its bias as most adults may do.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but not a history
Review: Perhaps it is just too ambitious to squeeze 400 years of U.S. history into 380 pages of cartoons. Although I found Larry Gonick's "Cartoon Guide to Physics" both educational and entertaining, I was more than just a bit disappointed in this book. (Of course, I knew so little of physics that I'm not really sure how accurate he was. I do know a bit more about history, particularly U.S. history, and I am convinced he is both inaccurate and biased.) Gonick refers to himself as a historian in several places in the text, but shows many lapses in good, historical thinking. For one thing, he suffers from present-mindedness and parochialism of view. Good historians try to understand the thinking of whatever time and place they are writing. I'm a comics fan, and I know that the medium has to be tightly scripted. Pictures really do need to convey a thousand words, and text can be nowhere near that length. The creator chooses carefully what goes in and what gets left out. The point I'm trying to make is that while I was disappointed in what material was "in" the book, and particularly what was "left out," I realize that this work was a difficult task and there's no way any creator could please everybody. That said, there are still major shortcomings in this book as history, even as infotainment. Gonick makes no attempt to hide his biases, but bias is hardly commendable. While members of all political parties (including those historical parties that no longer exist) are ridiculed and caricatured (not all undeservedly), it is apparent that one modern political party is especially lambasted. Southerners, which are caricatured as a group--no individuals here--are made to look especially bad. The author grew up in the 1960s and still lives there. Every excess of that era is glamorized. Communism and socialism (throughout the scope of U.S. history) are glamorized. And just like the nightly news, the negative is given prominence over the positive. Multiculturalism is good; e pluribus unum, bad. Far from giving the reader a feeling of pride in his country, one finishes the book feeling a bit dirty. Of course, I wouldn't consider a book a good history just because it was filled with jingoistic patriotism and portrayed the U.S. as a utopian society where everyone lived happily ever after. Such a book would lack balance. This book lacks balance. I recommend that this book not be used in schools as children and teenagers lack the faculties to see its bias as most adults may do.
Rating:
Summary: Find out how kooky Amerika's foundations are!
Review: The bias is a nice and refreshing splash of cold water in the shorts. It's nice to know that all history texts on the U.S. aren't foolishly portrayed with savage natives, good Christians, wonderful Manifest Destiny's, mass consumption and the overall goodness of corporations for mankind. It is nice to see links between events that have occured throughout history. Everything that has happened has been decided upon by white wealthy greedy bastards right from the start. A pleasant reminder of how the tobacco industry has been the prodigy of the corporate welfare system. Most things have happened to please an individual or a small group of associates -- this light has been turned off in other historical texts. (I also recommend "Do It!" by Jerry Rubin.) Question Authority! Thank you Larry.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not up to Gonick's usual art standards
Review: The Cartoon History of the United States is well written and interesting. However, it was a decided disappointment in comparison to his Cartoon History of the Universe comics or his strips in Discover magazine. If all you're looking for is a populist slanted history of the United States, read Zinn's or some other more comprehensive work. If your looking for lots of high quality cartooning, go for a different Gonick book. The art here is less detailed and doesn't carry a substory as much as other works. However, if you're just looking for easy to swallow history, by all means get this book--it's only bad by contrast.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not up to Gonick's usual art standards
Review: The Cartoon History of the United States is well written and interesting. However, it was a decided disappointment in comparison to his Cartoon History of the Universe comics or his strips in Discover magazine. If all you're looking for is a populist slanted history of the United States, read Zinn's or some other more comprehensive work. If your looking for lots of high quality cartooning, go for a different Gonick book. The art here is less detailed and doesn't carry a substory as much as other works. However, if you're just looking for easy to swallow history, by all means get this book--it's only bad by contrast.
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