Amazon.com
Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, this revised andupdated edition of A People's History of the United States turnstraditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, andpoor laborers of all nationalities into this thorough narrative that spansAmerican history from Christopher Columbus's arrival to an afterword onthe Clinton presidency.

Addressing his trademark reversals of perspective, Zinn--a teacher, historian,and social activist for more than 20 years--explains, "My point is not that wemust, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus in absentia. It istoo late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. But theeasy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay forprogress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadtand Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us all)--that isstill with us. One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we havelearned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes areburied in containers in the earth."

If your last experience of American history was brought to you by juniorhigh school textbooks--or even if you're a specialist--get ready for the otherside of stories you may not even have heard. With its vivid descriptions ofrarely noted events, A People's History of the United States isrequired reading for anyone who wants to take a fresh look at the rich, rockyhistory of America.Book Description

Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (608)

Bitter Medicine for an Election Year
Zinn's history of social struggle in America is nothing short of brutal.I just finished it.When all the atrocities against poor Americans and the rest of the world are portrayed without the usual flag-waving patriotic rhetoric and justification associated with it, we see a stark and persuasive condemnation of American domestic and foreign policy.It is a difficult read and not without slanting of its own, but compared to the standard representations of American history, they are minor.I was aware of Native American history since I've studied that for a long time.Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is a classic.But new to me was the organic generation of the labor movement.Unions evolved from spontaneous uprisings against oppressive business practices, not as a result of socialist agitation.Imagine, only 100 years ago in America, people were struggling to reduce child labor from 10 hour days!As many people were dying in industrial accidents then as in automobiles today - mining, railroad, steel, construction, farming and factory were all dangerous occupations with absolutely no compensation owed to the injured or killed.It took demonstrations,strikes, and class-action lawsuits to improve these atrocities.Today we see some trying to eliminate the class-action process, mislabeling it the cause of increased medical and insurance costs!

Slavery is another important ingredient in this history and does much to illuminate the rift between white America and black.To have an ancestry who were literarily bought and sold, denied education, prohibited from marrying, and defined in public policy as inferior or even sub-human leaves an irrepressible scar in the psyche of an entire race.The violent counteraction to the on-going suppression of blacks is met with prisons and punishment only slightly more refined than lynching but with the same general inspiration and purpose.Immigrants, the women's movement, worker's rights, minorities, the poor and jobless, gay rights, non-Christian and atheist rights, the struggle goes on and on while the richest 1% in America determine the political structure, balance of power, candidates for public office, legislation, and foreign policy.Our foreign policy today can be neatly summarized - as in George Orwell's 1984 - as a perpetual state of war to promote unopposed patriotism and industrial welfare.When necessary, we switch partners and the dance goes on.We've propped up dictators, overthrown democracies, and armed death squads against revolutionaries modeling their cause on our own American Revolution - all for economic domination that seems beyond reproach for monetary stability and growth.We've lost our recent wars against indigenous opponents for exactly the same reasons our founding republic defeated the most powerful nation on earth in our own War of Independence.When its your home, you have everything to lose and will never give up the fight.

The same brutal attenuation of the character and value of other cultures is seen today as justification for a continued militancy in foreign policy extended from that applied to non-whites here at home.Surrounded by mountains of civilian corpses in Iraq, we have the audacity to claim we are trying to establish freedom and democracy.With our shiny-new foreign policy of preemptive war, if we were to relive the Cold War, we would have struck the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with hundreds of nuclear bombs in 1949 - surprise!

Mostly, Zinn establishes the argument that the America government is now, and mostly always has been, a tool for the wealthy to control the population at large while establishing institutions and rules of law that justify and promote that structure.Today we see the out-sourcing of manufacturing, pharmaceutical, software, and research jobs from America to foreign shores for the sole benefit of mega-corporations more intent on the short-range goals of increased profit margins - already fabulously high - then a concern for the well being at home and world leadership based upon a humanitarian America.We continue to maintain an armed force geared to fighting the Soviet Union and Red China (two mythical monsters) while the rest of the world looks at us as a once reliable power now sickened by its own self-interest, Christian dogma, a furious economy that relies on threats and enemies for its continued inferno, and a military-industrial complex that the supreme commander of the monstrous military machine that ground across Europe to victory in the second world war warned against as the most serious threat to American democracy.We see government institutions today - from the Supreme Court, and Congress and White House, to governmental departments like Defense, Labor, Justice, and Environmental Protection, the State Department and CIA that promote a democracy that ensures the well being of the ultra rich and privileged.

Zinn portrays a history where every freedom, right, and protection under the law has been won by people uniting to rise up and rile against the power of the establishment - from emancipation to voter rights and integration to a 40-hour work week.And the establishment has always feared most the power of unification.So we have today the knife-edge divide between liberals and conservatives, blue states and red, Christians and heathens, allies and enemies, gays and straights, blacks, whites, Hispanics, Muslims, Cops TV and nightly news broadcast featuring black male suspects.

But Zinn fails to acknowledge that America has in fact progressed, arduous and painful as has been the process and is today comparatively ahead of many other societies.Historically, progress has often entailed social enlightenment that broke the bonds of discrimination and injustice practiced worldwide and not unique to America.But this is still a powerful work that can change one's recognition of the origins of social unrest within our boarders and cast light on a militant foreign policy with haunting awareness.

Inaccurate at Best.
A historian has two duties. The first is to get the facts right about what happened. The second is to interpret them honestly and impartialy. This book fails on both counts.

The problem with this book is not the author's political views; many political extremists wrote excellent history. Nor is it that his political views influence his work: many historians fail the imparitality test, and still can at least give an interesting, if biased, account of why things happened as they did. The problem is that the book is that it is, first, dishonest: the author deliberatly leaves out "inconvenient" facts and puts in inaccurate claims that support the author's thesis ("noble savage opressed by greedy capitalists"). The second problem is that it is simply wrong: quite a few of the "facts" it presents are simply wrong. A biased history book is one thing; a dishonest, inaccurate history book is something else altogether.

For example, it is simply not true that the English settlers in Virginia genocided the Powhatan Indians; it is not true that the Chesapeake colonies avidly desired slaves, or that income inequality increased in the 18th century colonies; it is not true that Lincoln "changed his views to suit his audience"; it is not true that a woman named Polly Baker was "tried for having children out of wedlock" (it is a well-known literary hoax perpetuated by Benjamin Franklin to call attention to the mistreatment of women by the justice system); it is not true that the Tet offensive was a Northern victory (quite the opposite, in fact, dramatic TV footage to the contrary notwithstanding).

And so on and so forth. The non-facts presented as "history" in this book could fill a volume--and they did (at least, they filled quite a few pages in Prof. Oscar Handlin's review of the book, back in 1980). It is hard to decide whether Zinn is simply a careless, incompetent historian or whether he is knowingly distorting and inventing "facts", that is, if he's lying. This, however, is a moot point, since this is hardly the only general history book available about the United States. With so many good books out there, why bother with this one?

Shocking look at history
Very interesting read. Many of us were told in elementary school the winners write history. Well this book is told from the "losers" point of view. It gives a more rounded view of U.S. history you thought you knew in and out. The making of America was a hostile take over, not the romantic fairy tale we memorize about equality of ALL men (and women), or the fact that our ancestors were looking for religious freedom. Europeans wiped out Native Americans who taught them how to farm and live off the land, ironically we celebrate this with Thanksgiving, but forget about clan who made it possible. When you finish reading this you will realize the many things you celebrate today is because of a systematic injustice of others.

A complete waste of time Unless your an imbecile
Of course in the history of our American history it is inevitable that HOTUSA wouldbe published. Zinn didn't create anything revolutionary. Literature provides hardly the first step towards revolution. But atmospherically journeying through HOTUSA the reader clearly gets an awakening. The book overall is completely useless. If you want to go do something deny the false democracy we live in and launch a discourse against the institutions (like our useless education system and government) that control, manipulate and dominate the minds of supposedly "free" individuals.

Absolutely the BEST
The one history of the United States absolutely every person who cares about this country should read. Mandatory. ... Read more

Amazon.com
While the United States flexes its economic and military muscles around the world as the dominant global player, it may soon have company. According to the Washington Post's T.R. Reid, the nations of Europe are setting aside differences to form an entity that's gaining strength, all seemingly unbeknownst to the U.S. and its citizens. The new Europe, Reid says, "has more people, more wealth, and more trade than the United States of America," plus more leverage gained through membership in international organizations and generous foreign aid policies that reap political clout. Reid tells how European countries were willing to discontinue their individual centuries-old currencies and adopt the Euro, the monetary unit that is now a dominant force in world markets. This is noteworthy not just for exploring the considerable economic impact of the Euro, but also for what that spirit of cooperation means for every facet of Europe in the 21st century, where governments and citizens alike believe that the rewards of banding together are worth a loss in sovereignty. Reid's most compelling portrait of this trend is in the young Europeans known as "Generation E" who see themselves not as Spaniards or Czechs but simply as Europeans. To illustrate America's obliviousness to this trend, Reid tells of former GE CEO Jack Welch, who never bothered to factor European objections into a proposed multi-billion dollar merger with Honeywell, leading to the deal being torpedoed and Welch disgraced. But what is most striking in The United States of Europe is the contrast between the new Europe and the United States. The Europeans cannot match the raw military size of the U.S., but by mixing wealth with diplomacy and continental unity (helped along by antipathy toward George W. Bush's brand of Americanism), they are forming an innovative and powerful superpower. --John MoeBook Description
To Americans accustomed to unilateralism abroad and social belt-tightening at home, few books could be more revelatory—or controversial—than this timely, lucid, and informative portrait of the new European Union.

Now comprising 25 nations and 450 million citizens, the EU has more people, more wealth, and more votes on every international body than the United States. It eschews military force but offers guaranteed health care and free university educations. And the new “United States of Europe” is determined to be a superpower. Tracing the EU’s emergence from the ruins of World War II and its influence everywhere from international courts to supermarket shelves, T. R. Reid explores the challenge it poses to American political and economic supremacy. The United States of Europe is essential reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (76)

Enlightening. A concise read!
This book is a few years old. I picked it up in a Boston Logan airport bookstore last month and finished reading it by the time I landed in Paris. At first I had pegged it as a book on business. But the author does not write about negotiation secrets or anything. What he does do is present an outstanding narrative on describing the powerhouse that is the European Union. First he sets about laying out how Americans have not been taking the EU seriously. He uses the example of a typical American couple that goes on a road trip and buys/uses what it thinks are "very American" products. And I felt a little embarrassed because he could have just as well been describing me. My concentration in college, as part of my Political Science major, was in International Relations and so I felt a bit miffed at myself for learning about the significance of the EU through this book. But I guess that is more or less how Jack Welch, whose head-on conflict with Mario Monti (the EU Competition Commissioner) has been described with glee through a whole chapter by the author, must have felt on a particular day back in 2001.

The author also describes his family's personal experience with the EU's universal healthcare system, which I found very enlightening (and now I know why that lamb dinner I had in Reykjavik last year cost me a pretty penny). Other topics such as how the lack of a stronger military presence (when compared to the military of the US) in the EU isn't necessarily a bad thing for the Europeans and the benefits of having implemented a much simpler cellular phone format over there are also discussed about in concise detail.

The best thing about this book is the organization and its prose. I actually read some of its chapters in no order and did not feel confused at all. The author's writing is clear and very easy to understand. I could have been chatting with him in a quiet bar in downtown Boston.

A Good Way to Start
I discovered this book while browsing through the catalogues of a library in Singapore, and found that it was quite an entertaining read.

It's a good way to start knowing about the EU if you know little about it. The book is written in conversational, easy-to-read, easy-to-absorb English that anyone can understand.

A friend is residing now in Ireland and I thought sending him this book could give him a crash course of what he got himself into.

Good idea - Fatally flawed
Perhaps this book was written 25 years too early?The United States of Europe offers a great read to anyone who has never doesn't know anything about international relations, the EU, or economics and has a cynical view of America.For the rest of us, the book offers a decent perspective on what Europe COULD be like years from now, but the EU is too young to start erasing borders and addressing all of the different countries inside of it as a whole.Reid makes huge and obvious generalizations and glaring misconceptions about European welfare systems. When telling the story about writing trying to write a check for visiting a British emergency room, he at one point discourses about how European health care is paid by extremely high taxes on everything, yet then claims at the end the health care was free.My personal favorite part is that the UK, although a member of the EU, is far from being an heavily integrated EU country and even identifies itself more with the US and Common Wealth nations than France or Germany.

Reids view on Europe's economy is far from realistic, ignores or in a sentence brushes off almost EVERY SINGLE MAJOR ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL PROBLEM they face. Instead the book compares certain American problems where Europeans have succeeded, ignoring where Europeans have failed and America has. He makes huge generalizations about cross-Atlantic corporation relations that pretty much ignore the truth, he ignores some European countries are even more free-market oriented than the USA (Ireland).

I think this book was written more for the shock value Reid could deliver to uninformed readers than anyone who follows global events. The comparisons between the two is elementary and biased if best, facts in favor are overstated and facts agaisnt are absent.Reid overly draws on his own personal examples to make a broad point that is usually flat out nonsense.The economics in this book are flat out bad or missing.Reid's view of a Utopian Europe is far from true.

America and Europe are two different societies that have a lot to gain by learning from each other.America certainly needs to become more socially conscious about its poor, its health care systems and education structure, but many European countries also need to regain their economic prowess and shed some of their financially burdensome welfare systems just to sustain themselves.Neither of us are better than the other.
I recommend Robert Kagan "Of Paradise and Power" for a more realistic view of the EU-American relationship Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order

js
This is a well written book which is very enlightening.As a US citizen it is important to recognize our diminishing stature worldwide.Its time for America to take some cues from Europe to improve our standard of living, save America's middle class, and become globally competative.

Poorly researched and overly sympathetic.
T.R. Reid's "The United States of Europe" doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The basic premise seems sound enough, but the book sounds like it was lifted from an EU pamphlet. Reid doesn't engage in analysis, he engages in pure praise without any visible criticism of the EU. Does he mean to say that the EU and its member states have absolutely no problems? That's hard to believe.

Furthermore, his theory doesn't hold up when looking at the Iraq war. In fact, Reid hardly mentions this critical event except in a handful of pages in his book. If Europe is as united as he claims and sees itself as such a counter force to American power, then why did so many European states support invasion including Italy, Spain, and Denmark among others? Surely the EU would have been able to exercise influence over its members if the book's claims were true. Reid hardly even considers the event.

In fact, France and Germany's prominent resistance to the war was, as is usually the case in the face of American militarism, helpless to do anything. Reid explains this by saying that Europe goes for diplomacy and deals mainly with reconstruction and nation building (the "peacekeepers"). So essentially Europe is powerless to stop military aggression, even from a close ally and instead picks up the slack after the damage is done proving that "soft power" still cannot match military might.

You can get a good feel for this book's academic content by flipping to the notes/works cited section. Most scholarly books have at the least a dozen pages, often a chapter purely for citations. Reid has a total of roughly 5 sources that he used to write a 300 page book on. In other words, Reid seems to have done no academic research which would explain the poor content and analysis of this book.

The underlying idea is promising, but without substantial research to confirm his claims, Reid's book is useless.

... Read more

Book Description

The wickedly entertaining, hunger-inducing, behind-the-scenes story of the revolution in American food that has made exotic ingredients, celebrity chefs, rarefied cooking tools, and destination restaurants familiar aspects of our everyday lives.

Amazingly enough, just twenty years ago eating sushi was a daring novelty and many Americans had never even heard of salsa. Today, we don't bat an eye at a construction worker dipping a croissant into robust specialty coffee, city dwellers buying just-picked farmstand produce, or suburbanites stocking up on artisanal cheeses and extra virgin oils at supermarkets. The United States of Arugula is a rollicking, revealing stew of culinary innovation, food politics, and kitchen confidences chronicling how gourmet eating in America went from obscure to pervasive—and became the cultural success story of our era.

Customer Reviews (12)

Recommended for foodies
This is an entertaining gossipy account of the 'foodie revolution' in the US. No, it isn't an authoritative or comprehensive history. Maybe someone else could write that book, but it wouldn't be so much fun. I would doubt that non-foodies would care about this book, but if you're a foodie, make sure you know what it's trying to do.

This is an entertaining book about cooking
I don't cook a thing, but I enjoyed reading this entertaining book about cooking.The United States of Arugula is an interesting title for a book, so I decided to give this book a chance and read it.I was pleasantly surprised about how well researched this book is. There were some names I was not famillar with.I enjoyed reading about Marion Cunningham. She updated the Fannie Farmer Cookbook in 1979 with recipes like cippino which is a tomato based fish stew.Little Joes is a dish with ground beef, eggs and spinach. I learned that Craig Claiborne was influential food journalist who reviewed restaurants and published recipes for the New York Times in the 1960sI did not know that Spago started out as a pizza restaurant. I learned that Wolfgang Puck was innovative in making pizza topped with shrimp and other seafood like scallops.I learned that he also opened an Chinese restaurant a few years ago.Kamp gives a lot of biographical information about legendary people like Julia Child and James Beard.I enjoyed reading about how they made a name for themselves in the cooking industry.I also enjoyed reading about Laura Chenel and Alice Waters. These women made a name for themselves by following their passion for cheese and French food respectively.I enjoyed reading about how television have transformed cooks like Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay into celebrities.This book is a fun read.

America's obsession with all things culinary.
"It's not enough to liberate yourself politically, to liberate yourself sexually--you have to liberate all the senses"--Alice Waters (p. 131).

From the Food Network to the popularity of farmers' markets, from kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma to grocery stores like Whole Foods, from restaurant critics to celebrity chefs, from Ratatouille to bestselling books like this one and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, one thing is certain.Americans are obsessed with food, and not just any food.David Kamp is a writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ.In The United States of Arugula, Kamp follows the cultural history of gourmet dining in the U.S., from Wonder Bread to whole wheat, focusing much of his attention on "the Big Three" food visionaries, James Beard, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne, who revolutionized America's eating habits. Kamp reveals how, over the course of fifty years, a few cookbook writers, restaurant owners, and celebrity chefs (including Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, and Emeril, among others), transformed food into an American obsession for all things fresh, organic, and culinary.Since the 1950s, America has become a country of gourmets and foodies, who search out only the very best food, who are concerned not only about health and nutrition, but about the science, industry, and the personalities surrounding their food.Kamp's fascinating culinary history offers revealing insights into the eating habits that define us as a country, insights that left me wondering if perhaps we're suffering from a national eating disorder.

G. Merritt

Good read, but more of an essay than a true history
I'm probably more of a foodie than I care to admit, and eagerly dug into this book.For the most part, it was a pretty entertaining and informative read.However, I'd have to agree with some previous reviewers that it really isn't an all-inclusive history.It comes across more like an essay, with the central thesis that James Beard launched an American Food Revolution, perpetuated the likes of Julia Child, Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, and the Food Network gang.Prior to Beard arriving on the scene after World War II, the American culinary world was a highly isolated, Franco-centric world.After Beard arrived on the scene, American's began to turn inward to American, or at least non-French, sources of culinary inspiration.In addition, American home cooking evolved from dreadful jello-molds of the 50's to wide variety of cuisines and recipes, where the ingredients could be picked up at the local mega-supermarket or neighborhood farmer's market.

For the most part, Kamp is a pretty good storyteller, but the book has some slow parts.The book has a lot of witty moments, although a few jokes fall flat.And while I didn't find it the gossipy tell-all some reviewers found it to be, Kamp certainly doesn't hesitate to provide plenty of juicy details.

I suspect Alice Waters is not particularly thrilled with this book.I figured the kitchens full of drugs and sex described by Tony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential were overblown products of Bourdain's imagination, until I read about the various escapades in Water's Chez Panisse.At best, Waters comes across as a visionary and a tireless advocate for locally grown food.At worst, she comes across as a manipulative credit hog.Puck's chef stardom seems to be as much a product of his overbearing, and now ex-, wife, as is his culinary skills and creativity.

As a history, parts of the book come across as too brief, and too focused on too few players.Kamp certainly has a lot to say about how the American culinary world got to where it is today, but the book can't really be considered definitive.

Delish!
Wow! I'm surprised that other reviewers found this book to be so gossipy. I enjoyed the little bits of personal info included throughout...helped bring it all to life for me. 'Arugula' is really well written...so dense with information yet doesn't get pedantic. One reason for this is Kamp's use of footnotes at the bottom of many pages with interesting asides. I work in the culinary arena and am somewhat familiar with our food heritage but this book took my knowledge to a more comprehensive level and entertained me in the process. (I'm still wondering how he researched this bad boy...no easy task!) Anyway, loved the book and highly recommend it...a very tasty read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Looking inwards...
The "RCG" text edited by Rothenberg is truly a gem. It offers a myriad of perspectives from all Americans not just those with doctorate degrees or trapped in their ivory towers. I have used the text for my courses and have not had one student indicate that it was a nothing book or that they did not learn something of value from the book. Moreover, when the book is updated, the publisher and editor put an effort into demonstrating the changing landscape that is race, class, and gender bias in the "United States of America." ... Read more

Book Description
The presence of the Catholic Church in the United States reaches back to the founding days of our country through the leadership of Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States. His story like the stories at the start of each chapter in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults give us a glimpse into the lives of Catholics who lived out their faith throughout our country's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Great stories to bring salvation history forward and give a real time meaning
This edition really good at presenting stories that tie modern times to biblical times to give readers a deeper understanding of of what the early Fathers meant the church to be. The intertwining of scripture and sacred tradition in understandable text for the lay person.

Catechism for Adults Review
This is a good explanation of the content of the official Catholic Catechism for a self-study program.Plenty of cited examples are used as to reference the outlined materials included within the official document.The end of each chapter offers questions for group discussion or personal reflection.The meditation included at the end of each chapter is also a tremendous aid in understanding the subject.

I had no expectations as to what would be included.My purchase was made by a personal inquiry to address the faith to another individual.I was looking to prepare myself properly for that endeavor.I would recommend this book to anyone studying the Catholic faith.

Good for RCIA
I used this book last year for an R.C.I.A. class.The students found it easy to understand.I would assign a chapter each week and would discuss what was read at the next class. I would recommend this book as a "springboard" into a rich and deep discussion of the Catholic faith with intelligent and question adults.If you are look for an in depth theology behind the creeds and beliefs this is not the book for you.

US Catechism for the Catholic Church for Adults
I found the audio CD's very good and an excellent supplement to the book. It is a great tool for RCIA or for adults who want to brush up and refresh themselves. For those who liked the old style Baltimore Catechism I would also recommend the Compendium for the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is in the familiar question and answer format.

United Sttaes Catholic Catechism for Adults
This wonderful book explains the catechism in down-to-earth English that anyone can understand (without simultaneously using a dictionary).It also contains relevant and inspirational stories about saints and remarkable people who have lived the Catholic faith through the centuries.It also contains scripture references and cites readings in the Second Edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. A book well worth every penny! ... Read more

Book Description
Floyd G. Cullop's study of The Constitution Of The United States carefully explains and comments on its Preamble, main body and amendments so that readers may fully understand what it meant to our founding fathers and what it means to us today. This revised and updated edition covers all the changes that have been made in the structure of the federal government since the original publication of the book. This is the ideal introduction to a document that remains as relevant today as when it was first drafted over two hundred years ago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

U.S. Constitution
Product was received in new condition with no damages.Product was delivered in the appropriate time.

The Constitution
This booklet helps explain our founding documents.Everyone in the US should read it.

Revised indeed.Whose Constitution is this?
Buy it only if the price is 50% off. That's because the first half of the work is a poorly written interpretation of our nation's most sacred document.Thankfully, the actual Constitution is provided in the second half.In the first 60 pages, the left-leaning declarations are so bizarre, it is hard to consider this book a serious work.

Mr. Cullop claims that the 16th Amendment allows for economic redistribution through Federal income tax,"The higher the earnings, the higher the percentage collected from them."This concept comes from the author, not the 16th Amendment.

Cullop also settles the controversial 2nd Amendment by declaring that the people have gun rights only as they apply to the militia.He repeats this interpretation at least two times in the test portions of the book without offering any dissent.Interestingly, the author's aversion to gun rights collides with his need to define all but basic words:"...may keep and bear (own) arms (weapons)."Hopefully, most readers know that "bear" in fact means to carry, not own.

The parenthetical definitions of even the most simple terms are so frequent that the book is often difficult to read: "Congress has the power to enforce this article by appropriate (necessary) legislation (laws)."Most readers aside from small children can probably do without "tyranny" being defined as "unusually harsh rule."

Mr. Cullop either lacks understanding of the basic concepts of the Constitution, or he makes very unfortunate choices in language: "Q: Have women always had the right to vote in the United States?A. No, they were GIVEN THIS RIGHT [emphasis added] by Amendment 19 in 1920."

If this irresponsible analysis of the US Constitution was written for children, it should be marketed as such.And if so, impressionable young readers should be especially discouraged from reading it.

A simple but great intro tour through the Constutution.
This is a nuts and bolts introductory book on the Constitution. It definately dosn't analyze anything to any degree whatsoever, but if your looking for that there are plenty of other books to consider. This is one to start with.

I liken it to a foreign language text where you get A LOT of instantaneous feedback in the manner of quizes and fill in the blank questions. Thats the best part of the book. It somewhat forces you to remember (at least once) the prime points by asking you about what youve just read.

Read it often
About a year ago, I saw a movie called The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The movie is about President Chavez in Venezuela and the failed coup attempt on his presidency. In the background coverage of his presidency, the filmmakers recounted how as President, he encouraged his citizens to read their brand new constitution and learn it. They interviewed some Venezuelans who did not know to read, but had learned to read by reading their constitution.

I was touched by this, but then I thought "how many Americans can say they've read the Constitution?" My guess is probably not many. And those that have only did it for school and have since forgotten much of what they learned. Personally, I remember having to memorize the Bill of Rights for a class, but that's about it.

So I bought a copy of the Constitution for myself and began reading it.

In a time when Congress is passing legislation that infringes upon the rights guaranteed us by our Constitution, it's important now more than ever that we read and understand it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Best APUSH Book
This book could easily be used as the primary source for someone studying for the AP US History exam. In fact, on the inside of the front cover, there's a table for names like in regular school books. So if you're looking for a prep book that you can use to prepare a week or two before the exam, this might not be the best choice. But if you use it throughout the year and actually read through it and do the exams, I would find it pretty amazing to not get a 5. Plus, it's written well, and is as entertaining as a book about US history can be.

Like other people have said though, there are NO answers for any of the questions in the book. Of course, the internet (google) can solve that problem... so don't let that dissuade you from buying this wonderful book.

the best for apush!
This has to be the best book to prepare you for APUSH. I found out about this book through an ap forum and read about how people read this and got a 5 on the ap exam. It's extremely straightforward with only about 30/700 pages for introductions, index, and practice exam with the rest of the 670 pages pure content and practice questions/dbq.

This book doesn't dance around American history with dumb strategies and tiny summaries like Barron's or PR. This book also doesn't try to appear bigger with a huge amount of practice tests either *though REA is also a good choice for APUSH*. It gives you everything you need to know for the exam in a clear and straightforward style.

Best Book for APUSH
This is probably the best book out there for the AP US History exam. Along with this book I also had Princeton's Review and REA and of the three, this one was definitely the best. I've got to warn you this book is pretty long, but if you are willing to put in the work of reading it, then you will definitely reap the rewards. With this book I GOT A 5!! It has all the information you need to know and sample DBQ's and FRQ's at the end of EACH chapter, something that Princeton's or Barron's definitely doesn't have. If you are look for the BEST preparation for the APUSH exam then this is it!

Best AP prep book
This book also known to AP students and the AMSCO book is by far the best book for both information and review of US History. An advanced student could use this book instead of a textbook in order to be successful on the AP test in the Spring.

FIVE thumbs up!
This is by far the best review book for APUS that I have come by. I used it to review for class tests and started getting straight A's on tests! It is neatly outlined and comprehensible. Though there were a few instances where the chapters didn't line up with the ones in the American Pagent (I've noticed that a lot of APUS's use Bailey's text), it doesn't take much effort to figure out the mismatch.

My other friends used REA and Princeton, which they found adequate. Though I didn't like how "fluffy" Princeton was. Amsco's book seemed like the better choice. There's a lot of review Q's and a DBQ at the end of each chapter. Given I didn't take full advantage of these for the actual AP test, I still scored a 4. I'm sure that I had studied more, I would have scored higher. ... Read more

Book Description

One day we woke up and realized that our “macaroni” had become “pasta,” that our Wonder Bread had been replaced by organic whole wheat, that sushi was fast food, and that our tomatoes were heirlooms. How did all this happen, and who made it happen? The United States of Arugula is the rollicking, revealing chronicle of how gourmet eating in America went from obscure to pervasive, thanks to the contributions of some outsized, opinionated iconoclasts who couldn’t abide the status quo.

Vanity Fair writer David Kamp chronicles this amazing transformation, from the overcooked vegetables and scary gelatin salads of yore to our current heyday of free-range chickens, extra-virgin olive oil, Iron Chef, Whole Foods, Starbucks, and that breed of human known as the “foodie.” In deft fashion, Kamp conjures up vivid images of the “Big Three,” the lodestars who led us out of this culinary wilderness: James Beard, the hulking, bald, flamboyant Oregonian who made the case for American cookery; Julia Child, the towering, warbling giantess who demystified French cuisine for Americans; and Craig Claiborne, the melancholy, sexually confused Mississippian who all but invented food journalism at the New York Times. The story continues onward with candid, provocative commentary from the food figures who prospered in the Big Three’s wake: Alice Waters and Jeremiah Tower of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, Wolfgang Puck and his L.A. acolytes, the visionary chefs we know by one name (Emeril, Daniel, Mario, Jean-Georges), the “Williams” in Williams-Sonoma, the “Niman” in Niman Ranch, both Dean and DeLuca, and many others.

A rich, frequently uproarious stew of culinary innovation, flavor revelations, balsamic pretensions, taste-making luminaries, food politics, and kitchen confidences, The United States of Arugula is the remarkable history of the cultural success story of our era.

Customer Reviews (33)

great survey of 60 years of American food culture
This is a great book that chronicles the past 60 years of changing food culture in America.Kamp has really done his homework and provides lots of details on the players, their relationships and the origins of many of the things that we take for granted.

Among other things, I learned that:
-"free range" chicken was an invention River Cafe in New York in reaction to the organic and local eating trend started by Chez Panisse
-micro greens were ridiculed and ignored by chefs before they were popularized as the next big thing
-Starbucks initially just resold coffee bought from Peets.They eventually bought Peets, got huge, then sold the Peets name so that it is now a small chain again.
-Starbucks grew from 84 stores in 1990 to more than 3,000 in 2000
-Victor Steinbrueck, the guy who saved Pike Place Market from real estate developers in the 1960s, was also the architect of the Space Needle
-the Zagat guide was started by two lawyers casually reviewing the restaurants they visited

Overall this was a great book that filled in a lot of "who influenced what" gaps for me and was a fascinating read.Highly recommended to foodies everywhere.

Our obsession with all things culinary.
"It's not enough to liberate yourself politically, to liberate yourself sexually--you have to liberate all the senses"--Alice Waters (p. 131).

From the Food Network to the popularity of farmers' markets, from kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma to grocery stores like Whole Foods, from restaurant critics to celebrity chefs, from Ratatouille to bestselling books like this one and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, one thing is certain. Americans are obsessed with food, and not just any food. David Kamp is a writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ. In The United States of Arugula, Kamp follows the cultural history of gourmet dining in the U.S., from Wonder Bread to whole wheat, focusing much of his attention on "the Big Three" food visionaries, James Beard, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne, who revolutionized America's eating habits. Kamp reveals how, over the course of fifty years, a few cookbook writers, restaurant owners, and celebrity chefs (including Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, and Emeril, among others), transformed food into an American obsession for all things fresh, organic, and culinary. Since the 1950s, America has become a country of gourmets and foodies, who search out only the very best food, who are concerned not only about health and nutrition, but about the science, industry, and the personalities surrounding their food. Kamp's fascinating culinary history offers revealing insights into the eating habits that define us as a country, insights that left me wondering if perhaps we're suffering from a national eating disorder.

G. Merritt

Good but -
This book is a fun read but it is hardly encompassing. Burt Wolf, Vincent Price and Helen Corbett all of whom made enormous contributions to the American food scene in the era covered in the book are not mentioned. Either of influential critics Robert Parker, Michale Jackson, and the Wine Spectator who have had great influence on what we eat and drink. Wonderfully antidotes about James Beard and Julia Child. He takes a much harsher tone with Craig Claiborne. I enjoyed this book but I would have like a little more comprehensive piece.

I only finished it because I didn't want to have wasted $30.
Rather than listing the subtitle as "How We Became a Gourmet Nation," Kamp should have explained that his book is really "A Collection of Gossip about Chefs in California and New York."While entertaining, the disjointed anecdotes read more like a Page Six column than an actual book.If you're looking for juicy details about James Beard's sex life, look no further, but if you're looking for an exploration of the American people's development of a culinary identity, don't be misled.There's little substance here, and I was bored by having to repeatedly relive the "denoument" of various "hunky" culinary geniuses.
Equally disappointing was the denial that a nation exists between the coasts; I know that New Yorkers believe that outside of their enlightened realm Americans eat Cheesy Mac and McD's, but for a journalist to fail to address the traditions and development of the palate of the majority of the nation is silly and shortsighted.

Thorough, engaging, and really funny
This is an amazingly well-researched and incredibly entertaining book, jammed with surprising nuggets (when and where did the first American sushi restaurant open? See page 315) and hilarious asides. Even the footnotes are amusing. Kamp's love of good food and respect for the artistry and inventiveness of great American cooks fill these pages, and his descriptions will make you hungry. ... Read more

Product Description
This book will demystify the complicated process of health policymaking. It provides a framework for putting the various aspects of policymaking into perspective and provides you with the background knowledge you need to understand the political environment. You will also learn techniques for influencing the policymaking process. Key aspects of this process are brought to life through many real-world excerpts from congressional testimony, news stories, and executive orders. New to this edition:Overview of Medicare and Medicaid that will clarify these complex policies.Expanded discussion of how to analyze and influence public policy, a skill that is increasingly important for leaders committed to improving care.Many additional examples of congressional testimony, news stories, and other documents that illustrate real-life policy issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Health Policy
The book is brand new as described! Thanks for great service. Fast shipping. Great seller will do business anytime.

Helpful - but out of date
I had this text book overnighted to me due to the fact that my campus bookstore didn't have it in stock.I paid the shipping then found out later that the book had been updated and my classmates were all using the fourth edition.The editions are rather similar and the book is still helpful.There are enough "real time" examples as well as charts & graphs to make this a necessary text for Health Politics.The appendix section is also noteworthy. ... Read more

Book Description
This book exhibits all of the diversity of the American states even as it ties the country into one awesome entity. The authors' inclusion of endangered species, biographical sketches on the famous Americans from each state, inventions, resources, records, and so much more make this a unique and multi-dimensional work. But it is the art and the treatment of the information that makes this book so special. With a light-handed, fresh approach, and tremendous respect for their subject, the author-artists succeed in painting a truly beautiful portrait of America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Resource
We bought this for our son, who is in 1st grade, when he had to report on a state for school.He loves the book and is enjoying reading all the facts about each state.The pictures keep him interested and the facts are both standard and eclectic so everyone in our family learned something new from this book.It is also simple enough for him to read on his own.I would highly recommend this book for any elementary school student wishing to learn more about the states.

Excellent resource for learning about the states of the U. S.
This is an excellent book for young children to learn about the states. A topographical map of each state is given along with diagrams and text explaining various facts about the state. Items like the state bird, state flower, state insect, state tree, endangered species in the state, primary crops, unusual natural features, famous people and other points of historical significance. I strongly recommend it for social studies classes or just for quizzes among family members.

Fun to look at and read
Seven states have the cardinal as the state bird.Lots of states have butterflys as their state insects.We liked the state nicknames.We read a few states each night.Sometimes we can't remember all the facts about each state. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Excellent Buy
I get this for my dad every Christmas, he is an avid coin collector.It's the best annual catalog of coins available and the only one he asks for.I will continue to buy year after year and recommend anyone with a coin collector in the family to do the same.

Great purchase
Tried to find this book in book stores around christmas, but decided that Amazon would be the most effecient use of my time.Ordered the book and it was here in a few days.You've got to love Amazon.

Great book
I've been collecting coins for approximately 10 years and of the various books showing values of coins, this is the only one I use.

Informative and interesting book
All of the information you need to find the value of any U S coin.

Pleased with United States Coins
This book better than the older versions.Much better than anticipated.A great surprise ... Read more

Book Description
Race and Ethnicity In The United States, 4/eintroduces the basic sociological concepts relevant to the study of race and ethnic relations, and gives a basic intellectual framework to approach this ever-changing and emotional facet of life in this country. This concise topical introduction to race and ethnicity in the U.S. explores prejudice, discrimination, immigration, ethnicity, and religion in their historical and current contexts ... Read more

Book Description
FEATURING COAUTHORSHIP BY CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY

Thanks to the partnership between Glencoe and Congressional Quarterly, this program provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at Washington never before available in any government program. ... Read more

Book Description
The New Press's Abridged Teaching Edition of A People's History of the United States has made Howard Zinn's original text available specifically for classroom use. With exercises and teaching materials to accompany each chapter, this edition spans American Beginnings, Reconstruction, the Civil War and through to the present, with new chapters on the Clinton Presidency, the 2000 elections, and the "war on terrorism." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Teachers Beware!
If you are an instructor and intend to use the teaching edition as an aid, be prepared to do lots of legwork yourself.At the end of each chapter there are exercises in the form of questions, concrete to abstract, that you can use.However, no suggested answers are provided. In my mind, when I purchase a teaching addition, there is an implication that the heavy lifting will be done by the authors.That's what they get paid for.The teaching edition is a disappointment and a ripoff considering the fact that I had already purchased an edition of the Zinn book.

Great ideas for the classroom!
Zinn is focused on getting the historical information correct, and explaining why we learned it another way. He presents the side of history that is untold, but honest. TRUTH is the core of this book. It's getting it right and learning from our past so we don't make the same mistakes. Zinn does a great job at this. The section on different teaching techniques is also wonderful for those teachers who get tired of doing the same thing in their lessons. Teacher's must remember that there is more than just one learning style, and it's important not to sxclude those students who learn in different ways. I would recommend this book to any history teacher or anyone just interested in American history!

Far Left History
I was so excited to get this book to use for home school history class, but when we got into the book we discovered that the subject matter was so far left that it was offensive to us. It may be fine for some, but not for middle of the road or conservative people. This author made wonderful projects to do, but the text was not applicable to high school juniors in my case. ... Read more

Book Description
Have you ever wondered how U.S. foreign policy is made? THE POLITICS OF UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY is the definitive work on this topic and gives you insight into the real impact of politics. Comprehensible and informative, this political science text discusses the historical patterns of continuity and change, the president's ability to govern, and the tension between the demands of democracy and national security. The text is filled with tools designed to make studying and learning difficult concepts easy such as summaries, key assessments, questions, tables, figures, examples, and bibliographic essays. ... Read more

Book Description
Innovative color format is appealing, and serves as an additionalidentification tool

Handy size creates a great desk reference for quick review during onlineauctions

This easy-to-read, recently revamped and full-color paper money guide setsreaders on the path to making profitable decisions about every U.S. papermoney collection. With reliable descriptions, 14,000+ thoroughly analyzedvalues for all U.S. monetary issues including large-size, small-size notes,national bank notes, postage stamp envelopes, error notes, military paymentcertificates, the latest in U.S. currency and more, this all-encompassingand compact reference provides an expert overview of this dynamiccollecting area ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

GREAT PICTURES ; VERY INFORMATIVE
THIS BOOK IS OH SO INFORMATIVE ON PRICING ! ALSO HAS GREAT PICTURES ! THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T GIVE IT 5 STARS, WAS THAT IT DID NOT GIVE PRICES FOR DIFFERENT PRINTING "BLOCKS" WITHIN ANY GIVEN YEAR. ALSO DID NOT CONTAIN INFO ON HOW MANY NOTES WERE PRINTED ON ANY GIVEN YEAR OR FROM ANY GIVEN FEDERAL BRANCH.

FULL of color pictures and information on types of notes.
I'm new (again) to the hobby after ~5 years and I picked this book up over the weekend.I cannot evaluate or review the pricing information contained in this book but it seems to be on par with what I am seeing in the market.As I mentioned in the title, I'm really liking all of the color pictures and detailed information about the different series of notes - color pictures probably outnumber the black and white pictures 20 to 1.I'm very glad I purchased this one! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Worthwhile Reference
This atlas is an attractive publication containing a historical map of the original colonies and westward expansion in addition to the conventional maps.Lots of facts are available, which may be useful for map reading and learning current information in a historical unit.The current maps show photos and provide substantive material about each state.The teacher may want to use this book as a classroom reference.

Perfect for Children (and adults)
This is a really nice atlas and gives lots of information, but not so much as to be overwhelming for the 9-12 year-old. I especially appreciated the 2-page spreads of the United States at the beginning of the book, showing topographical features, time zones, territorial growth, federal lands, and more. A glossary, including 2-letter state abbreviations, and a comprehensive index top it off. A very nice atlas even for adults. ... Read more

Book Description
The third edition of Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons's popular history of the U.S. Marine Corps has been updated and revised and made available in both hardcover and paperback. It reflects the latest scholarship on events reaching back to the Corps's beginnings in November 1775, when the Second Continental Congress authorized two battalions of American Marines, to 2001. As updated, it includes material on the tumultuous events of the last quarter-century in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Haiti.

With a foreword by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones, the book provides a lively chronicle of the Corps's participation in all the nation's wars, from the American Revolution to Desert Storm. Highlights of the work are the Marines' legendary contributions at such places as Bladensburg, Guantanamo, Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Inchon, Chosin, Hue, and Khe Sanh. While the focus of this history is on the big wars, it never slights events in between, among them the humanitarian missions that have helped define the Corps. Nor does the author neglect the intermittent but never-ending fight for the Corps's survival at home where it faces periodic challenges from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and on occasion, unfriendly presidents. Few writers know the subject as intimately as General Simmons, who writes from firsthand experience in three wars and as the longtime head of the Corps's history division. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

TOO BROAD
Not a good historical book at all. It jumps from fact to fact without detail.Boring boring boring.Better to read bios or books on specific events.

Not a Bad Effort
There are several one-volume histories of the Marine Corps out there and this one is as good as any of them. I went with Simmons' book because of the maps and the tiny Waterhouse illustrations. I'm also partial to the Naval Institute and its work. All in all, not a bad little book.

A great general history of the Corps
BGen Simmons' excellent general history of the Marine Corps is just that a general history.I note with distain the comments from the Alexandria reader.Clearly they don't understand the book's purpose and intendedaudience.It tells the tale.It doesn't twist tails with analyis.

A good read, but a lightweight history
Gen Simmons has written a good, but very superficial history of the Marine Corps. If you know nothing of the service's history, this provides a good overview. But if you are interested in anything but a generic overview, based solely on secondary sources, and lacking any critical analysis, thanmove on to something else.

An updated classic
This is the 3rd edition of General Simmons' classic account of the United States Marine Corps. It is very readable and traces the complete history of the Corps. This edition brings his general history up-to-date and coversthe Persian Gulf War and other recent conflicts. I highly recommended it. ... Read more

Book Description
The well-known author of this best-selling book focuses on landscape appreciation of the regional geography of the United States and Canada. He emphasizes the description and interpretation of North American landscapes, including their development. Issues such as ecosystems, urban changes, agriculture, and inland waterways are all visited in depth.Up-to-date maps and information make this book different from any other on the market; it covers such topics as: the North American continent; the physical environment; population; cities; regions; the Atlantic Northeast; French Canada; megalopoli; the Appalachians and Ozarks; the inland South; the Southeastern coast; the Heartland; the Great Plains and prairies; the Rocky Mountains; the intermontane West; the California region; the Hawaiian Islands; the North Pacific coast; the boreal forest; and the Arctic.Not only an excellent desk reference for geographers and geologists, this book can be an excellent addition to any home or school library. ... Read more