Written & read by Kenneth C. Davis - Abridged Nonfiction - Abridgment approved by Kenneth C. Davis - 3 COMPACT DISCS - 3 hours

Publisher, Bantam Doubleday Dell (1992)

REVIEWS:

From School Library Journal:

"What did America gain from the Spanish-American War? What was the Bonus Army? What happened at the Bay of Pigs?'' Davis gives the answers to these questions and others in this informative, easy-to-read book that is organized in chronological order from the beginning of American history to the Reagan presidency. The chapters contain questions and answers and excerpts from speeches and related writings of the time. Under "selected readings,'' Davis includes historical fiction as well as annotated lists of nonfiction to supplement each section. The book can be read from start to finish as a narrative or it can be used as a reference source in American history classes. It's sure to make history come alive for YAs. --Roberta Lisker, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

James M. Cornelius - The New York Times Book Review:

The author is a diligent researcher whose prose is light on the eyes. .. . Certainly Mr. Davis has biases. One would think . . . that history is made only by the rich and the poor. The chapters on the colonial days are particularly good. . . . The narrative is salted with 50-odd 'American Voices' (snippets from the likes of Phillis Wheatley, Abraham Lincoln, Samuel Gompers and Crazy Horse). . . . But the core of the book naturally, is Mr. Davis's refresher course. Under 'What was the Bonus Army?' we are reminded that General Douglas MacArthur and Major George Patton led an assault . . . against 25,000 World War I soldiers--in 1932, in Washington, because unemployed veterans were claiming a proffered bonus. More than 100 were killed, including two infants. That is surely something we need to remember.

The Publisher:

A reference volume of our nation's history with a contemporary twist in a question-and-answer format. Includes a table of contents for each chapter in chronological arrangement.