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Don't Know Much About History - Updated and Revised Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: Kenneth C. Davis
Creator: Jeff Woodman
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $49.95
Buy New: $22.19
You Save: $27.76 (56%)
New (18) Used (7) from $19.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 118393
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 19
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 6 x 5.1 x 2.2
ISBN: 0739317717
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780739317716
ASIN: 0739317717
Publication Date: November 8, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A new, completely revised, expanded and updated edition of the million-selling New York Times bestseller that launched the entire Don’t Know Much About series.
When Don't Know Much About History first appeared, it created a sensation. With humor, great stories, and a trademark conversational style, the book brought Americans a fresh new take on history. Davis proved Americans don't hate history–they just hate the dull version they were force-fed in school.
In his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style, Davis now returns with a completely revised edition that brings history right up to the moment–covering such topics as the end of the Cold War, Clinton's impeachment, the bizarre election of 2000, and the events that led to September 11.
Incorporation new research and discoveries, Davis also updates and expands on such long-standing American controversies as the Hiss trial, and he includes an expanded "civics-lesson" that examines some of America's hottest social and political issues, such as the death penalty and school prayer.
For history buffs and history-phobes alike, Davis proves once more why People magazine said that listening to him "is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Excellent cliff notes approach to history September 9, 2008
I'm a bit perplexed at the criticism directed at this book based on political bias. Kenneth C. Davis attempts to present both sides of the sitaution with his book. For example, he presents Lincoln as somebody who used the decree to free the slaves to both political and military advantage in addition to being the right thing to do. He initially issued the Emancipation Proclamation focusing on slaves in areas that the Union had won over avoiding applying it to Union areas where it would and could cost unrest among the public (they were afraid that slaves would undercut their wages and also that it would make them less interested in the fight since it would suddenly focus on the freeedom of the slaves and not the integrity of the Union). He also points out that Lincoln while he didn't believe in slavery was a man very much of his time who had beliefs that could be seen as racist. In other words, Lincoln was a man of vision but a product of his era.
The same could be said for just about ANY of the political situations/figures mentioned in this book whether it be Teddy Roosevelt's decision to build the Panama Canal or Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in spite of the fact that it was clear that the Japanese war machine was failing but that information came out in a report a year AFTER Truman dropped the bomb (no help). On balance he also points out that while those who created the gadget understood in theory what it would do in reality beyond creating a major explosion. Theories ranged from the fact that the initial test would light the atmosphere on fire to the fact that people exposed to the bomb were more likely to die from a falling brick than from radiation exposure (radiation wasn't as well understood then--hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 in both history and morality).
DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY has its flaws certainly--there are some minor mistakes that occur in the book and while Davis tries to be as fair balance as possible, it's impossible for an author NOT to insert some of their bias into the narrative they write by their choice of words, what they choose to highlight, etc. but on the whole he does an exceptional job of covering a wide variety of subjects about American history the "discovery" of American (and the controversey that ensued in retrospect).
Davis brings his considerable knowledge, research skills and intelligence on an impossible accomplishment--to boil down the essential and most important parts of American history and put them fairly in a 700 page book. His primary goal here was to make this book readable to reach those people who shun history books and classes because of poor teachers that focused on memorizing dates and now showing the context and WHY what happened is important to THEIR lives. Davis ultimately accomplishes this by pointing out what might have been vs. what actually happened in a number of areas from the Civil War to the changes that occurred in the 1990's. He also includes the Bill of Rights and some of the changes that occurred because of their introduction/interpretation/changes over time in an appendix in the back.
So while DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY isn't perfect, it's an exceptional attempt to digest important points in history, help those reading it understand it and why it is important to them but do so in a READABLE and ENTERTAINING fashion. Much like Carl Sagan made science fun to the average person in the 20th century, Davis is trying to do the same thing here with a very different canvas.
 Horribly distracting dialog October 11, 2007
After listening to "Don't know much about History," I still don't know much about history. The dialog, acting, is so bad, it pushes the listener away from hearing any of the content. You know that voice of a man or woman, when they go up an octave, and over emphasize the whole question? Well, that's what is throughout these audio cd's. And they crowbar questions between the asker and the reader. I mean, VERY big crowbars. Anyway, I couldn't make it through the second disc. It was THAT bad. The content was scattered, disconnected. I might have learned a thing or two if I didn't feel like I was in third grade all over again.
 RLH September 14, 2007
Well this is my first review and I will say the audio version (I also have the book) is fantastic. If you are looking for an easy way to brush-up or familiarize yourself with history, this will do it. The "reader" is great, the "other readers" are, as noted in a previous review, well ... lacking. Pretty much everyone from Columbus to JFK to MLK sound like an odd cross between Thurston Howell the Third (Gilligan's Island fame) and Captain Kirk - cant imagine it, well, you'll see. It nonetheless is, including this fault, a fantastic reading of a very good history book that is very easy to listen to - and I am not really a history fan.
Cheers.
 STILL don't know much about history February 12, 2007
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
Within the first five minutes, I immediately knew that something was wrong. An accurate account of history should be as devoid of bias and personal opinion as possible. It's the emphasis of this work that is the problem. Davis is more of an impressionist and a leftwing activist, than a historian. Listen to this CD if you must (from the library, don't pay for it) ONLY if you want a leftist perspective on American history and relish in destroying the legacy of some of the most accomplished Americans. His purpose is to discredit the accomplishments of CONSERVATIVES (whom he never fails to identify) and then paint an ugly reputation of them. For example, the only thing you will take away from Henry Ford (the conservative) is that he didn't invent the car or the assembly line and was a harsh, anti-semite. Since most of our founding fathers were slave owners, we might as well remember them primarily for that instead of their overall greatness. MLK was no angel in his personal life either, so we can discard all that he did too, for that matter.
By the way, it was Jefferson, "the athiest" who wrote the famous line about "unalienable rights endowed by our creator" in the Declaration of Independence and authorized the use of public buildings for church services during his presidency. You wouldn't know that from the CD.
 Accurate, but opinionated February 12, 2007
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
While the facts are valid, the language of this book gives me the feeling that it is more of an unconsciously narrow commentary than a sincere historical work. Why "commentary" and on what? Well, it seems that almost the only reason one is mentioned in the book is to either state the atrocities an American has committed or what atrocities were committed upon one by an American. This seems narrow because it is the nature of man to visit harm upon his fellows, not just American nature. I say "unconscious" because I am being generous to the author, believing him to be an honest broker and not simply writing in order to give one side of the story on people unable to defend their positions.
This is illuminated by the author's own words toward the end when he categorizes American history as two steps back for every step forward.
If you're interested in knowing only the dark tales of woe from American history, this is the book for you. If you want the whole story, you'll need to keep searching.
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