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A History of US #1
The First Americans: Prehistory-1600
Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text.
Thousands of years--way before Christopher Columbus set sail--wandering tribes of hunters made their way from Asia across the Bering land bridge to North America. They didn't know it, but they had discovered a New World. The First Americans is a fascinating re-creation of pre-Columbian Native American life, and it's an adventure of a lifetime! Hunt seals with the Inuit; harvest corn on a cliff-top mesa; hunt the mighty buffalo; and set sail with Leif Erickson, Columbus, and all the early great explorers--Cabot, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Cortes, Henry the Navigator, and more--in this brilliantly told story of America before it was America.
About the
Master storyteller Joy Hakim has excited millions of young minds with the great drama of American history in her award-winning series A History of US. Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text, A History of US weaves together exciting stories that bring American history to life. Hailed by reviewers, historians, educators, and parents for its exciting, thought-provoking narrative, the books have been recognized as a break-through tool in teaching history and critical reading skills to young people. In ten books that span from Prehistory to the 21st century, young people will never think of American history as boring again.
Thousands of years--way before Christopher Columbus set sail--wandering tribes of hunters made their way from Asia across the Bering land bridge to North America. They didn't know it, but they had discovered a New World. The First Americans is a fascinating re-creation of pre-Columbian Native American life, and it's an adventure of a lifetime! Hunt seals with the Inuit; harvest corn on a cliff-top mesa; hunt the mighty buffalo; and set sail with Leif Erickson, Columbus, and all the early great explorers--Cabot, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Cortes, Henry the Navigator, and more--in this brilliantly told story of America before it was America.
About the
Master storyteller Joy Hakim has excited millions of young minds with the great drama of American history in her award-winning series A History of US. Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text, A History of US weaves together exciting stories that bring American history to life. Hailed by reviewers, historians, educators, and parents for its exciting, thought-provoking narrative, the books have been recognized as a break-through tool in teaching history and critical reading skills to young people. In ten books that span from Prehistory to the 21st century, young people will never think of American history as boring again.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
99 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Joy Hakim
140 books80 followersI've just updated A HISTORY OF US to include some new stories, especially those on people who haven't had their full story told, like Native Americans and African Americans. I've been astounded by some of what I've learned, I think you will be too.
My husband and I live most of the year in Colorado. I grew up in Rutland, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School. I earned a bachelor's degree in government at Smith College, a master's degree in education from Goucher College, as well as an honorary doctorate from Goucher.
I've been a teacher: in Syracuse, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And I've taught in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in a community college.
I've also been a newspaper woman: a general reporter, a business reporter, and an associate editor and editorial writer at Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot.
We have three children and five grandchildren.
from: http://www.joyhakim.com/biography.html
My husband and I live most of the year in Colorado. I grew up in Rutland, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School. I earned a bachelor's degree in government at Smith College, a master's degree in education from Goucher College, as well as an honorary doctorate from Goucher.
I've been a teacher: in Syracuse, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And I've taught in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in a community college.
I've also been a newspaper woman: a general reporter, a business reporter, and an associate editor and editorial writer at Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot.
We have three children and five grandchildren.
from: http://www.joyhakim.com/biography.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
August 8, 2019
To begin – this book is a dumpster fire. It is full of factually incorrect information, baseless opinions, and very little information about Native peoples. The information about Native peoples is from euro-centric viewpoint. The book almost entirely focuses on Europe and Europeans. Only 10 out of 39 chapters are actually focused on Native peoples of the Americas, and much of that information is wrong. It uses the word “Indian” throughout instead of correct terminology. She likes to quote European opinions about Natives, but doesn’t do the same for Native opinions of Europeans. The book repeatedly calls the Americas a “wilderness,” when in fact it was far from it. The information about Natives that is sprinkled throughout is either wrong or extremely biased. This book makes me seriously question her ability to write anything correct in the rest of the series and I am genuinely horrified to read the next book. As a Native educator, this is one of the worst books I've ever seen on this subject. If I could give it 0 stars, I would. Seriously... don't buy this book.
Here is a chapter by chapter review:
It calls us the “first Americans,” which is something many of us don’t like because we aren’t “American.” The map in the beginning is incorrect, places some nations in the wrong locations and puts ancient nations on the same map as later nations as if they existed at the same time.
Chapter 1 is about her opinions of history. It is full of cringe worthy quotes. It says that being American means your ancestors are Indians, Vikings, Pilgrims and slaves…as if we all have a common heritage…and even says we have a common heritage. She cays the U.S. is the “most remarkable nation that has ever existed.” It makes false claims about how supposedly no other nation has ever “provided” so much freedom, justice and opportunity. It claims the US corrects its mistakes. It also said that a peoples government had never been made before the US. Chapter 2 is about Mongolia and the Stone Age. It is extremely biased. Chapter 3 presents the land bridge theory as fact. It has a made up story about how Natives may have migrated through the Americas that is not based on any facts. It says the Kenwick Man is from a “different stock,” as if we are animals. It perpetuates the myth that some Native nations thought Cortes was a god. Chapter 4 says that “Indians” is a good word for us and that “Native” is confusing. “Anyone born in a country is a native of that country, so many of us are native Americans.” That quote is extreme erasure of our own identities, among others in this chapter. It lumps us all together in to one group and says “Indians…” did this or that, but then later explains that no one group did all those things, which is extremely confusing to children. She contradicts herself several times. She then goes back to generalizing us as one group. This chapter is then interrupted by something about dinosaurs. Chapter 5 uses the racial slur “esk*m*s” to describe arctic peoples. She contradicts herself multiple times and flip flops on what terms to use and when. She only mentions Inuit people by name. The information about arctic peoples is mostly incorrect here. She also says that in order to know about Native Americans’ pasts that you must fictionally time travel, rather than getting your information from us. Basically she implies that modern Natives don’t know anything about our peoples histories. She barely acknowledges that modern Native people exist. Chapter 6 is almost entirely incorrect. Virtually nothing written here is anywhere close to correct. She compares us to animals multiple times and implies how inferior we are to Europeans at the time. She spells Native nation names incorrectly and puts people groups together at the same time when in fact they existed in different time periods. She also says people have no freedom. Chapter 7 is also almost entirely incorrect. It’s also written with extreme bias and says very rude things about the people groups. She focuses almost entirely on her perceived negative aspects of these cultures and says nothing positive. Chapter 8 is also mostly incorrect. The “tour” over the continent focuses on plants and animals and not on people. The information about the people is pretty wrong. She again says Native peoples didn’t have any freedom. Chapter 9 is also factually incorrect. It infantilizes the Plains nations. It says Europeans made them not “poor” anymore and that they got lazy after Europeans came. It is full of baseless opinions. Chapter 10 is full of false information and baseless opinions yet again. It calls the mound builders weird and says we only know things about them because of M.C. Hopewell, not from actual Native peoples. It talks about their governments and societies, but doesn’t do that for any other Native peoples or regions in the rest of the book. Chapter 11 is just weird and makes very little sense. She contradicts herself in the footnotes. She again gives baseless opinions throughout and much of the information is factually incorrect. She calls the people “unusual” and uses incorrect names for nations. Chapter 12 gets a few things sort of correct, but from a biased perspective. She introduces the cannibalism myth as if it’s fact. Chapter 13 is where we stop talking about Native peoples and move on to focusing on Europeans. This chapter is entirely about Vikings. It is worded in a Eurocentric way – ie: it says Thorvald was the first white man to be killed by Indians rather than saying he was the first white man to kill us. Chapter 14 is odd and contradictory. It talks about Europeans inventing things that already existed, says “well actually…” these things already existed, and then goes back to praising European “inventions.” It is entirely about Europe. Chapters 15-18 are about Columbus. It perpetuates many myths about him and says he was a “gentleman” and one of the best sailors ever. It perpetuates the cannibal myths that Columbus made up, infantilizes the Taino, and says he killed ALL of the Arawak peoples. It’s all extremely biased and some information is incorrect. Chapters 19 and 20 are about other “explorers.” It says nothing accurate about Natives and perpetuates cannibalism myths again. Chapter 21 makes multiple false claims. It says most Natives didn’t have religious freedom, lumps us all together into one, and perpetuates European myths about the Aztec. It makes claims about the US birthing religious freedom and has tired tropes about “good” people doing “bad” things. It specifically names European nations, but then lumps all Africans, Arabs and “Indians” into homogeneous groups. Chapters 22 and 23 basically say that conquest was just the way of the world and that Cortes was an okay guy. It perpetuates many myths about the Aztec and implies how inferior they were. It gets very little right. It uses the “they thought they were doing right” defenses for the Spanish, but not for Natives. Chapter 24 claims most Native deaths were accidental by disease and completely ignores genocide and biological warfare. It makes extremely biased assumptions. And it says this: “It wasn’t all bad though. Spaniards brought their religious faith and their architecture to Mexico and South America. They brought their language, their arts, and their elegant manners. They brought learning: the first printing press arrived in mexico city in 1539 and a university in 1551. They encouraged truth telling: they let their historians write the good and the bad about what was happening in America. They built magnificent churches and palaces. They ended the terrible blood sacrifices that had been part of the Indian religion in middle America.” Not only is this almost entirely false – it’s extremely pretentious. It’s an implication of superiority. Chapters 25-29 are all about Spanish “explorers” searching for the mythical city of Cibola. It’s full of inaccuracies about Natives and baseless opinions. It calls the Spanish actions “adventures,” perpetuates myths about us and “Indian attacks,” and how the Americas were “wild.” It calls conquistadors “tough, energetic and brave.” I am also annoyed that she says “poisonous snakes” instead of venomous. Chapter 30 is all about praising the Spanish and their colonizing of the Americas and calls it an amazing accomplishment. It says nothing nice about Natives, though. Chapter 31 is all about Spain and Catholic/Protestant conflict. Chapter 32 is about the French. It talks about them eating someone so they wouldn’t starve, but doesn’t call them cannibals like it calls several Native nations throughout the book, even though those nations were never cannibals and these French people actually ate someone. Chapter 33 at least acknowledges they’re fighting over land that isn’t theirs…that’s the only nice thing I can say. Chapter 34 is about the French. It calls Samuel De Champlain “outstanding” and lumps Native all together into one group again. It uses incorrect Native nation names again. It says St. Augustine and Quebec are the oldest continuously inhabited cities in North America, ignoring the fact that Taos Pueblo and several other Pueblos actually are. It is about the Fur trade. Again with the cannibal myths and surviving “Indian attacks.” It also talks about civilizing the Indians. Chapters 35 and 36 are about England. Chapter 37 is another weird one full of opinions. It calls Europeans arrogant and calls the Aztec arrogant, but then says it’s “too bad” to have to call the Europeans arrogant and doesn’t say that of the Aztec. It’s all very strange. It uses the slur “s*v*g*s,” but doesn’t explain why it is bad. It calls the Americas a wilderness again. It also perpetuates the myth of the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke even though historians and the Native peoples in the area actually know what happened. Chapters 38 and 39 are all about the English. It calls the Americas a “sleeping giant of a land,” which basically implies we didn’t do anything amazing with ourselves or the land, and then it ends.
Here is a chapter by chapter review:
It calls us the “first Americans,” which is something many of us don’t like because we aren’t “American.” The map in the beginning is incorrect, places some nations in the wrong locations and puts ancient nations on the same map as later nations as if they existed at the same time.
Chapter 1 is about her opinions of history. It is full of cringe worthy quotes. It says that being American means your ancestors are Indians, Vikings, Pilgrims and slaves…as if we all have a common heritage…and even says we have a common heritage. She cays the U.S. is the “most remarkable nation that has ever existed.” It makes false claims about how supposedly no other nation has ever “provided” so much freedom, justice and opportunity. It claims the US corrects its mistakes. It also said that a peoples government had never been made before the US. Chapter 2 is about Mongolia and the Stone Age. It is extremely biased. Chapter 3 presents the land bridge theory as fact. It has a made up story about how Natives may have migrated through the Americas that is not based on any facts. It says the Kenwick Man is from a “different stock,” as if we are animals. It perpetuates the myth that some Native nations thought Cortes was a god. Chapter 4 says that “Indians” is a good word for us and that “Native” is confusing. “Anyone born in a country is a native of that country, so many of us are native Americans.” That quote is extreme erasure of our own identities, among others in this chapter. It lumps us all together in to one group and says “Indians…” did this or that, but then later explains that no one group did all those things, which is extremely confusing to children. She contradicts herself several times. She then goes back to generalizing us as one group. This chapter is then interrupted by something about dinosaurs. Chapter 5 uses the racial slur “esk*m*s” to describe arctic peoples. She contradicts herself multiple times and flip flops on what terms to use and when. She only mentions Inuit people by name. The information about arctic peoples is mostly incorrect here. She also says that in order to know about Native Americans’ pasts that you must fictionally time travel, rather than getting your information from us. Basically she implies that modern Natives don’t know anything about our peoples histories. She barely acknowledges that modern Native people exist. Chapter 6 is almost entirely incorrect. Virtually nothing written here is anywhere close to correct. She compares us to animals multiple times and implies how inferior we are to Europeans at the time. She spells Native nation names incorrectly and puts people groups together at the same time when in fact they existed in different time periods. She also says people have no freedom. Chapter 7 is also almost entirely incorrect. It’s also written with extreme bias and says very rude things about the people groups. She focuses almost entirely on her perceived negative aspects of these cultures and says nothing positive. Chapter 8 is also mostly incorrect. The “tour” over the continent focuses on plants and animals and not on people. The information about the people is pretty wrong. She again says Native peoples didn’t have any freedom. Chapter 9 is also factually incorrect. It infantilizes the Plains nations. It says Europeans made them not “poor” anymore and that they got lazy after Europeans came. It is full of baseless opinions. Chapter 10 is full of false information and baseless opinions yet again. It calls the mound builders weird and says we only know things about them because of M.C. Hopewell, not from actual Native peoples. It talks about their governments and societies, but doesn’t do that for any other Native peoples or regions in the rest of the book. Chapter 11 is just weird and makes very little sense. She contradicts herself in the footnotes. She again gives baseless opinions throughout and much of the information is factually incorrect. She calls the people “unusual” and uses incorrect names for nations. Chapter 12 gets a few things sort of correct, but from a biased perspective. She introduces the cannibalism myth as if it’s fact. Chapter 13 is where we stop talking about Native peoples and move on to focusing on Europeans. This chapter is entirely about Vikings. It is worded in a Eurocentric way – ie: it says Thorvald was the first white man to be killed by Indians rather than saying he was the first white man to kill us. Chapter 14 is odd and contradictory. It talks about Europeans inventing things that already existed, says “well actually…” these things already existed, and then goes back to praising European “inventions.” It is entirely about Europe. Chapters 15-18 are about Columbus. It perpetuates many myths about him and says he was a “gentleman” and one of the best sailors ever. It perpetuates the cannibal myths that Columbus made up, infantilizes the Taino, and says he killed ALL of the Arawak peoples. It’s all extremely biased and some information is incorrect. Chapters 19 and 20 are about other “explorers.” It says nothing accurate about Natives and perpetuates cannibalism myths again. Chapter 21 makes multiple false claims. It says most Natives didn’t have religious freedom, lumps us all together into one, and perpetuates European myths about the Aztec. It makes claims about the US birthing religious freedom and has tired tropes about “good” people doing “bad” things. It specifically names European nations, but then lumps all Africans, Arabs and “Indians” into homogeneous groups. Chapters 22 and 23 basically say that conquest was just the way of the world and that Cortes was an okay guy. It perpetuates many myths about the Aztec and implies how inferior they were. It gets very little right. It uses the “they thought they were doing right” defenses for the Spanish, but not for Natives. Chapter 24 claims most Native deaths were accidental by disease and completely ignores genocide and biological warfare. It makes extremely biased assumptions. And it says this: “It wasn’t all bad though. Spaniards brought their religious faith and their architecture to Mexico and South America. They brought their language, their arts, and their elegant manners. They brought learning: the first printing press arrived in mexico city in 1539 and a university in 1551. They encouraged truth telling: they let their historians write the good and the bad about what was happening in America. They built magnificent churches and palaces. They ended the terrible blood sacrifices that had been part of the Indian religion in middle America.” Not only is this almost entirely false – it’s extremely pretentious. It’s an implication of superiority. Chapters 25-29 are all about Spanish “explorers” searching for the mythical city of Cibola. It’s full of inaccuracies about Natives and baseless opinions. It calls the Spanish actions “adventures,” perpetuates myths about us and “Indian attacks,” and how the Americas were “wild.” It calls conquistadors “tough, energetic and brave.” I am also annoyed that she says “poisonous snakes” instead of venomous. Chapter 30 is all about praising the Spanish and their colonizing of the Americas and calls it an amazing accomplishment. It says nothing nice about Natives, though. Chapter 31 is all about Spain and Catholic/Protestant conflict. Chapter 32 is about the French. It talks about them eating someone so they wouldn’t starve, but doesn’t call them cannibals like it calls several Native nations throughout the book, even though those nations were never cannibals and these French people actually ate someone. Chapter 33 at least acknowledges they’re fighting over land that isn’t theirs…that’s the only nice thing I can say. Chapter 34 is about the French. It calls Samuel De Champlain “outstanding” and lumps Native all together into one group again. It uses incorrect Native nation names again. It says St. Augustine and Quebec are the oldest continuously inhabited cities in North America, ignoring the fact that Taos Pueblo and several other Pueblos actually are. It is about the Fur trade. Again with the cannibal myths and surviving “Indian attacks.” It also talks about civilizing the Indians. Chapters 35 and 36 are about England. Chapter 37 is another weird one full of opinions. It calls Europeans arrogant and calls the Aztec arrogant, but then says it’s “too bad” to have to call the Europeans arrogant and doesn’t say that of the Aztec. It’s all very strange. It uses the slur “s*v*g*s,” but doesn’t explain why it is bad. It calls the Americas a wilderness again. It also perpetuates the myth of the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke even though historians and the Native peoples in the area actually know what happened. Chapters 38 and 39 are all about the English. It calls the Americas a “sleeping giant of a land,” which basically implies we didn’t do anything amazing with ourselves or the land, and then it ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2018
This is fantastic as a history for kids. I guess it's geared toward 10 year olds since the pilot of the time ship is, but it has a lot of good information & questions. (The time ship thing wasn't overdone, just used occasionally.) For instance, Hakim didn't pull any punches when describing the colonization of the Americas, but she didn't vilify anyone. She managed to show their mindset & circumstances pointing out where they were brutal, but also how tough they were.
She covers the time from about 40K years ago when Beringia was above water. At this time, the first humans & some animals possibly came across. She points out how we just don't know for sure, but are more certain of later migrations. She works her way up to about 1600 & a bit beyond concentrating on the Americas, but also mentioning a few things around the world which are important like the spice trade, the printing press, & the Catholic-Protestant wars.
The material wasn't terribly watered down, so it makes a good overview for an adult. She does explain some words & concepts that an adult wouldn't need, but never talks down to her audience. Her questions are good ones both for a single reader & a group. They put the reader into the history & make it more personal.
She did skip around in time a little too much at times. A kid would definitely want the book at hand to be able to refer to the timeline at the end & to maps. My geography isn't too bad, but she kept me busy visualizing it at times.
Highly recommended for kids 8 & up to adults. I plan to listen to the next book soon. There are 10 in the series & I hope they're all as good as this one.
She covers the time from about 40K years ago when Beringia was above water. At this time, the first humans & some animals possibly came across. She points out how we just don't know for sure, but are more certain of later migrations. She works her way up to about 1600 & a bit beyond concentrating on the Americas, but also mentioning a few things around the world which are important like the spice trade, the printing press, & the Catholic-Protestant wars.
The material wasn't terribly watered down, so it makes a good overview for an adult. She does explain some words & concepts that an adult wouldn't need, but never talks down to her audience. Her questions are good ones both for a single reader & a group. They put the reader into the history & make it more personal.
She did skip around in time a little too much at times. A kid would definitely want the book at hand to be able to refer to the timeline at the end & to maps. My geography isn't too bad, but she kept me busy visualizing it at times.
Highly recommended for kids 8 & up to adults. I plan to listen to the next book soon. There are 10 in the series & I hope they're all as good as this one.
February 16, 2014
Extremely condescending and politically correct bias. On the positive side, my kids are showing what great critical readers they are by picking apart the personal opinion she presents as historical fact.
June 7, 2008
My eldest daughter used these in 5th grade through an online school, and she liked them. We are using them again, this time while homeschooling our younger daughter, now in 5th grade. Elder sister hearing them for the second time (now 9th grade) is absorbing a higher level of detail. Larger public libraries frequently have one of the editions (I think 1999 was first, then around 2002, then the Third Edition is 2006-2007).
I think these are great for homeschooling families, especially if you have multiple kids to get a lot of use out of them. There are study guides available if you can't come up with your own discussion questions. Easy to supplement with additional reading, museum trips, art projects, dioramas, lapbooks, or pop-up projects. Some reviewers bicker about whether the author is completely correct or unbiased - but who EVER is? This series provides an entertaining overview of American history for middle-school to early high school, and you can lead a discussion about anything you find questionable.
We have the kids read the chapters, and then we go back through them together, making sure we caught the important points and looking up more stuff online for discussion. They can also be read outloud and discussed on car trips and while hands are busy with something else.
Dividing it into nice-sized books make it more portable, less intimidating, and allows you to buy materials one bite at a time. Used books and sets frequently appear for sale and auction.
I think these are great for homeschooling families, especially if you have multiple kids to get a lot of use out of them. There are study guides available if you can't come up with your own discussion questions. Easy to supplement with additional reading, museum trips, art projects, dioramas, lapbooks, or pop-up projects. Some reviewers bicker about whether the author is completely correct or unbiased - but who EVER is? This series provides an entertaining overview of American history for middle-school to early high school, and you can lead a discussion about anything you find questionable.
We have the kids read the chapters, and then we go back through them together, making sure we caught the important points and looking up more stuff online for discussion. They can also be read outloud and discussed on car trips and while hands are busy with something else.
Dividing it into nice-sized books make it more portable, less intimidating, and allows you to buy materials one bite at a time. Used books and sets frequently appear for sale and auction.
July 8, 2008
This year my elder daughter's history textbook is an eleven volume series called A History of US. Like The Story of the World series, it adds some life and character to the dull old facts and figures of your old fashioned history texts. What's even better is that I get to read it along with the Sonlight curriculum, which offers its own rebuttals to various statements in the text. Not that one really needs the extra commentary. Ms. Hakim does a rather nice job of pointing out that there are two sides to every history. Take this volume, for example. As you might infer from the title, the book talks about the native American population that preceded and encountered Columbus and his followers. Now when I was growing up, Native Americans were pretty much just supporting characters in my history texts. Some twenty years later, the pendulum had swung the other way, and they were the sublime innocents who were invaded by the rapacious white fortune hunters. In The First Americans, Ms. Hakim briefly covers the American civilizations that the Europeans found, pointing out their glories and their warts. Likewise, Columbus and the boys are presented as brave, idealistic, cruel and greedy. In A History of US, nobody's perfect... but we are rather interesting.
October 7, 2015
I was introduced to this series by my son, whose elementary school uses this series as a history text in sixth grade. Sure, because of the intended audience, the writing is simple and conclusions somewhat pat, but I am impressed how effective Hakim is at presenting a primer of U.S. history. She is balanced and fair, and her presentation is interesting, thorough, and surprisingly nuanced. She often includes examples from primary sources and lesser-known facts to flesh out the story. As a lover of history, I bought the entire series as a refresher - most of the content I already know, but there is plenty that I have forgotten over the years. As I come upon topics that interest me, I then do further research and reading to get the whole story. After reading Book One (admittedly, it took me a while to read because it was my bathroom book, sitting by the toilet to be perused a chapter or two at a time while otherwise occupied), I can now recall the individual conquistadors again, and know trivia like what is the first permanent European settlement in North America. I have since begun Book Two for the same purpose and in the same manner. Eventually, I will read the entire series, one poop at a time.
November 18, 2010
This series of books about US History are OUTSTANDING! I used the series when I taught US History in 5th grade and I still refer to them constantly. They are written on a 5th grade reading level but their interest level is huge...old to young. US History is told through stories, accounts, pictures, anecdotes, etc. and it is fun! This is a must have reference library for any household!
February 14, 2023
This is not my favorite time period but it is still very interesting and fun to read about. I just wish we had more history about the Native Americans because their culture seems really interesting. I enjoyed reading this book which mentioned from the Stone Age to the vanished colony of Roanoke.
November 21, 2021
Except for less than ten dates , I’m ashamed to admit woeful ignorance of human history. I envy some GR reviewers who are steeped in history. If you have a “Why” kid, this will cover bedtime reading for at least 3-4 years.
Book 1 covers prehistory to 1600, starts with setting up context for voyages of discovery. Asks thought provoking questions, makes jokes, famous quotes, maps, paintings and buildings.
Pg 11: The famous people quoted here don’t agree about the importance or even the meaning of history. It would be boring if they did. But who should you agree with? And how do you come up with opinions of your own?
Pg 65 How do you know what you know? Followed by discussion about clues, when did Vikings first arrive in North America.
Pg 80. What did the ocean say to Columbus?
Answer: Nothing, it just waved.
Basic economics: The English have no sense; they give us 20 knives for one beaver skin.
Page 177 on maps. What is the southernmost point of the US? (No it’s not in Texas or Florida).
Pg 85. On Columbus’s fourth voyage he was attacked. Who was the enemy? Worms.
Book 1 covers prehistory to 1600, starts with setting up context for voyages of discovery. Asks thought provoking questions, makes jokes, famous quotes, maps, paintings and buildings.
Pg 11: The famous people quoted here don’t agree about the importance or even the meaning of history. It would be boring if they did. But who should you agree with? And how do you come up with opinions of your own?
Pg 65 How do you know what you know? Followed by discussion about clues, when did Vikings first arrive in North America.
Pg 80. What did the ocean say to Columbus?
Answer: Nothing, it just waved.
Basic economics: The English have no sense; they give us 20 knives for one beaver skin.
Page 177 on maps. What is the southernmost point of the US? (No it’s not in Texas or Florida).
Pg 85. On Columbus’s fourth voyage he was attacked. Who was the enemy? Worms.
February 23, 2016
From a Christian Creation perspective, the beginning of this book is false. However, I see no reason that I can't use that to my advantage, and seize the opportunity to teach my students (who happen to be my own children) my own belief system and help them to understand the beliefs of others.
I thoroughly appreciated the love that was put into the writing of this book. I love that it was written by a single individual and not a committee or a board. It's a living book, not a dry, mundane textbook.
I look forward to starting the second in the series.
I thoroughly appreciated the love that was put into the writing of this book. I love that it was written by a single individual and not a committee or a board. It's a living book, not a dry, mundane textbook.
I look forward to starting the second in the series.
March 16, 2019
I enjoyed this book. The author kept my attention as it was written more as a story instead of like a dry, boring textbook.
I disagree with the point of view that was given for the original inhabitants of this continent, but it was an opportunity to learn to understand differences in belief.
The entire book was interesting enough to continue to go through the series and share it as a springboard for American history with my children.
I disagree with the point of view that was given for the original inhabitants of this continent, but it was an opportunity to learn to understand differences in belief.
The entire book was interesting enough to continue to go through the series and share it as a springboard for American history with my children.
April 22, 2020
There’s a lot of great information in this book...almost as much as what has been left out! After reading reviews about this book, I’m glad to have replaced this first book in the series with a more inclusive history of the first Americans. It makes me sad that the author BARELY touched upon what our country was like before the European colonists arrived.
We replaced this book with An Indigenous People’s History of the United States for Young People.
We replaced this book with An Indigenous People’s History of the United States for Young People.
August 8, 2017
I read this daily to my 7 year old. It's a really good intro to US history for young kids. Apparently it was written for the 5th grade but my son loved it. We're starting the next in the series tomorrow.
October 24, 2014
She definitely makes history interesting. :)
August 29, 2013
Good if under the age of 8. When first person and your own opinions are important. Can see why schools use them as they don't want you to know everything in history anyway.
June 15, 2018
I have to admit, I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up these books. I'd heard some mixed reviews from other sources, however I was pretty happy with the content of the book.
True to the title, it starts with what is known about prehistory in America, giving some information in what is known about the First Americans/Native Americans. Up until Chapter 13 (and they're short chapters) there is a focus on what life and civilization must have been like in various parts of the territory prior to European exploration. It introduced a lot of new ideas that weren't discussed back when I was in school, which was honestly refreshing.
Unlike so many other sources I've been introduced to, this first book doesn't just paint a flat description of the events that happened, frequently portraying European explorers in a positive light. This is not a Eurocentric view of history, openly discussing the effects of violence and slavery on the native people who lived in America before the Europeans came to claim territory. On several occasions she highlights the territory being taken from the native people without their permission and the effects of European exploration. More often than not the European explorers are painted in a pretty negative light, which can certainly come across as a biased opinion. A lot of philosophical questions are raised as well, like if you do something bad, but you don't know better, is it justified?
Overall, I think the history in this book is a little light, but it's a good place to start when introducing history. It covers a good deal more of history than even I remember learning in school, and it seems to be a lot more in depth than my high school age daughter is going into in her classes. It's a great age-appropriate resource for kids, which seems to be for kids around 10-11 years old. The story-like format is engaging and keeps it from getting that dry, textbook feel. As an introduction to these topics, it's more than satisfactory, and is a great leaping-off point for subjects that a kid might want to explore more deeply.
While we are going to be using this as a part of our homeschool curriculum this year, I do think it would be a good resource for any kid, whether they're in public school, homeschooled, or unschooled if they have an interest in American history.
True to the title, it starts with what is known about prehistory in America, giving some information in what is known about the First Americans/Native Americans. Up until Chapter 13 (and they're short chapters) there is a focus on what life and civilization must have been like in various parts of the territory prior to European exploration. It introduced a lot of new ideas that weren't discussed back when I was in school, which was honestly refreshing.
Unlike so many other sources I've been introduced to, this first book doesn't just paint a flat description of the events that happened, frequently portraying European explorers in a positive light. This is not a Eurocentric view of history, openly discussing the effects of violence and slavery on the native people who lived in America before the Europeans came to claim territory. On several occasions she highlights the territory being taken from the native people without their permission and the effects of European exploration. More often than not the European explorers are painted in a pretty negative light, which can certainly come across as a biased opinion. A lot of philosophical questions are raised as well, like if you do something bad, but you don't know better, is it justified?
Overall, I think the history in this book is a little light, but it's a good place to start when introducing history. It covers a good deal more of history than even I remember learning in school, and it seems to be a lot more in depth than my high school age daughter is going into in her classes. It's a great age-appropriate resource for kids, which seems to be for kids around 10-11 years old. The story-like format is engaging and keeps it from getting that dry, textbook feel. As an introduction to these topics, it's more than satisfactory, and is a great leaping-off point for subjects that a kid might want to explore more deeply.
While we are going to be using this as a part of our homeschool curriculum this year, I do think it would be a good resource for any kid, whether they're in public school, homeschooled, or unschooled if they have an interest in American history.
October 11, 2016
Review first published on My Blog.
This is now my third time reading this history book. Here's my previous review:
Book 1 in the History of Us series which we are using for 5th & 8th grade US History. It's a two year course so I'll be working on these for a while. Honestly, I'm not overly thrilled with the series. It's very jumpy in it's telling and the language isn't as engaging as I was hoping for. 8th grader loved it in 5th grade but hates it now. I can see why. It's working well for the 5th grader tho with the super short chapters. So long as it's working, we'll stick with it but I was so hoping for something more engaging like the Oxford series we did for middle school Ancient History.
Well, having a year break from the lovely Oxford series and trying to read high school history while reading this along with a having a child who is enjoying it makes it seem better than this. I think it is a decent history curriculum for the 5-6th graders, short chapters and a bit of engaging "let's pretend" thing going on, but it definitely will suffer in comparison to other, stronger texts. Still better than high school history courses in general though since it dives deeper.
This is now my third time reading this history book. Here's my previous review:
Book 1 in the History of Us series which we are using for 5th & 8th grade US History. It's a two year course so I'll be working on these for a while. Honestly, I'm not overly thrilled with the series. It's very jumpy in it's telling and the language isn't as engaging as I was hoping for. 8th grader loved it in 5th grade but hates it now. I can see why. It's working well for the 5th grader tho with the super short chapters. So long as it's working, we'll stick with it but I was so hoping for something more engaging like the Oxford series we did for middle school Ancient History.
Well, having a year break from the lovely Oxford series and trying to read high school history while reading this along with a having a child who is enjoying it makes it seem better than this. I think it is a decent history curriculum for the 5-6th graders, short chapters and a bit of engaging "let's pretend" thing going on, but it definitely will suffer in comparison to other, stronger texts. Still better than high school history courses in general though since it dives deeper.
June 19, 2014
This engaging and conversational history series is nothing like the history books I read when I was in school. It presents history through an imagine if you were there perspective, and includes a lot of first hand accounts from both sides of the stories. It isn't the white European centric history I learned in school, and it's a pleasure to read. I learned a lot about the Native Americans and about the cruelties of the conquistadors from this easy to read, engaging book. The back cover recommends the series for all ages from 9-99. I think this would make a great addition to a homeschool classroom for a 4-6th grader especially. There's an 11 volume set of these, and I intend to try and read through the rest of them.
-- Read originally in 2011; re-read as an audio book recently. The audiobook version is very engaging.
-- Read originally in 2011; re-read as an audio book recently. The audiobook version is very engaging.
January 10, 2020
I found a whole classroom set of this book at the 2nd and Charles off Wadsworth in Littleton. They had all come from the Mackintosh Academy.
I found it intriguing that this school choose this book to teach its students with and I wonder what book they replaced it with. I found this book being one of the best early history books for kids that I have come across. I felt that it did a good job of introducing kids to Native American history while then expanding into the conquest of the Americas. It did go into the negative aspects of what the Europeans did while still keeping it PG. This book came out in the early 2000s and I would say that it was ahead of its time in giving a more native voice to the teaching of history. There were only a few things that could use improvement, so I would give it 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.
I found it intriguing that this school choose this book to teach its students with and I wonder what book they replaced it with. I found this book being one of the best early history books for kids that I have come across. I felt that it did a good job of introducing kids to Native American history while then expanding into the conquest of the Americas. It did go into the negative aspects of what the Europeans did while still keeping it PG. This book came out in the early 2000s and I would say that it was ahead of its time in giving a more native voice to the teaching of history. There were only a few things that could use improvement, so I would give it 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.
November 24, 2015
My daughter and I are read this book as a part of her homeschool program. I appreciate the fact that the author, Joy Hakim, has written the book in a fun way without sacrificing historical content. There are parts of the books that are written in a conversational tone and I think the book is a little more fun to read because of that. This book doesn't go into a ton of specific details, but that's okay because we can do additional research on our own. We both love the quantity and quality of the pictures, maps, and captions. There is a series of maps in the back of the book and I have found that these are useful for explaining the routes that the explorers took.
June 3, 2012
I enjoyed the narrator for this book. She had a wonderful tone with great inflection. I've read the book before many years ago - and I had the chance to meet Ms. Hakim recently which I thoroughly enjoyed. This history is so accessible - I don't take it as the be all end all of history but it is engaging, fun, and helps to generate a real enthusiasm for a subject so many books make so boring. I think this is perfect for a middle schooler or higher and listening to it lends a different way of absorbing the info. Recommended!
August 30, 2013
This book explains many things about the way that Native Americans lived in its own way. The author is telling you to pretend that you are in a time capsule and you are flying from place to place in different time periods. It explains what the land was like when they first got here, and how the land evolved while the Native Americans were here. It also explains what happened when the colonists first came here and how the Native Americans fought back.
September 21, 2009
It's a great supplement to the World History course I'm doing with my kids. I plan to use later books in the series as an outline for the US History course I'll do with the kids starting next fall.
This series is one of the most balanced history accounts I've read. I really like the way the author asks the reader to think about the different variables involved.
This series is one of the most balanced history accounts I've read. I really like the way the author asks the reader to think about the different variables involved.
May 11, 2010
We're almost finished with the first book of this series. I grew up hating history and, believe it or not, Hakim actually makes history interesting and fun.
This book is very interactive and visual. My kids lay a large US map on the floor and get out our inflatable beach-ball globe while we take turns reading and following the expeditions.
This book is very interactive and visual. My kids lay a large US map on the floor and get out our inflatable beach-ball globe while we take turns reading and following the expeditions.
March 18, 2012
Joy Hakim makes history fun and interactive. She provides more information than your standard high school textbook, and yet she maintains keeps the upbeat attitude. The difficulty of the text is also easy enough to be accessible to students of almost any grade. I would recommend the entire series to anyone, whether a history buff or not.
February 19, 2017
Sarah has been using this as her history curriculum this year. I am probably enjoying it so much more than her, too! She loves to read, so she is always happy to read her chapters in history. I love that she is doing American History in 5th Grade. This reads easily and is concise. We are now on to the next period of American History, the 1800's.
April 23, 2018
Yeah it took me FOREVER to finish this but in my defense school has been CRAZY!!!! Anyway I found these books in my school's library and thought they would be good for me to learn some history before I travel this summer! Once I really settled down and started reading this, I really enjoyed this and can't wait to get to the next one!!
July 10, 2018
Since I'm currently teaching a course on the History of Christianity in America I thought it would be good to get an overview of U.S. history for review. This series is actually written for juveniles but it is well done. Of the four volumes I've listened to thus far I enjoyed this first one the least. But they have all been enjoyable and helpful.
October 10, 2019
I love the way History is told in this book and also that there is so MUCH information included. It was a lot less Euro-centric than any other history texts I could find for my 5th grader, but it was still Euro-Centric enough that we had to supplement with other resources to get a wholistic and more accurate view of this time in history.
September 19, 2020
A survey of history is a difficult writing assignment. How much detail to include to keep it interesting and connect the dots of cause and effect. Hakim has accomplished this monumental task in this work. She kept my attention and did not feel the temptation to skim. I will purchase another volume in her series. I was not insulted by her defining terminology, I was grateful.
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