American Stories: A History of the United States, Volume 1

by H.W. Brands, T.H. Breen, R. Hal Williams

Explore America s rich and complex past in this accessible presentation of American history
"Using a streamlined and powerful narrative, the authors take readers beyond an assortment of facts to tell the story of our nation. "American Stories "covers the essential elements and events in American history and uses significant incidents and episodes to reflect the dilemmas, choices, and decisions made by the American people as well as by their leaders. This title is available in a number of formats digital and print. Pearson offers its titles on the devices students love through Pearson s MyLab products, CourseSmart, Amazon, and more. To learn more about pricing options and customization, click the Choices tab. ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that youselect the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products. Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase. Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code. Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2008

About the author

H.W. Brands is an acclaimed American historian and author of over thirty books on U.S. history, including Pulitzer Prize finalists The First American and Traitor to His Class. He holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his PhD. Originally trained in mathematics, Brands turned to history as a way to pursue his passion for writing. His biographical works on figures like Franklin, Jackson, Grant, and both Roosevelts have earned critical and popular praise for their readability and depth. Raised in Oregon and educated at Stanford, Reed College, and Portland State, he began his teaching career in high schools before entering academia. He later taught at Texas A&M and Vanderbilt before returning to UT Austin. Brands challenges conventional reverence for the Founding Fathers, advocating for a more progressive and evolving view of American democracy. In addition to academic works, his commentary has featured in major documentaries. His books, published internationally and translated into multiple languages, examine U.S. political, economic, and cultural development with compelling narrative force. Beyond academia, he is a public intellectual contributing to national conversations on history and governance.

Reviews

[Todd Luallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the textbook for my US History class. The book was provided at the bookstore in plastic wrapped 3-ring binder format (no cover, just the pages, so you have to get your own binder) and it still cost $60. I hate the high cost of text books, especially when there are so many other books out there that are just as good as a much better price. Anyhow, this book reads very easily and the images and accompanying inserts are informative and useful. It is supposed to come with some companion videos that you can access with a special code, but apparently my teacher did give us the code, because when I tried to use the code on the site, it didn't work and the helpdesk stated I needed a special link to use it. All in all it's a big hassle to get some extra videos that probably could be viewed on YouTube anyhow.

Pros: Easy to read, good information, good illustrations and companion inserts.
Cons: Expensive (as are all textbooks), no cover, videos require a bunch of hurdle jumping to view...something I never managed to finish.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.