Preview
  • A History of the American People

  • By: Paul Johnson
  • Narrated by: Nadia May
  • Length: 48 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (698 ratings)

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A History of the American People

By: Paul Johnson
Narrated by: Nadia May
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Publisher's summary

Johnson's monumental history of the United States, from the first settlers to the Clinton administration, covers every aspect of American culture: politics, business, art, literature, science, society and customs, complex traditions, and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation and the ordinary people who collectively created its unique character.

Anne Hutchinson, Cotton Mather, Ben Franklin, Tom Paine, George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, among others, are all presented in a fresh perspective. Wherever possible, letters, diaries, and recorded conversations are used to ensure a sense of actuality.

This is an in-depth portrait of a great people, from their fragile origins and struggles for independence, to their heroic efforts and sacrifices to deal with the "organic sin" of slavery and the preservation of the Union, to their explosive economic growth and emergence as the world's greatest superpower.

©1997 Paul Johnson (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"Johnson is a lively writer (more so than nearly all other historians), and May's reading is sensitive to Johnson's wit and sharp comments....Her reading is lively, crisp, and sharp throughout." (AudioFile)

"A magnificent achievement...brilliantly combines broad sweep with extraordinary detail." (Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about A History of the American People

Average customer ratings
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Excellent

I loved the overall history especially the reading by Nadia May. I thought the outlook was a bit biased towards the right of the political spectrum. However, that doesn’t take away from my general opinion of Paul Johnson or his history. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves their big history books.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

A better understanding

There are so many times in history books or news articles where what happened was spun to serve someone purpose. This is the kind of book which will dig deeper and shed some light on these subjects and they suddenly seem less "black and white". Overall an amazing book with loads of information, although hard to stay focused on at times because of its thoroughness.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a good book for long travels

This book is well written. History is told in a perspective not told in any school I ever attended and was refreshing. I listened to every hour of it and might even listen to it again in a year or so. The narrator has an english accent which made for easy listening.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I am indebted to Paul Johnson

I cannot think of when I would ever say that I’m “indebted” to an author. Certainly I appreciate the many of the authors of books I’ve read and have been impressed by their talents and the works they have created. However, the emotional reaction that I have after reading Paul Johnson’s A History of the American People is one of gratitude and indebtedness. With the continued assault on our history with pop culture and political correctness it is refreshing to hear a well researched history that has not been tainted or biased as so much of what is promoted as history today. Johnson does not tell a one sided story, rather he tells a balanced version with a great deal of background perspective that both strengthens the credibility of the material as well as gives the reader a great deal of insight that most history books miss. I have already recommended this book to many of my friends and recommend it to anyone who wants to hear a fascinating story of the American people. I am indebted to Paul Johnson.

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3 people found this helpful

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Excellent Information for all Americans

At almost 80, I learned a great deal that I had never known before about the United States and also corrections about all the miss information I have been given throughout the years. I listened at .75 to a good deal: the result was the reading gave me time to mull over the facts. It is great for insomnia as you set a timer and a great companion on a walk. V

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thorough and interesting

There were a couple if glitches in the audio, but overall clear. Also, at least one factual error. Ford was seriously challenged by Reagan in 1976.
Nonetheless, illuminating book.

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Must read!

This is a must read for those wanting to understand how Americans came to be.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A good history of US until

This was an excellent book until reaching FDR. The bias against FDR is so absurd, and so glaring in light of the even handiness exhibited to that point, that I decided I couldn’t continue with the book. Subsequent investigation on my part revealed that this bias would remain for the remainder of the alternate history of the United States as depicted by Johnson.
I am glad that I listened as long I did and stopped when I did

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent history of the people of America from an outsider

Excellent history from an outsider's perspective. Is really refreshing and entertaining. I would strongly recommend it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A British conservative's view of American history.

Absolutely wonderful. Covers history of the US from the first English settlers through the middle of the 1990s when the book was written. Very well read by Nadia May whose clear voice and pronunciation I found suited the book very well. One of the things I found most interesting is that Mr Johnson covers not only the facts but also the background philosophical views at the time as they pertain to the issues being covered. Thus Emerson and others come up not only as poet or writer, but also how their views supported or ran contrary to the then current American thinking.

While I found the entire book fascinating and full of nuggets of information I did not already know I found the treatment of the 20th century most interesting. Johnson's view of the years from Coolidge through Nixon is at odds with the views prevalent 30 years ago, but he makes his case very well indeed with facts, quotes and statistics. I heartily recommend this to anyone with an interest in US history.

Highly recommended.

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59 people found this helpful