This is one of the few books from last year that I read as a hardcover book. From the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William J. Bennett was sent to me by the publisher because I am the host of a history podcast. Or I was… long story. It took me about 6 months to finish this
It is not a dry history book. Bennett writes with feeling and imparts excitement about the events of our great nations history. But its not your high school history book. Bennett knows there are black eyes in our Nations history and they are in display in this book too. Nothing like a Howard Zinn book, but its still there in a way.
Bennett is very patriotic and that also comes across in the writing. The book is an excellent overview of American History. A little slow in spots and if you are a history buff then not much will be new to you, but I was surprised a few times at the detail he got into certain events. Especially when he had so much to cover. I don’t believe anything was left out or missed in the tome. There two other volumes as well that get us into modern history: From a World of War to the Triumph of Freedom and From the Collapse of Communism to the Rise of Radical Islam. Really well-done overview of American history right up into WWI. This first in the series earned 4 out of 5 stars from me.