A History of the American People

Product Description Audible.com's #1 Highest Rated Audiobook of 2009 Johnson's monumental history of the United States extends from the first settlers to the Clinton administration and covers every aspect of American culture: politics, business, art, literature, science, social customs, and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation as well as the ordinary people who made up its unique character. Anne Hutchinson, Cotton Mather, Ben Franklin, Thomas 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 explosive economic growth and emergence as the world's sole superpower. Review 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 Expectations for a memorable, pleasurable, and instructive reading experience. . . .are magnificently met. No dull pages occupy the space between the Puritans' ''City upon a Hill'' and superpower America. . . .A work one can't begin to disagree with even partially without reading it wholly, which legions will eagerly do.--Booklist This is vivid and memorable writing. . . .Proves that history can still be literature.--National Review A fresh, readable and provocative survey. He is full of opinions. . . .and Johnson can be very wise.--Los Angeles Times . . . .Arresting contentions and pieces of fascinating oddball information. --New York Times Book Review About the Author PAUL JOHNSON, British author and historian, is the author of many books, including Modern Times, A History of the Jews, Intellectuals, The Birth of the Modern, and The Quest for God, which have been translated into many languages. He has been a frequent contributor to the Daily Telegraph, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Spectator, and other newspapers and magazines. He has lectured to academic, business, and political audiences all over the world.