Don't Know Much About American History by Kenneth C. Davis

An unusual format enticed me to pick up this book in the bookstore to check my knowledge of basic historical facts. Since I collaborate with a history teacher in grade 6 I'm always interested in finding catchy ways to provide outside reading for my students. This informational book published in 2003 includes updated information on George Bush's terms as President as well as the recent disaster of the falling of the twin towers in 2001. This book of ten chapters is formatted in question-answer format: Frequently-Asked-Questions about history are categorized into ten periods of history over 217 pages. I was surprised to find answers that were unknown to me. For example: In chapter 3 about the Growth of a Nation I realized that this country went eleven years without a president during the time when the Articles of Confederation were in effect. Living in the South for so many years, I never really wondered about the relationship between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. I was surprised to learn that the response is "True" to the statement, "An Indian walked into Plymouth and said, 'Welcome, Englishment.'" The Algonquian chief Samoset initiated friendly relationships with the Pilgrims from the start. Later in the book I learned the interesting response to the question, "Were the 1990s an age of rage?" Surprisingly, that period of time was full of violent events: the Oklahoma City bombing, race-related violence in 1991 and 1992, and violence in schools with the Columbine shootings. How do you think the first decade of the 21st century compares with that period of time? The book seemed to be reliable and authentic in its design and its factual details. Thorough source notes are included in the bibliography, and an index and an appendix of Presidents and Vice Presidents is included in the back. At the front of the book is a table of contents and an introduction providing background for the author in stating the purpose of his writing this book. He intended to break the "boring" tone of history books and to make history come alive. Bravo! This is a must-read for history buffs who want to brush up on important times in history.