The First Americans: Prehistory – 1600, A History of US, Book 1

By: Joy Hakim

Narrated by: Christina Moore

Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Thousands of years, way before Christopher Columbus set sail, wandering tribes of hunters made their way from Asia across the Bering land bridge to North America. They didn't know it, but they had discovered a New World. The First Americans is a fascinating re-creation of pre-Columbian Native American life, and it's an adventure of a lifetime! Hunt seals with the Inuit; harvest corn on a cliff-top mesa; hunt the mighty buffalo; and set sail with Leif Erickson, Columbus, and all the early great explorers, Cabot, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Cortes, Henry the Navigator, and more, in this brilliantly told story of America before it was America.

A History of US is a 10-volume, award-winning series about the birth and development of the United States. Master storyteller and lifelong student of American history Joy Hakim takes readers from 9 to 99 on a breathtaking journey, from the Ice Age to the 21st century.

©1993 Joy Hakim (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

For Kids

Interesting subject matter, however upon listening I discovered this book was written for kids. Don't expect too much from this book if you are an adult.

Great Book for Preschool Children

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Any child, interested in history, under age 5.

What could Joy Hakim have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Nothing - she did fine. Her career need not suffer because no one noted that this book's target audience was very young children.

How could the performance have been better?

Nothing, it was perfect - if I was a pre-reading-age child-

What character would you cut from The First Americans?

The person who neglected to describe this book as a children's book.

Any additional comments?

I want my credit back.

for children

I was profoundly disappointed that this book was aimed at children. I was hoping to get a good review of the early history of the North American continent.Maybe I shold have read the summary more closely.

It's elementary.

What disappointed you about The First Americans?

Would have been nice to know it's aimed at the 4th grade level, before buying.

Has The First Americans turned you off from other books in this genre?

How do I recognize a scholarly work in this genre?

What three words best describe Christina Moore’s performance?

Speaks very clearly.

What character would you cut from The First Americans?

There are no characters.

For kids

This series of books is written for kids and probably fine through junior high, but not very compelling to older kids or adults.

Target Audience

Unfortunately I purchased the First Americans only to find out it is written at about a seventh grade level. I believe this should be noted in the book description.