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

Sounds like she's really talking to you!

This audible book is great! I listen to it all the time! It sounds like she's really talking to you! Great for 10 to 100! Perfect for all ages up from ten!
It sounds like a story your grandma is telling you about Columbus, and she knew him! It's such a great book I can't even put it in the textbook category! Really well written!

Entertaining American History for the Whole Family

Where does The First Americans rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very enjoyable -- certainly one of the better nonfiction books accessible to middle school children.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is hard to answer for a nonfiction book like this. I will say that the treatment of the explorers and conquistadors was evenhanded, and this may be the first time I've got the latter straight in my mind as opposed to lumping them all together.

Which character – as performed by Christina Moore – was your favorite?

She's an excellent narrator but again this question is a bit hard to answer in this context. I will say that it is wonderful to have such a good reader for a nonfiction book. The flow is lively, and my 10 year old was happy to listen it, for which I credit in large part her energetic delivery.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Certainly the impact that the European contact had on the native peoples is a sobering set of stories from our history. Although it was clearly described and not hidden, it also was handled in a manner appropriate for the middle school audience.

Any additional comments?

One particularly nice aspect of listening to nonfiction like this is that the child listening doesn't have to stumble over unfamiliar historical names as he would with reading, and even better, hears them pronounced correctly.

I greatly enjoyed listening to it as well, and learned (or relearned) things in the listening despite majoring in history in college. It could certainly be an enjoyable way for an adult to brush up on his or her history knowledge.

Another aspect I appreciated in that it has a moderate bent. Although all history has bias, so much that's out there (especially for kids and teens) has a strong leaning to the left or right. This doesn't, which is refreshing.

Peoples History

I have read and listened to alot of history books. I have rarely found one more enjoyable. I loved the way the writer explains everything. After listening to just the first 15 minutes I found myself wanting to get my kids to listen with me. This is history for all ages.

thorough, succint

American textbook history is mashed up and watered down to the point that US kids come out of the system with a loathing for what should be a lifelong interest. As Hakim herself states in the epilogue, textbook history is so boring that it could be (and is) taught backwards with no worse outcome!

Hakim preserves the inherent fascination of history for children by focusing on the stories and the people, fleshing them out with humanizing details (Queen Elizabeth had rotten teeth that she tried to whiten daily with sugar)! Her imagery is lively and her writing is plain. She doesn't shy away from a bit of editorializing to appropriately frame an event. (i.e., cannibalism, genocide, failed adventures, etc). While it's clearly written for children, it's been fun for me to listen and fill in the fuzzy parts of my own education.

I intend to use it as the backbone of a home school history curriculum for an eighth grader and I'm confident that Hakim's books can turn a dread of the topic into a passion!

Really good history book

Really good for kids and adults. It’s so interesting keeps you entertained and engaged such a good book!!

Hakim a Joy to Read/Listen

Another reviewer said that Hakim's history series (10 books) are for kids. True, but her books are also for adults who are not Ph.D. historians - that means just about everyone.

A great read - a great listen. Hakim has a way of making the various periods of history come alive like the best soap operas on TV. Tantalizing looks are the warts and all of the historical figures that shaped our past. Highly recommend Hakim for "kids" of all ages.

Great resource for young adults.

My son has another view of history now. Not a boring view, but a colorful, exciting, living veiw. This is how history is meant to be learned. Joy Hakim deserves much thanks.

Like the story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes but wish it was broke down into individual chapters for easy change between devices

Any additional comments?

Make it so that there are chapter breaks so it is easer to go to a certain chapter

Great history, read well.

Any additional comments?

We bought this for long car rides, since our children are reading it for school. We all enjoyed it, and it has helped us share American history as a family! Very glad I bought it!

I'm thrilled to find this on Audible!!!

Yes, this series of books is for children and that is exactly what I need! I home school my children and this series is used in my curriculum package so I have the books. My youngest son is dyslexic, though. That means that I read most of his books to him to save time since his reading speed is so slow. Audible has been a lifesaver for me. Having this series of books on Audible will save me huge amounts of time this year. I wasn't expecting to find these; I checked just for form and here they are. In terms of content, Hakim's books are an excellent source for young listeners. She writes in an engaging style that captivated even my oldest who is decidedly uninterested in all things history.
Thank you, Audible, for making these available.