That's Not in My American History Book

By: Thomas Ayres

Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Most people don't know that:
Benjamin Franklin almost killed himself trying to electrocute a turkey; the Wright brothers were not the first to fly an airplane; there was a 14th state that the original 13 wouldn't let join the Union; and that Benedict Arnold helped save the American Revolution. All this and more is revealed in That's Not in My American History Book.

For generations, history classes have reduced the rich, often surprising, facts of the American story into a dry litany of dates, names, and places. Now, That's Not in My American History Book fills in the gaps, supplying the messy details, reclaiming the overlooked heroes, and correcting the facts you thought you knew.

That's Not in My American History Book collects an illuminating treasury of stories edited out of your textbooks. It explains why the Fourth of July isn't really our Independence Day. It dispels the myth of Paul Revere's midnight ride. It reveals 19th century political mudslinging that labeled Andrew Jackson a murderer and his wife a "convicted adulteress." It even unveils the only Vice President ever to compose a #1 pop hit.

With insight, irreverence, and no small amount of wit, That's Not in My American History Book uncovers our unknown past.

©2000 Thomas Ayres (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

A Great Book!

If only you could remember half of what's in this book... Depending on your personality, you could be the next Cliff Clavin or teach American history. I listen to a lot of history books and find myself going back to listen to something covered in this book. The trouble is - I end up listening to the rest of the book in it's entirely because it's so interesting. I've probably listened to this book about 10 times - I could never delete from my iPod. I wish there was a sequel.

Do yourself a favor and put it in your shopping cart!

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

Lots of Fun!

I had lots of fun listening to this book. Trouble is I was constantly making notes on things to research further via the internet!! Things would be a lot different if history were recorded accurately . . . but you know what they say . . . the history books are written by The Winners! So, alas, history books are published with a built-in bias. This book gives a great jumping off point if you want to learn more about the subjects included.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Great Historical trivia

If you make it through the introduction, there are fascinating anecdotes, which are brief, keeping the material interesting. Great "read."

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Fun escapism, but not enough items

I really enjoyed this book. The only problem is that the author kinda pads each of his stories with a lot of unnecessary details. I would have liked more stories and less filler.

One little niggle about the audio book. Whoever edited it never left enough space between the topics. So as one topic ends the other is jammed right in after it.

30 of 34 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining historical nuggets

Written by a journalist, this book has a story-telling style that is very readable (listenable) and entertaining. I have a fair knowledge of American history yet most of the historical episodes were unfamiliar to me and fascinating to hear. The narration is excellent. If you enjoy history when it's easy reading and sometimes light-hearted, this is for you.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Inspiration to sleep...

While I can appreciate the topic, and indeed it was this appreciation that made me wish to hear this Audiobook. The topic is meant to inspire people to wish to read history, to learn the truths that have been hidden through time. However, the reader is so dull that he borders upon a monotone dialogue that makes you want to sleep, instead of research more history. I give this a three for the over-all topic, which is a great topic, but it suffered greatly by the dull, monotonic reader that made me feel bored by history, as opposed to inspired by it.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Very interesting and worth the read

I'm not much on history, especially American history. However, this book kept my attention and if a second version ever becomes available, I'll read that too.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great Listen!

It would be easy to say this is a book about US historical trivia but that would deprecate the accomplishments of men and women who, while mostly forgotten by history, helped shape our country in profound and positive ways.
This book was easy to listen to with my Garmin GPS when driving.
Joe Cannon

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Interesting

It was an interesting read. I fell asleep in some parts but overall, there is a lot of obscure facts the history buffs will enjoy. This audio book is not for everyone.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Take it with a grain of salt

Interesting factoids but not necessarily factual. The author credited George Gershwin with writing Swanee River when it was Stephen Foster for example