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thecastortroy's review against another edition
5.0
Deeply unbiased assessment about the role the US has played and currently plays in the realm of empire.
Do not read if triggered by nearly anything. The events discussed in the past (and present) contain very nasty actors and events and this book doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
Do not read if triggered by nearly anything. The events discussed in the past (and present) contain very nasty actors and events and this book doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
andreaturner's review against another edition
5.0
This book jump-started my journey to deconstructing the "logo map" and my understanding of US geography. Fascinating, important, revealing moments in the country's history I never encountered in school. Immerwahr's sense of humor is pretty deadpan and provides levity at just the right times, which I also enjoyed. It now has a waiting list in my classroom library because I couldn't stop sharing horrifying and surprising tidbits with students along the way.
jujureads_123's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
carlalou's review against another edition
5.0
This should be required reading. It’s a history of the United States that I (and most everyone I know) has never considered before. Immerwahr is engaging and knows how to tell a good story, and he’s also done an incredible amount of research to bring historical figures who are household names and complete unknowns to life. He illuminates the motivations behind major military, cultural, and geographic revolutions in a fascinating way. Must read.
lnetzel's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very educational for me. I know next to nothing about the various islands, commonwealths, etc that are part of the US. The author gives the history of how the US obtained these various entities and why. I found the history of Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Philippines the most interesting. But other places had fascinating history as well.
At one point the author quotes night time tv host Jon Stewart who said, "war is how America learns geography." Sad but true. And apparently Mark Twain said something similar. I'm embarrassed by how little I know of how the non-voting citizens of the US are governed. I'm certainly not alone as people in these places have interacted with our military personnel who did not understand they were defending US territory.
Two chapters late in the book were unexpected. One was about the history of standardization and how we forced our will upon other nations. Things like standard screw sizes, and pipes. The author discusses how the imperial system used in the US makes all other countries that have adopted the metric system have to conform by providing both systems of measurement. The second surprise was the discussion around the history of the English language. I've only travelled outside of North America a couple of times but always found that English is widely spoken elsewhere. Past presidents learned 4 or 5 languages where now our presidents are rarely bilingual.
Highly recommend.
At one point the author quotes night time tv host Jon Stewart who said, "war is how America learns geography." Sad but true. And apparently Mark Twain said something similar. I'm embarrassed by how little I know of how the non-voting citizens of the US are governed. I'm certainly not alone as people in these places have interacted with our military personnel who did not understand they were defending US territory.
Two chapters late in the book were unexpected. One was about the history of standardization and how we forced our will upon other nations. Things like standard screw sizes, and pipes. The author discusses how the imperial system used in the US makes all other countries that have adopted the metric system have to conform by providing both systems of measurement. The second surprise was the discussion around the history of the English language. I've only travelled outside of North America a couple of times but always found that English is widely spoken elsewhere. Past presidents learned 4 or 5 languages where now our presidents are rarely bilingual.
Highly recommend.
cookiereadsswiftly's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars
This book showed me how the US has been collecting colonies and using them as they see fit for as long as we’ve been around. Understanding the complexities of our relationships with different places and how we have used them (testing malaria meds, testing h-bomb) is horrifying to me. This author managed to keep his sense of humor, and also kept me engaged throughout while I also learned a lot that is obscured in our history.
This book showed me how the US has been collecting colonies and using them as they see fit for as long as we’ve been around. Understanding the complexities of our relationships with different places and how we have used them (testing malaria meds, testing h-bomb) is horrifying to me. This author managed to keep his sense of humor, and also kept me engaged throughout while I also learned a lot that is obscured in our history.