I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And, I am by no means a history buff! I am bias although, because I have read several of Ambrose's books and have enjoyed them all. Ambrose is one of my favorite authors and the only "History Author" I like. I enjoyed the way Ambrose shared his insights and his "takes" from the exhaustive reasearch that he has done, related to American History. I especially admired his candidness in sharing with the readers - that he learned a certain American history topic "one" way, taught it "that" way, but now has changed his opinion - and thinks of it "this" way. Ambrose is about 10-years older than me, and I enjoyed his Chapters on Military Men, American Racism, Women' Rights, and Late 1900 Nation Building (times that he and I experienced in our own ways). Some may call it rambling - but I found it very interesting - even though it was written from his liberal point of view. I understand he was actually dying as he was finishing this book. This nation lost a valuable historian when he died. Unfortunately we will not read his thoughts on the Iraq / Afganistan war, Bush presidency or the Obama presidency. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and Ambrose is a proponent to breaching the dams in the Columbia River. I was a staunch opponent to such action, but now Ambrose has me thinking....... maybe ......

In some ways Ambrose was a kindred spirit, though I never agreed with all his conclusions and focus while often enjoying his popular history. Later allegations of sloppy research and attribution stung, but he still managed to deliver some great works. I saw him live, and wish I could have achieved even a little of his success as a historian. As I was reading this I kept thinking I'd read portions of this before.

Stephen Ambrose's style is very easy and enjoyable to read. Although he is not particularly known for his accuracy, his books are a good starting place for exploring 20th Century American History, and which will encourage readers to further delve into the times and incidents of greatest interest.

This particular book was written in 2001, when Ambrose was undergoing treatment for the cancer which would take his life within the year. How he found the energy at that time to complete this (and yet another) book is a testament to his will to produce. It is also understandable why he would want to write a book like this, which stands as a retrospective of his life and of his times.

In spite of his personal prospects, this book finds Ambrose to be quite "Bullish on America". Some might describe it as Pollyanna-ish. In light of the current state of the American Experiment (post-pandemic, extreme political divisions, endangered democracy, global competition with an energized China and a re-energized Soviet Union), his optimism seems quite dystopian.

So I recommend it with a warning to the reader. Read it for insight into the key events of the 20th Century, and for the pleasure Ambrose's prose. But prepare to feel a disconnect with the upbeat tone, and a yearning that the subsequent years had turned out as well as Ambrose had predicted.

Listened to this as a CD in the car which was an excellent way to "hear" this. Essays by history writer Stephen Ambrose on various aspects of our American history. The initial chapter was a comparison of the early Presidents, particularly Jefferson and Washington. Ambrose says that while Jefferson's intellect was superior to that of Washington, both men dealt with the issue of slavery differently. Washington's slaves were freed upon his death and tho Jefferson's words about equality were immortalized in the Declaration of Independence, it did not apply to African Americans. His slaves were not freed upon his death. Because Washington did not allow himself to become a king and stepped down after 2 terms in office, proving that he was dispensable, he is probably our greatest President. Much discussion about the greatest accomplishment of the 1800's, which Ambrose believes was the building of the transcontinental railroad, an endeavor that Lincoln supported with federal money during the Civil War. (Repubs would be horrified). Highlighted the great accomplishments of Pres. Eisenhower during WWII and during reconstruction to make Germany and Japan models of democracy. Eisenhower told the German press to begin reporting and to feel free to criticize him! Amazing! Completed in 2002. Would love his insights on Pres. Obama and trump.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting my good friend, and Goodreads friend, Graeme Roberts, who was kind enough to give me a copy of this book, along with his personal inscription, as a remembrance. I don't know how it came about that I had never read any of Stephen Ambrose's work, but I very much enjoyed reading this one. It was the last book he published before his death in 2002.

"To America" is a wonderful blend of Ambrose's personal recollections about his career: how he became an historian (from originally being a pre-med major), his various teaching posts at different universities, and the family trips he took all over the world to visit historical sites and do research in preparation to write. Another important facet of this book are many historical vignettes from different eras of American history. To name just a few, the battle of New Orleans, the transcontinental railroad, Ulysses Grant, World War II, Vietnam, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower.

One of the many takeaways from this book is a reminder of just how deeply involved and time-consuming research can be as a part of the writing craft. My thanks again to Graeme for connecting me with this fine read!

What a strange, uneven book. In reacting to the 1990s strain of political correctness that could simplify complex historical events and figures into "good" or "bad," Ambrose sometimes provides a layered contextualization, insight that encourages genuine critical thought. Other times, though, he serves up arguments that point to just as black-and-white a viewpoint as that which got him going. His discussion of Manifest Destiny can be fairly summarized as "the ends justified the means." A less egregious but just as telling example: while praising Harry Truman's decisiveness in the use of atomic weapons to end the war in Japan, he carefully and convincingly weighs the military realities of the situations but makes no attempt to include in that praise due consideration of the geopolitical ramifications for the postwar reality one way or the other. Perhaps I'm asking this book for more than is fair--it does try to cover the entirety of American history in a short work -- but I was disappointed to get such hastily constructed arguments from somebody so authoritative and from somebody who's obviously gifted as a storyteller.

To read this book is akin to sitting down with Stephen Ambrose with a pot of coffee or a bottle of whiskey and discussing American history. I admired him on many levels. He was a great historian and professor.

In particular I enjoyed the chapter on Vietnam and on women’s rights. It’s not a great book but worth reading if you’re a fan of his books.

Stephen Ambrose begins his book with this quote in the preface, "It is through history that we learn who we are and how we got that way, why and we changed, why the good sometimes prevailed and sometimes did not." To America completely lived up to this statement. Ambrose does a fantastic job of taking the reader on a journey through pivotal points in American history that have both taken a toll on the American public and Ambrose's own life. Ambrose's narrative is inspiring to any person who is in the history field or is just simply passionate about history. He consistently drives home the idea that people are a result of their time and that every single situation has two sides that must be examined. As a historian and an archivist I greatly appreciate the reiteration of this idea and hope that other readers will find this book just as inspiring. A job well done by Ambrose. This is the second book by Ambrose that I have read, and I look forward to reading the rest of his books.

What this book basically consists of is Stephen Ambrose rambling, and that is grade-A awesome. Ambrose was a master historian, a man passionate about history and a spectacular writer. To America represents an overview of his career, told by the man himself. It hits all his major topics with a few devoted to figures he never got around to writing books for. Where he strove to be more objective in his previous books, To America is where he lets out a lot of his aggression on certain historical topics (such as his distaste for the hypocrisy of Thomas Jefferson) and personal stories from his life. While it's disappointing the book skips over some of the controversies of his own life such as his confession of flagrant plagiarism that he only admitted shortly before his death, To America remains one of Ambrose's most personal books and one I recommend to any American interested in history.

Stephen Ambrose has a great way with words when describing historical events like the Battle of New Orleans or the Transcontinental Railroad. The chapter about the Indians is personally my favorite one. He talks a lot about current issues like racism in America and immigration. If you care to know, he does seem to have a mild conservative viewpoint, but it's a viewpoint worth reading about. Overall, it is definitely worth a read and would recommend it.

Good discussion on the characters of Jefferson, Jackson, and other early prominent Americans. Good chapter on Grant and Reconstruction. Good quotes from Eisenhower showing his wisdom and perspective. The book drags too much during its second half.

A helpful review of our nation's history and the audio version which I "read" proved to have a story teller who you could listen to without falling asleep.