(Audio book)

Familiar with Ambrose from "Band of Brothers", "D-Day" and "Citizen Soldiers" I looked forward to this collection of thoughts and reflections by a famous historian. I had so enjoyed the collection of speeches and essays by David McCullough, that I was sure I would love this book too.

I'm ambivalent.

The life of a historian can be very interesting. Researching and writing, telling stories of people, not just the battles and politics. Ambrose certainly had opportunities to research, interview and read first hand accounts of a variety of important historical figures and events. I appreciated the overview of his career and writing process.

Where I began to take issue with him, was the cheery bluster PR about how great America is and the derogatory comparisons with soldiers of other countries. For an historian, it felt quite biased and dipped into the waters of propaganda.

His idolization of Andrew Jackson, glossing over his intense hostility to Indians and Blacks because he saved the country by winning the battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 is a little uncomfortable.

His opinions and treatment of Ulysses S. Grant attempted to show two sides of the his legacy--talking about how well loved he was while serving the country as General and President--and then the "revelations" of his drunkenness and mismanagement/ corruption during his presidency that later historians dug up and taught in classrooms for decades. I suspect Ambrose thinks he's being wise and generous to Grant, reminding us that we should appreciate what Grant did to end the Civil War. He fails to make the connection between the hatchet job Southern historians and textbook publishers intentionally did to President Grant. Yes, there was some corruption in his cabinet, but the real crime in their eyes was his dedication to Lincoln's vision for reconstruction and equality for blacks.

There's a boastfulness to Ambroses' opinions that can make you cringe. He repeats that when asked advice on how to be a good writer, he suggests marrying an English Major and having her read your work and contribute--without credit . . . or pay. Yep, just take the little woman's contribution as your own. That's okay. You own her, don't you?

He admits that he was the deciding vote to prevent women from joining a club.

What grated the most, were his belief that Mississippi, Louisiana and other southern states have overcome racism and everything is just fine now. His belief that American soldiers are the best because they know right from wrong and other soldiers around the world don't. His opinion that women DO have equal rights already.

So just as I'm about to give up on the book, he has a chapter on the contribution of immigrants and the how diversity IS our secret strength as a country.

In this current epoch of Nationalism and the rebirth of White male supremacy--these were really good words to hear. There were several quotes from Dwight D. Eisenhower (another of Ambrose's subjects) that made me yearn for Republicans from yesterday. I do not recognize the party today. I am so sad for what has become.

So I give it a 3 star review. It's an okay read, but not as strong or insightful--or uplifting--as I had hoped it would be.

A general history book about the authors experience in culture as he met and wrote his books. Very good chapters on WW2 and Nixon. Anything by Ambrose is worth reading.

Not bad. An interesting personal-memoir-slash-brief-history. The author brings his political actions and beliefs into his telling of US history, mostly during his lifetime. He neither apologizes for them nor defends them, but simply uses them as backdrop for his experience. Our society could probably use more of these oral histories. My generation and the one after mine are losing something from that perspective.

No doubt many of you have memories of history class as a dry uninteresting subject where memorizing some key characters and dates was what was required to make it through to the next level. Today history is one of my favorite genres to read and learn and I've discovered that there are actually writers who have the ability to make history interesting as well as educational. In "To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian," Stephen E. Ambrose, one of the country's most influential historians, reflects on his long career as an American historian and explains what an historian's job is all about. He also shares insights and behind the scenes looks at how he pulls together the good and the bad about our predecessors as he writes about their stories with triumphs and tragedies and all that goes with that. I have read several of his books and have found them to be captivating in how he presents his thoroughly researched topics and actually brings history to life. He takes a few swings at the political correctness craze of today, as well as his own early biases, as he grapples with the country's historic sins of racism, its neglect and ill treatment of Native Americans, and its tragic errors. He reflects on some of the country's early founders who were progressive thinkers while living a contradiction as slaveholders including Washington and Jefferson. He contemplates many of the key events in our history, many of which are contained in his books such as the stunning victory over the British in the War of 1812, the grueling journey of Lewis and Clark to open up the newly acquired territory to the west, and the building of the transcontinental railroad that joined it and greatly reduced the time to safely travel from the east to the west.

The author explains and records America's assumption of world power under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt, and extols its heroic victory in World War II. He writes about women's rights and civil rights and immigration, founding museums, and nation- building. He contrasts the presidencies of Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson and the misunderstood presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. Throughout, Ambrose celebrates the unflappable American spirit. Throughout all of this, Ambrose writes about writing history. "To America" is an instant classic for all those interested in history, patriotism, and the love of writing.

Interesting perspective and a reminder that no matter the sins and abuses of the past, there is much good in the American character. A reminder to continually develop the best of America while avoiding blind adherence to patriotism.

In this random collection of things Ambrose wants to talk about, he tries to leave behind his school of "Old White Male History," but he just can't. Nor he can avoid a sometimes stunningly Amerocentric attitude. When Americans win a war or a battle, they do it with more glory and bravery than was ever seen before in history. When they accomplish some feat, it is better than any feat that ever came before. And when they form a hatred towards someone, that too is stronger than anyone else's hatred. (I might suggest he take a closer look at Asian relations.) Most of the book is made up of reflections on the traditional stuff: wars, presidents, and of the few of these I read, it was more than obvious he wrote about them not only out of personal interest but because he had done significant research on them throughout his career. Once or twice he tackled topics of social history, and it was also clear they held only a passing curiosity for him. Women's lib was almost entirely about his mother and two wives' experiences in the home and at work with almost no commentary on female society as a whole in the US (let alone how their experiences differed wildly by class and race) and wound up congratulating the US on leading the world in this field while blatantly ignoring decades of data on how European society is ahead of us by leagues when it comes to women's equality in the workplace. But I digress. I did learn some things. I liked reading about Teddy Roosevelt, but in the end, I had to put this book down before I threw it across the room.

To America", was Ambrose's very last effort, but it should not be the first book you read from him. My favorite American historian tossed me a little zinger from the grave (Master Steve... no disrespect intended!). I assumed, from his dust jacket, that this was a tribute collection of his favorite moments in history told in sequence. I've always had a pipe dream to do just that; line up all my favorite historical books (like little dominoes) and kick-off a chain reaction rolling forward through time. The first half of his book filled the bill and broke some new ground for me. For example, he went out of his way to dispel several false myths about our American heritage. However, by the second half of the book, sodden Steven, had dropped his veil and introduced some personal life history. To his credit, most of his family cameos ran in quasi context to the story line. Ambrose then ended his book (his very last) with a little, feisty rant... some GI Joe flag waving and an appeal to "Tear Down Those Dams!" Don't get me wrong, this book is a gift to the students of Ambrose, it offers a rare personal glimpse into a man revered for his tightfisted history. Reflecting on his life's work, it occurs to me, Ambrose loved what I love; Outdoor Adventure Stories, The Founding Fathers, WW2, America in the 30's and History in general. His books consistently exhibited a rare gift for clarity, brevity and beauty. In addition, his signature style always packed a little punch with a side of panache. His last effort, a loose romp across American history, might be the only book that ran astray. "To America," is a bittersweet send up from a master story teller and an old sly hat. I won't have to miss Ambrose, because he left behind his books. What a clever immortal man!

Historian as History (To America, Personal reflections of an historian by Stephen E. Ambrose)

Written at the beginning of the new millennium, these reflections provide a refreshing view of America, full of the sort of optimism sorely needed 20 plus years later in 2023.

We get short descriptions of events like the Battle of New Orleans, and Ambrose’s experiences writing about Theodore Roosevelt, Grant, Nixon, and Eisenhower. He lets us in on his personal reflections about his work as a distinguished historian, his effort to be impartial while at the same time being honest about his own evolving viewpoints. He describes history as presented by his teachers and mentors and offers his own conclusions.

To American by Stephen Ambrose is a worthwhile satisfying read in which the historian becomes history, and his hope for the future is unavoidably colored by the reality of the moment.

Just a famous historian and author, riffing on his personal thoughts about various historical figures, his career, and the state of the world. Being a famous historian/author, you expect to read a lot of documentation on reasons, and you get that here -- reasons why Ambrose thinks the way he does. For instance, although I don't believe he actually said that his favorite president was Teddy Roosevelt, he certainly makes the case. His thoughts on Jefferson -- over-rated. He covers other people and topics with the same level of thought he applies throughout. As interesting was his "inside baseball" discussion of the profession of historian, and of his own career autobiography. Historians like Ambrose are measured by their research and by their published output. Ambrose describes the impetus behind most of his books, with many interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving professors and presidents and camping out in reservations. An interesting glimpse into Ambrose's career, life, and personal reflections on his subjects.

Due to the events of the past week, I've been feeling very patriotic, and I wanted to read something distinctly so. I found historian Stephen Ambrose's last book "To America" to be just such a book. Written right before he died in 2002, this short book is a look back over event's and guiding principles he thinks have been key to the success of our country. A history teacher's final lecture.

Stephen Ambrose was attracted to military history. According to him, "the key events in American history were military. Winning the Revolutionary War or the Civil War, or World War II were the turning points in our history." Surprisingly, I found his thoughts on the subject very interesting. For me, a person who has a hard time coming to grips with the war in Iraq, his brief synopsis of how and why America became a military and moral leader became more clear. This country has been forged with the sweat and blood of it's military, its citizens and its leaders.

He does ramble more towards the end, and the writing seems hurried, but I've since discovered he was near death from cancer when he wrote it, and ultimately finished it. These were his last words. What a shame we will never know his thoughts on the Iraq war. On the Bush Presidency. On electing a black president. Oh how he would've loved it. Again, what a shame.

This was my first exposure to Ambrose, but I've got to say its a hell of a good infection vector. This book was thoughtful in unexpected ways and patriotic without being overbearing or tone deaf. It does a tremendous job of presenting, side by side, great works and great sins, explaining that the former do not excuse the latter, but neither do the latter invalidate the former. They simply are. They're part of our history and can't be ignored. But they can inspire as either shoulders to stand atop or acts of craven stupidity to rise above.

Particularly in this moment of American politics, I found it to be an important reminder that it's okay to be proud of my country. Even as it still struggles to live up to the promises set down in writing almost two and a half centuries ago.

The book traces how Ambrose evolved personally and as an historian, specializing in military history. He became an historian because of a history professor who told interesting stories his freshman year in college. Although not as liberal as many historians who viewed the Republican Party with disdain, Ambrose became an admirer of Ulysses Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and especially Dwight Eisenhower, for whom he wrote his official papers.
Much of the book reviews subjects he covered in previous books. Ambrose has a tendency to ramble in this book, published in 2002, the year he died at 66 from lung cancer.