Book of the week: Untold History of The United States
It’s 3 AM and after having binged on The Office, Seasons 1-9 for the month of February, I needed something different. I just happened to be scrolling through Netflix and found a gem, Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States. It is a documentary series on the background information of American history and politics that shaped the United States but that very few people actually know of. I was thrilled to find that the information seen on screen had been adapted for a book, The Concise and untold History of America and that it is available in print or e- book format from Amazon for 12.99! What sparked my interest into these books was the way in which the information was laid out. It was not just a series of dates, but stories to give context to situations I thought I knew so well. In addition,the facts presented felt extremely relevant to current politics.
Stone writes that “Napoleon once said history is a pack of lies agreed upon. Well I’m not sure I agree. I believe history does have a purpose and there is a pattern to be found. I wanted, along with my colleagues, to tell the American story in a way that has never been told before.” When he spoke of patterns in history I knew I was hooked. I immediately began a separate discussion while reading the book concerning the connection between past and present American Presidents. Stone’s ability to present a different perspective of the past is a challenge to the facts set out by the institutions that are the foundation of our democracy; institutions that I know have always been known to proclaim one singular truth.
Stone destroys certain preconceived notions of people and events in our past, that America has at times romanticized. Shedding further light on America’s true history thus allowing you, the reader, to gain a more complete knowledge of our past. I knew I wanted to add this treasure to my library at home. It is already on my phone (thank you Amazon Kindle!), so I ordered it this morning and because I am a Prime member, it will be here soon. Get your copy and learn about our nation’s history.
