Eyewitness to America: 500 Years of American History in the Words of Those Who Saw It Happen Paperback – July 28, 1998

If you are a history teacher/major/buff then this book will make a great addition to your library.

Most of us hated history in school because of the overemphasis on rote memorization of names, dates and places. This gross error of incompetent instructors is still the main reason why most of us aren't very knowledgeable or interested in history.This history book is different from all the rest because it doesn't require reading from cover to cover. One can open it at random and enjoy a few paragraphs or pages. A nutshell summary begins each story to provide context and background.Ernie Pyle's The Death of Captain Waskow and Lewis Puller, Jr's Fortunate Son are two of the most moving accounts of war ever written.There are a couple of entries about Gen. Douglas MacArthur which show that man for what he really was, which is on a par with Gen. George Armstrong Custer. Didya know Truman fired MacArthur? Probably not, read about it in this book. There were two Tonkin Gulf incidents - read about them, too!I bought this book on a whim as a hardcover first edition, and still have it. Eyewitness to America is the only book which I have repeatedly recommended as a must-have, especially to those with school age children.I've bought several copies as gifts, too. Just bought two more for a friend and her teenage sons. I told my doctor's nurse about it yesterday and she used her smartphone to buy it on the spot!Why watch so-called reality TV when history is The Real Deal? Buy and read this book and you'll agree.

I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased a second copy for a friend. Each of the short articles is emotionally stirring--some sad, some inspiring, many echoing the issues we still face. Unlike a traditional history book, each of the articles is written from within the time and place and local culture of the event, and many offer insights that are washed out of the average history textbook.More than once I've randomly turned to a page, only to find commentary on an event that I didn't even know happened--they weren't covered in school, or at least not from the perspective offered here. Many people and events are familiar names, but the pulls and the pains of the citizens involved--so frequently glossed over in school--are here freshly laid bare before the reader.I highly recommend this book to any student or lover of history, or even to someone looking for an interesting bathroom reader.

This was a great book of historical moments in short, concise sampling’s from first-hand sources (diaries, memoirs, histories). The reader is led through American history by the people who lived it. Grade: A+

I used this book for primary source material for all 3 major papers in my college level U.S. History, Part 1 course. It helped me earn an 85, 90, and 95 respectively, as well as an 87 overall in the class. I will absolutely be using it for Part 2 as well as quick, historical reading for leisure.

This is a wonderful book. I actually had to purchase one of these for my History after 1877 college class and paid a substantial amount more at the college bookstore. The stories are short, most not over 3 pages and some as short as a half a page. They are told by the people that were there at the happening of certain things in hisory. I have always cringed at the history word but this book even got me interested. I bought this one for my brother who loves history but doesn't love to read. He seemed excited to get this.

If you want a more intimate look at American history, this is the book for you. It brought tears to my eyes while reading the account of the curator of the warehouse for items left at the Vietnam Memorial, and surprise at some of the little nuggets of facts that I have never seen anywhere else. A must-read for anyone interested in American history.

All sorts of quirky facts are in this book. What I like best is you can pick it up any time, find something interesting, then lay it down. I've given it to my older grandchildren to whet their appetite for history.