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American Nations
- A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
An illuminating history of North America's 11 rival cultural regions that explodes the red state/blue state myth.
North America was settled by people with distinct religious, political, and ethnographic characteristics, creating regional cultures that have been at odds with one another ever since. Subsequent immigrants didn't confront or assimilate into an "American" or "Canadian" culture, but rather into one of the 11 distinct regional ones that spread over the continent, each staking out mutually exclusive territory.
In American Nations, Colin Woodard leads us on a journey through the history of our fractured continent and the rivalries and alliances between its component nations, which conform to neither state nor international boundaries. He illustrates and explains why "American" values vary sharply from one region to another.
Woodard reveals how intranational differences have played a pivotal role at every point in the continent's history, from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the tumultuous sixties and the "blue county/red county" maps of recent presidential elections. American Nations is a revolutionary and revelatory take on America's myriad identities and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and are molding our future.
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T. R. Fehrenbach brilliantly delineates the contrasts and conflicts between the many Mexicos, unraveling the history while weaving a fascinating tapestry of beauty and brutality: the Amerindians, who wrought from the vulnerable land a great indigenous Meso-American civilization by the first millennium BC; the successive reigns of Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Mexic masters, who ruled through an admirably efficient bureaucracy and the power of the priests, propitiating the capricious gods with human sacrifices; the Spanish conquistadors, and much more.
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Good book bad narration
- By M. A. Chris Raine on 03-23-19
By: T. R. Fehrenbach
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Lone Star
- A History of Texas and the Texans
- By: T. R. Fehrenbach
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 39 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is a must-listen history of the Lone Star State, together with an insider's look at the people, politics, and events that have shaped Texas from the beginning right up to our days. Never before has the story been told with more vitality and immediacy. Fehrenbach re-creates the Texas saga from prehistory to the Spanish and French invasions to the heyday of the cotton and cattle empires. He dramatically describes the emergence of Texas as a republic, the vote for secession before the Civil War, and the state's readmission to the Union after the War.
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Top -10
- By JNW on 03-29-18
By: T. R. Fehrenbach
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Harvest of Empire
- A History of Latinos in America
- By: Juan Gonzalez
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The first new edition in 10 years of this important study of Latinos in US history, Harvest of Empire spans five centuries - from the first New World colonies to the first decade of the new millennium. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, and their impact on American popular culture - from food to entertainment to literature - is greater than ever.
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The real story behind Immigration
- By Amazon Customer on 11-12-17
By: Juan Gonzalez
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Gone to Texas
- A History of the Lone Star State
- By: Randolph B. Campbell
- Narrated by: Jacob Sommer
- Length: 28 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Gone to Texas engagingly tells the story of the Lone Star State, from the arrival of humans in the Panhandle more than 10,000 years ago to the opening of the 21st Century. Focusing on the state's successive waves of immigrants, the audiobook offers an inclusive view of the vast array of Texans who, often in conflict with each other and always in a struggle with the land, created a history and an idea of Texas.
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Good history from year zero through about 1962
- By Jim In Texas! on 03-24-14
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Conceived in Liberty
- By: Murray N. Rothbard
- Narrated by: Floy Lilley
- Length: 80 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The new single-volume edition of Conceived in Liberty is here! After so many years of having to juggle four volumes, the Mises Institute has finally put it all together in a single book. This makes it easier to listen to and makes clearer just what a contribution this book is to the history of libertarian literature. There's never been a better time to remember the revolutionary and even libertarian roots of the American founding, and there's no better guide to what this means in the narrative of the colonial period than Murray Rothbard.
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Learned more here than 4 yrs of college
- By Scott Archer on 05-02-16
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A History of the American People
- By: Paul Johnson
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 48 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Johnson's monumental history of the United States, from the first settlers to the Clinton administration, covers every aspect of American culture: politics, business, art, literature, science, society and customs, complex traditions, and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation and the ordinary people who collectively created its unique character.
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A British conservative's view of American history.
- By Mike From Mesa on 06-17-09
By: Paul Johnson
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A Patriot’s History of the United States, Updated Edition
- From Columbus's Great Discovery to America's Age of Entitlement
- By: Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 55 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the past decade, A Patriot's History of the United States has become the definitive conservative history of our country, correcting the biases of historians and other intellectuals who downplay the greatness of America's patriots. Professors Schweikart and Allen have now revised, updated, and expanded their book, which covers America's long history with an appreciation for the values that made this nation uniquely successful.
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A Fox News Version of American History
- By Stephen on 05-16-21
By: Larry Schweikart, and others
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American Heritage History of the United States
- By: Douglas Brinkley
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Douglas Brinkley takes us on the incredible journey of the United States - a nation formed from a vast countryside on whose fringes 13 small British colonies fought for their freedom, then established a democratic nation that spanned the continent and went on to become a world power. This book will be treasured by anyone interested in the story of America.
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Highly recommended!
- By M. Hu on 08-04-17
By: Douglas Brinkley
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The Gates of Europe
- A History of Ukraine
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense fight with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence. But today's conflict is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine's territory and its existence as a sovereign nation. As the award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues in The Gates of Europe, we must examine Ukraine's past in order to understand its present and future.
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An extraordinarily good book
- By Specs2789 on 03-01-23
By: Serhii Plokhy
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American Republics
- A Continental History of the United States 1783-1850
- By: Alan Taylor
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In this beautifully written history of America’s formative period, a preeminent historian upends the traditional story of a young nation confidently marching to its continent-spanning destiny.
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Helps the dots of history to today.
- By Tascha F. on 06-26-21
By: Alan Taylor
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In February, 1763, Britain, Spain, and France signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the French and Indian War. In this one document, more American territory changed hands than in any treaty before or since. As the great historian Francis Parkman wrote, "half a continent...changed hands at the scratch of a pen."
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Poor account - there are better
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This is great, much more than title suggests
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Audible is better
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A thorough and absorbing history
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In this enthralling narrative, professor and award-winning author Jeffrey Ostler recounts the Lakota Sioux’s loss of their spiritual homeland and their remarkable legal battle to regain it. Moving easily from battlefields to reservations to Supreme Court chambers, Ostler captures the strength that bore the Lakotas through the worst times and kept alive the dream of reclaiming their cherished lands.
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not interested in this kind of detail
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In this vivid and compelling narrative, the Seven Years' War - long seen as a mere backdrop to the American Revolution - takes on a whole new significance. Relating the history of the war as it developed, Anderson shows how the complex array of forces brought into conflict helped both to create Britain's empire and to sow the seeds of its eventual dissolution. Beginning with a skirmish in the Pennsylvania backcountry involving an inexperienced George Washington, the Iroquois chief Tanaghrisson, and the ill-fated French emissary Jumonville, Anderson reveals a chain of events that would lead to world conflagration.
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A Detailed History
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What listeners say about American Nations
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Joshua
- 12-20-13
The most important work of US history available
What made the experience of listening to American Nations the most enjoyable?
This book is simply outstanding from cover to cover. As someone is a rabid consumer of US history I'm left feeling like a sports fan who just realized he has been watching a game playing out his entire life and only now is recognizing who is on what team. This book is incredibly well researched and provides a deeply contextualized history of the US's many regional states and cultural paradigms. I really cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in politics or American history.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The well researched and written histories of the states and their ethnic origins creates a much more interesting narrative than the generic right/left debate we all believe we live in.
If you could give American Nations a new subtitle, what would it be?
A political primer that isnt 20th century revisionist nonsense
Any additional comments?
Buy this book
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9 people found this helpful
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- Ellenaeddy
- 09-29-13
Fascinating!
This has more sense about American heritage and politics in it than anything else I've ever read. Past really is prelude, and where we come from really does resonate through time.
If nothing else, it clarifies how different areas make their decisions and what they perceive as democracy. Get ready for the fact that it's not homogenous or the same.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Pamela
- 04-08-12
The Best
Would you listen to American Nations again? Why?
Had to listen twice back to back, more information than I ever knew.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
How it meshed the entire cont.
What about Walter Dixon’s performance did you like?
The voice
If you could give American Nations a new subtitle, what would it be?
Where we came from and how we got here.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Rick Kintigh
- 05-27-14
A re-framing of North American history.
Any additional comments?
Sociology, history, demography, psychology. It is frustratingly difficult to decipher the fact from the interpretation. There is a lot I liked here. Some very thoughtful analysis. Some interesting assertions and added color to historical cannon. This made of lot of sense to me, it backstopped some long held beliefs, it made me feel good about my heritage and my place sociological makeup of the continent. But I fear that is because I have affiliated heritage to the author and he is projecting the same bias I grew up with. I liked this book, and it earns its stars by at least attempting to explain and perhaps unencumber us from our political trenches. To see the cultures that shaped (and divided) us, accept them and move forward rather than dig in. I don't know if Colin Woodard is correct in his analysis, but I think if read with the knowledge of the authorial bias in mind it is still valuable.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Cristóbal
- 08-08-20
Great History/Terrible Politics
I conceptualize this book as having two parts. The first part is a very interesting historical reckoning of the “nations” that the author claims make up the US. This first part is well done and the author has found primary resources to support his thesis. The second part of this book is interpolation of political events and extrapolation of potential political trajectories of the nations. This was nearly intolerable. Unless you worship at the Church of Woke this should bother you. The author lets a good/bad framework takeover his political analysis. In short the author spends some time demonizing the “nations” that have conservative leanings. He does highlight some latent mendacity in the politics of these nations, but he actively avoids pointing out mendacity (that is plentiful) in the politics of the “northern nations” and any minority controlled “nations.” For instance my home “nation” of El Norte (in the author’s parlance) is guilty of substantial mendacious transgressions, however presumably to avoid criticizing Hispanics, like me, the author chooses to ONLY address political missteps of the conservative “nations.” There’s no mention for example of the problems that ensue from the liberal programs (such as fraud, waste, abuse, public grift etc.). While much criticism is aimed at conservative “nations” the closest the author gets to criticizing a minority controlled nation is by pointing out that Greenland seeks independence but is financially dependent on the European country of Denmark. That seems like a ripe area for exploring mendacious politics, but the author leaves it alone. I would have preferred a truncated book that simply left modern politics out of it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Diana
- 09-10-14
I loved this book
Would you listen to American Nations again? Why?
Yes I did listen to most of twice.
Any additional comments?
It seemed to me a great examination of the cultures of America.
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1 person found this helpful
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- White
- 04-14-19
Holistic and longitudinal history of US cultures
This book was mind-blowing for me. Modern media outlets rely heavily on a over-dramatized, dualism to box all Americans into: North vs. South, Conservative vs. Liberal. These inaccurate portrayals sell headlines and feed clickbait, but they are not authentic or generally positive. This book follows the original cultures from first-contact to our shores through to modern times. The reality is a much more complex quilt pattern. I often found myself reflecting on my own family members, their backgrounds, and their views and coming to empathize much better after reading this book.
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- Andrew S. Breza
- 12-19-14
Brilliant history, shaky future
American Nations is a fascinating look at the history of the United States and why different regions have so often been at odds with each other. The first half is one of the best books I've read all year. However, problems emerge when the author tries to explain the present and future of the "federation." Woodard is a much better historian than futurist and repeatedly loses sight of his main point as he gets sidetracked in the last several chapters.
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- James Hays
- 07-12-15
Listen & get a better understanding of America
If you could sum up American Nations in three words, what would they be?
Yankee vs South
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
I grew up a Southern and did not understand the whys behind the Civil War. I love history and American Nations gave me a viewpoint of why we act the way we do.
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- Craig
- 07-22-14
Explains so much!
What made the experience of listening to American Nations the most enjoyable?
With all the polarity in USA, listening to American Nations is a must hear to anyone hoping for national unity.
What did you like best about this story?
Logical simplicity
Have you listened to any of Walter Dixon’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Can't remember
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Terrific
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