From Colony to Superpower

US Foreign Relations Since 1776

By: George C. Herring

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Length: 40 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this prize-winning and critically acclaimed history uses foreign relations as the lens through which to tell the story of America's dramatic rise from 13 disparate colonies huddled along the Atlantic coast to the world's greatest superpower.

Robert Fass narrates George C Herring’s stunning history of successes and sometimes tragic failures with calm engagement, capturing the fast-paced narrative that illuminates the central importance of foreign relations to the existence and survival of the nation, and highlights its ongoing impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

From Colony to Superpower is the most recent volume in the peerless Oxford History of the United States, which was described by the Atlantic Monthly as “state of the art” and “the most distinguished series in American historical scholarship.”

Please note: The individual volumes of the series have not been published in historical order. From Colony to Superpower is number XII in The Oxford History of the United States.

Listen to more of the definitive Oxford History of the United States.

©2008 George C. Herring (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Ruined by Political Correctness

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Regardless of some very good historic insights, the author tends to dismiss or ignore the unattractive features of progressives and leftists (Wilson's racism was just like others of his era or disregard the failures of the FDR economic plan) and exaggerate the "paranoia" of the Cold War without any review if the mass murder and atrocities of the Soviets. There was no review of post-WWII brutality behind the Iron Curtain, but a prolonged discourse of American racism as a diplomatic factor. Pity because a balanced view of diplomatic history would be a valuable book

What do you think your next listen will be?

TBA

What three words best describe Robert Fass’s voice?

Reedy, flat and uninteresting.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. Not the sort of book that makes a good movie.

Any additional comments?

You need a broader range of historical books with many viewpoints.

Informative, but kind of boring.

Very interesting subject, with lots of details, but dull writing made it (for me) a constant fight against putting it away. It took me at least 'till the US civil war before getting some traction. It doesn't have the splendor of eg. 'Streelife' (Europe, 20th century). I think the author is foremost a great researcher, but lacks the skill of presenting facts in a accessible way.

A different take...

It was quite informative to hear a panoramic view of US history from a foreign policy perspective. And surprisingly apolitical until reaching the modern era.

In the last chapter covering the George Bush III presidency, the author's view abruptly changed from neutral to a liberal progressive globalist interpretation. Which was disappointing, and a sad commentary on the current state of elite academia.

Strongly recommended for anyone interested in either US or world history, or in gaining an understanding of how we got to the world of today.

A fair summary of the facts

This book takes each step of American policy with detail while remaining to the points that are important. Any person who enjoys history and wants a large scope of the presidents actions and this country's actions abroad then look no further than this book.

Extremely thorough, but with some biases.

Wow a very indebted look at Foreign Policy of the United States. It flowed well and was easy to listen to. The author candy coated something the U. S. did and laid too much criticism on others. Showing an internationalist bias. All in all well worth a listen.

Was a bit of a slog... so hang in there worth it!

IF you want the full gamut of US foreign policy since we threw out the Brits (yikes I am one of them!) well here it is in all its glorious detail. Make sure you listen on long trips, it will help pass the time and is full of detail. Enjoy

Review

Well written. Examines US foreign policies with a clear precision. I recommend highly recommend this book.

Very Informative

I thought this book was highly erudite. I do not agree with some that say the voice was dull, in fact I found the reader captivating and voiced quotes exceptionally. George Herring, in my opinion, provides little bias towards or against the US doctrine through the ages and gives a brilliant conclusion in the end when all things are considered.

The only lacking aspect was when discussing the topic at this grand of scale, it is hard to go into detail about things - for example: a shocking event would typically get about 5 minutes worth of text before moving onto another event. This does not leave the listener repined for further expatiation, however, as such time must be devoted to a topic in order to keep the narrative moving along.

Long, but wavetops

Nice survey of the highlights of US foreign policy over time. Inspires me to dig deeper on many individuals and events that had to be only discussed briefly. At 40 hours, it takes some time, but I found myself gaining momentum as it went on.

Interesting overview of US system.

I found this title to be an interesting overview of the US political systems operations over the past 200 years or so. I did not find much of the content revelationary, but its a great single source of information of most of this counties major historical events in the international arena. Gives perspective around the many events that were taugnt in abstract when I was in school. Maybe this should have been my textbook instead! I would have seen the forest instead of the trees.