How the States Got Their Shapes
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Narrated by:
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Brian Holsopple
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By:
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Mark Stein
About this listen
Why does Oklahoma have that panhandle? Did someone make a mistake?
We are so familiar with the map of the United States that our state borders seem as much a part of nature as mountains and rivers. Even the oddities—the entire state of Maryland(!)—have become so engrained that our map might as well be a giant jigsaw puzzle designed by Divine Providence. But that's where the real mystery begins. Every edge of the familiar wooden jigsaw pieces of our childhood represents a revealing moment of history and of, well, humans drawing lines in the sand.
How the States Got Their Shapes is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey.
How the States Got Their Shapes examines:
- Why West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania
- Why Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan
- Why some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii
- Why Texas and California are so outsized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size
Packed with fun oddities and trivia, this entertaining guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly.
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These places have names.
- By Scott A. Yerecic on 01-13-17
By: Daniel P. Barr
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History of Texas
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Texas is one of the most recognizable states in the United States of America (it is the second-largest, behind Alaska), and it also has a reputation for being unlike any other. This reputation is well-deserved, in part because of the state’s long and often contentious history. From the heyday of the Wild West and the state’s oil boom to the storied Texas Rangers and the construction of one of NASA’s primary facilities, it seems nearly impossible to fully explore everything in the state’s rich past.
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Superb History of TEXAS !!!!!
- By Allan Clark on 06-20-20
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Everything Under the Heavens
- How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power
- By: Howard W. French
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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For many years after its reform and opening in 1978, China maintained an attitude of false modesty about its ambitions. That role, reports Howard French, has been set aside. China has asserted its place among the global heavyweights, revealing its plans for pan-Asian dominance by building its navy, increasing territorial claims to areas like the South China Sea, and diplomatically bullying smaller players.
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Unique Concept
- By John on 02-24-20
By: Howard W. French
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The Future of Geography
- How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World (Politics of Place)
- By: Tim Marshall
- Narrated by: Tim Marshall
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Humans are venturing up and out, and we’re taking our competitive spirit with us. Soon, what happens in space will shape human history as much the mountains, rivers, and seas have impacted civilizations around the world. It’s no coincidence that Russia, China, and the USA are leading the way. The next fifty years will change the face of global politics and the world order as we know it. In this must-listen work, bestselling author Tim Marshall navigates the new astropolitical reality to show how we got here and where we’re heading.
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Good Overview of Astro Politics
- By Gary on 04-18-24
By: Tim Marshall
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Unfinished Empire
- The Global Expansion of Britain
- By: John Darwin
- Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White
- Length: 18 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In Unfinished Empire, he marshals his gifts to deliver a monumental one-volume history of Britain's imperium - a work that is sure to stand as the most authoritative, most compelling treatment of the subject for a generation.
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Perfect
- By gogojimmy on 01-27-15
By: John Darwin
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The Other Slavery
- The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
- By: Andrés Reséndez
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. There was no abolitionist movement to protect the tens of thousands of natives who were kidnapped and enslaved by the conquistadors, then forced to descend into the "mouth of hell" of 18th-century silver mines or, later, made to serve as domestics for Mormon settlers and rich Anglos.
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overall a good book
- By Paola V. Hidalgo on 01-23-17
By: Andrés Reséndez
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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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Empire's Crossroads
- A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day
- By: Carrie Gibson
- Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever since Christopher Columbus stepped off the Santa Maria onto what is today San Salvador, in the Bahamas, and announced that he had arrived in the Orient, the Caribbean has been a stage for projected fantasies and competition between world powers. In Empire’s Crossroads, British American historian Carrie Gibson traces the story of this coveted area from the northern rim of South America up to Cuba, and from discovery through colonialism to today, offering a vivid, panoramic view of this complex region and its rich, important history.
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Careless production mars storytelling
- By Brenda Thomas on 03-31-16
By: Carrie Gibson
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American Creation
- Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams.
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Good But Not Quite There
- By Slide01 on 06-02-13
By: Joseph J. Ellis
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
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A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
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The Transatlantic Slave Trade: The History and Legacy of the System that Brought Slaves to the New World
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Otey
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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"The deck, that is the floor of their rooms, was so covered with the blood and mucus which had proceeded from them in consequence of the flux, that it resembled a slaughter-house. It is not in the power of the human imagination to picture a situation more dreadful or disgusting. Numbers of the slaves having fainted, they were carried upon deck where several of them died and the rest with great difficulty were restored. It had nearly proved fatal to me also." - Dr. Alexander Falconbridge, an 18th century British surgeon
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inaccuracies and untruths
- By Miracles on 02-23-24
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American Slavery: History in an Hour
- By: Kat Smutz
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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>Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. From the first slaves arriving in Jamestown in 1619, the cotton fields in the Southern States, and shipbuilding in New England, to the slaves who laid down their lives in war so that Americans could be free,
American Slavery in an Hour covers the breadth of the subject without sacrificing important historical and cultural details. An important and dark time in Black - and American - history, the era of American slavery is explored in
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American History 101
- By Leslie W. Stewart III on 08-23-16
By: Kat Smutz
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The Trail of Tears
- The Forced Removal of the Five Civilized Tribes
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Dave Wright
- Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The "Five Civilized Tribes" are among the best known Native American groups in American history, and they were even celebrated by contemporary Americans for their abilities to adapt to white culture. But tragically, they are also well known tribes due to the trials and tribulations they suffered by being forcibly moved west along the "Trail of Tears".
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Not complete
- By Melissa on 06-14-15
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The Ghost of Freedom
- A History of the Caucasus
- By: Charles King
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The Caucasus mountains rise at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. A land of astonishing natural beauty and a dizzying array of ancient cultures, the Caucasus for most of the 20th century lay inside the Soviet Union, before movements of national liberation created newly independent countries and sparked the devastating war in Chechnya.
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fascinating story of a messy region
- By A. T. Howarth on 07-30-20
By: Charles King
What listeners say about How the States Got Their Shapes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah Elkinton
- 06-20-17
great info, but...
this book should be a bathroom book. it's too disconnected to enjoy through. narrator is good.
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- Amy
- 10-27-20
Informative
It’s not very entertaining. But it’s chuck full of everything on why the boundary lines are where they are currently and where they were along the way! I would have only grasped it better with maps showing the changes and lay of the land at times.
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- Nick
- 10-14-16
Doesn't lend it self to audio
What disappointed you about How the States Got Their Shapes?
Good book just didn't really work as an audiobook. Recommend the kindle or print versions though.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Gary Lehman
- 09-09-16
Boring, but informative
So many phrases and terms are repeated throughout this "book" that it all blends together at some point. There also many points at which they gloss over tragedies and black eyes of American history, like referring to the US government's complicity in assassinating several Native American chief to get their land in Arkansas as "bad events," and similar unfortunate turns of phrase.
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- Patrick
- 11-29-11
Hard to absorb without a map in front of you
We tried listening to this book while on a long drive. Our geographic knowledge of each states' borders is not detailed, so it was difficult to understand many of the stories without a map in front of you to make constant reference. While interesting subject matter, we intend to take up this book again when we can look at maps as the narrative is delivered.
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1 person found this helpful
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- prc
- 08-05-20
Entertaining, Not.
A boring mess, yes. I just couldn't get into this book. A great concept but extremely poorly executed. Perhaps just not enough data to really make a book.
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- David
- 01-16-12
Presentation too monotonous and dull
Would you try another book from Mark Stein and/or Brian Holsopple?
yes
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Find myself not paying attention because of the monotonous and dull presentation. Couldn't listen to it.
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- Mark
- 11-30-16
Good information, very repetitive often dull
Where does How the States Got Their Shapes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Its average wish information was told in a more interesting way
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Inject humor, provide more emotion and storytelling to the facts
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- joan
- 01-02-16
should be uch more engaging
This book title intrigued me as I'm a bit of a history buff but it really didn't tell me stuff more than was either obvious or uninteresting.
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- The Real Jeff Williams
- 11-10-22
Good reference book
Not really a "read straight through" kinda book. More of a reference to go back to for trivia night. Detailed and informative, it's also quite dry and repetitive.
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