The Men Who United the States Audiobook By Simon Winchester cover art

The Men Who United the States

America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics, and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Men Who United the States

By: Simon Winchester
Narrated by: Simon Winchester
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Simon Winchester, the acclaimed New York Times best-selling author of Atlantic and The Professor and the Madman, delivers his first book about America: a fascinating popular history that illuminates the men who toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizenry and geography of the U.S.A. from its beginnings.

How did America become “one nation, indivisible”? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? To answer these questions, Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, such as Lewis and Clark and the leaders of the Great Surveys; the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland, Rochester to San Francisco, Seattle to Anchorage, introducing the fascinating people who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States.

Throughout, he ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree. The Men Who United the States is a fresh look at the way in which the most powerful nation on Earth came together.

©2013 Simon Winchester (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers
Adventurers, Explorers & Survival United States Thought-Provoking Inspiring
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Men Who United the States

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    680
  • 4 Stars
    323
  • 3 Stars
    118
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    22
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    740
  • 4 Stars
    223
  • 3 Stars
    78
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    630
  • 4 Stars
    286
  • 3 Stars
    103
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    23

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A melodious exploration of nationhood

Well written, thought provoking and a genuine exhaultion of the connection of American people from a British immigrant turned American. Not a comprehensive American history, no doubt, but a mellifluous ode of a land becoming a nation, indivisible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic

great listen. very detailed. awesome narration by the author. could listen to his voice all day

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extremely Informative & Well Read

I am often cautious when purchasing an audiobook that is read by its author; quite frankly, more often than not, they are not good readers. However, this is absolutely not the case with Simon Winchester; he masterfully reads his material, delightfully infusing it with a subtle wit and charm.

The myriad stories he tells are expertly woven together and endlessly fascinating. This is no boring history lesson. Quite the opposite, the book clearly shows the tremendous impact various immigrants—and their immediate descendants—have had on the development of the United States, covering a spectrum of infrastructure. Highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Read on

I clicked on this audio book without having read any of the author’s other works. Despite its rather verbose tittle and sub title, I wasn’t exactly sure what the book was about in the beginning. The first few chapters were a bit tiresome, but I soon came to realize that they were establishing a much needed framework for the reader. I was hooked by chapter three and things just got more interesting and relevant from there.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read/listen.

Liked it all, dislike none. Simon’s narration was spellbinding. Will likely listen to it again. Don’t pass it up!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book!

Love history and very pleased with this book! Thank you for writing it! Very Good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great background information

Interesting read about the background & what lead up to these men that helped unite Americans of their time. Many were just inventors or business men that came upon an idea that just might work. Well worth your time if you like what lead up and past some of the great inventions of the day.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This book had its moments. At times very interesting, other times very slow and hard to stay interested.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my all time favorites

I really loved the book when I started it back in 2014 but sadly was not able to finish. I was glad to see it available in audio form and was really happy to hear that it was narrated by the author. It gave itself authority and and authenticity. Very well done... highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Unfortunate Timing

Written in 2013, this book offers not a single clue as to why the United States seems so hopelessly divided today. However, maybe the problem itself is that nobody knows the story of how the United States became united. Interesting book and well written. The later chapters felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed it overall and would definitely recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!