
To America
Personal Reflections of an Historian
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Narrated by:
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Jeffrey DeMunn
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Stephen Ambrose - introduction
About this listen
Taking a few swings at today's political correctness, Ambrose grapples with the country's historic sins of racism, its neglect and ill treatment of Native Americans, and its tragic errors. He reflects on some of the early founders - great men such as Washington and Jefferson - who, while progressive thinkers, lived a contradiction as slaveholders. He contemplates the genius of Andrew Jackson's defeat of a vastly superior British force with a ragtag army in the War of 1812. He describes the grueling journey that Lewis and Clark made to open up the country, and the building of the railroad that produced great riches for a few barons.
Ambrose explains the misunderstood presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, records the country's assumption of world power under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt, and extols the heroic victory of World War II. He explores women's rights and civil rights, immigration, museum and nation-building.
Most importantly, Ambrose tells us about writing history, and what an historian's job is all about. As he says, "The last five letters of the word 'history' tell us that it is an account of the past that is about people and what they did, which is what makes it the most fascinating of subjects." As he reflects upon American history, Ambrose shares his own personal history. To America is an instant classic for those interested in history, patriotism, and the love of writing.
©2002 Ambrose-Tubbs Inc., All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, best-selling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander's leadership during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower's experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general's skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world.
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Very Interesting of the politics of war
- By Timothy on 06-28-17
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Nothing Like It in the World
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Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise comes to life. The U.S. government pitted two companies - the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads - against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. As its peak the work force approached the size of Civil War armies, with as many as 15,000 workers on each line. The surveyors, the men who picked the route, lived off buffalo, deer, and antelope.
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A tragic waste
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The Wild Blue
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The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship. Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war.
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Required Reading
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Crazy Horse and Custer
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On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the US 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer.
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A Fascinating, Fair Depiction of Two Heroes
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Undaunted Courage
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In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and the Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.
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Narration kills a great book
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Pegasus Bridge
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In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed.
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Great story told in greater detal
- By Amazon Customer on 08-16-17
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The Supreme Commander
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- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, best-selling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander's leadership during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower's experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general's skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world.
-
-
Very Interesting of the politics of war
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Nothing Like It in the World
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- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
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- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise comes to life. The U.S. government pitted two companies - the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads - against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. As its peak the work force approached the size of Civil War armies, with as many as 15,000 workers on each line. The surveyors, the men who picked the route, lived off buffalo, deer, and antelope.
-
-
A tragic waste
- By Joshua Tretakoff on 04-11-03
-
The Wild Blue
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- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship. Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war.
-
-
Required Reading
- By Lyle on 11-22-11
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Crazy Horse and Custer
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- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the US 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer.
-
-
A Fascinating, Fair Depiction of Two Heroes
- By Stewart Fletcher on 04-29-19
-
Undaunted Courage
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and the Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.
-
-
Narration kills a great book
- By Kindle Customer on 02-10-08
-
Pegasus Bridge
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed.
-
-
Great story told in greater detal
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D-Day
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Required reading, excellent narration
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Band of Brothers
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Performance
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Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company, which kept getting the tough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Band of Brothers is the account of the men of this remarkable unit.
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High Expectations Met
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What If? Part 1
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
What if Hitler had won the war, if Japan had another sneak attack, or if the cold war turned hot? What If? provides a fascinating new perspective on history's most pivotal events. Featuring today's foremost historians speculating on what could have happened, we discover where we might be if history had not unfolded the way it did.
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For history buffs
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By: Stephen E. Ambrose, and others
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Panzer Commander
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A stunning look at World War II from the other side.... From the turret of a German tank, Colonel Hans von Luck commanded Rommel's 7th and then 21st Panzer Division. El Alamein, Kasserine Pass, Poland, Belgium, Normandy on D-Day, the disastrous Russian front - von Luck fought there with some of the best soldiers in the world. German soldiers. Awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross, von Luck writes as an officer and a gentleman.
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Reads like Forrest Gump ( a fiction )
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Grant
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow reveals in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.
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Excellent Book (BUT WHERE IS THE PDF FILES)????
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By: Ron Chernow
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With the Old Breed
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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This is the second audio book of Sledge's work
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1776
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this stirring audiobook, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence, when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.
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Front Seat on History
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The Pioneers
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The number one New York Times best seller by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important chapter in the American story that's "as resonant today as ever" (The Wall Street Journal) - the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would define our country.
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i would prefer david reading it
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By: David McCullough
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Helmet for My Pillow
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- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: James Badge Dale, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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Should be required reading in high school
- By Randall on 04-03-19
By: Robert Leckie
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The Aviators
- Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight
- By: Winston Groom
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- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gifted storyteller Winston Groom, the best-selling author of Forrest Gump, has written the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight: Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond, including daring military raids and survival at sea, and will appeal to fans of Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, and Flyboys.
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Too much a hagiography
- By Joseph Valenzi on 09-08-15
By: Winston Groom
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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era.
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A Man and Biography Relevant to Our Day
- By Darwin8u on 11-14-12
By: Jon Meacham
Critic reviews
"Ambrose's revelations...may surprise his following." (Booklist)
What listeners say about To America
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michele
- 07-31-15
Worth the read, but contains inconsistency
I realize that nobody agrees with everything on an opinionated historical recap, but I found myself disagreeing on multiple issues with the author. His patriotism is taken a little too far for me. I praise America, but do not try to defend its short comings to the extent that he does. He also tends to express his opinion as fact and use obscure examples to back up his point. On a positive note, the book is well written and the author is obviously very knowledgable on the subject. I recommend anyone who wants a brief and quick overview of our history.
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Overall
- mike dougherty
- 04-10-03
To America
It is a easy to listen to exotation of the ww2 generation to today's
leaders to be & do what's best for america. great historical reference's liked the book, the final Ambrose good bye
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3 people found this helpful
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- Lady Pamela
- 07-17-20
Needs a Title, Doesn't It?
A personal reflection on American history from a leading US Historian. It is a wide-ranging collections of essays about America's past and his views and opinions of the events and people that shaped this country. It also includes many things about his personal life and how it relates to the history of our country. Short read, good book!
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Overall
- Kevin Hart
- 03-01-03
A History Lesson like You've Never Had
Although I never liked history class, I found this history professor riveting. Mr. Ambrose takes you through many of the more influential presidents, wars and conflicts through America's history. I felt I was hearing a more complete, unbiased (as much as anyone can be unbiased) view of our history from a man who has done exhaustive research, in addition to living through much of it. It really put our present situation in perspective for me.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- rfcoach
- 07-22-10
Ambrose is a fair historian
He really is a great story teller, which is the way history should be presented. What's more is that in this book he is very up front about the fact that he has changed his opinion on a few things over time. The facts that he presents haven't changed but his opinion has and that gives you the sense that he is always telling facts about history. He separates fact from his opinion. His candor is refreshing.
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Overall
- Ugo
- 11-16-10
To America
Ambrose succeeds in catching the essentials of America's greatness, reconciling (but not forgiving) unbelievable contrasts, such as Jefferson's owning slaves (and therefore accepting horrors such as the New Orleans slave market) and his contributions to the cause of Liberty and the American Constitution..
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