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Title details for The Hidden History of America at War by Kenneth C. Davis - Available

The Hidden History of America at War

Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah

by Kenneth C. Davis
Arthur Morey
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Multi-million-copy bestselling historian Kenneth C. Davis sets his sights on war stories in The Hidden History of America at War. In prose that will remind you of "the best teacher you ever had" (People Magazine), Davis brings to life six emblematic battles, revealing untold tales that span our nation's history, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Along the way, he illuminates why we go to war, who fights, the grunt's-eye view of combat, and how these conflicts reshaped our military and national identity.
From the Battle of Yorktown (1781), where a fledgling America learned hard lessons about what kind of military it would need to survive, to Fallujah (2004), which epitomized the dawn of the privatization of war, The Hidden History of America at War takes listeners inside the battlefield, introducing them to key characters and events that will shatter myths, misconceptions, and romanticism, replacing them with rich insight.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Don't Know Much About

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 5, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780385363556
      • File size: 366293 KB
      • Duration: 12:43:06

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author Davis, along with Arthur Morey and Mark Bramhall, do a credible job in reading this look at the all-too-human side of Americans at war. Looking at the U.S. soldier in battle at Yorktown (1781), Petersburg (1864-65), Balangiga (1901), Berlin (1945), Hue (1968), and Fallujah (2003), Davis seems almost surprised that the American soldier is human. In the "hidden" history, he mentions that American troops have committed "atrocities" in wartime, just like any other army throughout history. Morey, Bramhall, and Boehmer are more polished than author Davis as they alternate reading the accounts of the battles. Davis delivers the introduction and afterword. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 9, 2015
      Davis, best known for his Don’t Know Much About series, has carved a niche for himself as a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis. Here, he turns his attention to six key battles that have had lasting impacts on U.S. history and culture. Illustrating the maxim that it’s “always easier to get into a war than out of one,” Davis begins with the 1781 Revolutionary War battle for Yorktown, Va., and ends in Iraq with the 2004 battles for Fallujah. His searing analyses and ability to see the forest as well as the trees make for an absorbing and infuriating read as he highlights the strategic missteps, bad decisions, needless loss of life, horrific war crimes, and political hubris that often accompany war. Davis displays his talent for contextualization, bridging seemingly disparate elements together to reach clear and coherent conclusions. Each chapter ends with an examination of the lasting effects of the relevant battle and how it informed the next, giving additional weight to his narrative. Davis is not one to pull punches—the way America treats its soldiers during and, especially, after battle clearly disgusts him—and his lucid, if depressing, assessment of key military engagements should be required reading for both the public and their elected officials.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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