America Past and Present: Brief, Combined Volume

My textbook arrived in time for spring classes in great condition with minimal signs of usage. The book looks like new and is exactly what I needed for class.

I bought this book for my eleventh grader who is taking AP US History. It has been an invaluable study tool for preparing for weekly tests and the mid-term. I have no doubt that it will be equally as indispensable when he prepares to take the AP exam.

The quality of this paperback isn't perfect, but they never claimed it was. I got what I expected, quickly, and at a very reasonable price. Thanks!

I purchased this textbook to self study for the AP US history exam and can say I was thoroughly satisfied. The text and prose is very well written, you never need to "hunt" for the main point. The information is incredibly good; besides highly detailed resources in the main text, each chapter features an in-depth essay on a certain subject, many of which appeared as multiple choice questions on the 2005 AP exam. Most of the text reads like a detailed story, and keeps one's interest quite well. A note of warning: the authors write this at the college level and students with limited vocabularies may have some difficulty comprehending the text. Political cartoons and other visual media are very apt and many of the cartoons in the book were the same ones that appeared on my AP and SAT in multiple choice questions. Some reviewers have complained of a liberal skew, I could certainly see how they would arrive at that conclusion. Chapter titles like "Triumph of the White Man's Democracy" and labeling Columbus as an "invader" seem a bit presumptuous. Additionally, the book tends to put a disproportionate emphasis on women/minorites, however, so does the AP examination. Divine seems not to be so much as liberal, but as challenging commonly held assumptions. For instance, he makes it very clear that FDR's New Deal plan did nothing to bring America out of the Great depression, it only made the period until WWII bearable for some. Divine is quick to criticize the failures of Wilson's 14 points and the economic crisis imposed by the Carter administration. Either way, Divine has facts to back up his statements, facts which can easily be incorporated into AP essays requiring an opinion. Overall this is an excellent resource, and I highly recommend it, as it got me a 5 on the AP, and 780 on the SAT US History exam.

I have to use the full edition for school, but this abridged version has almost all the facts i need and is significantly shorter.