"A masterful recounting of the Amercian experience from the discovery of the New World to the present... It is a perfect history for our times." -- Robert Dallek, author of Nixon and Kissinger "In 2008, Americans face war, terrorism, recession and the rising economies of China and India. Yet the author avers there is still reason to hope for good leadership. Astute assessments of an evolving nation and ideal reading for November voters." -- Kirkus Reviews "Provides everything a casual (or bewildered) reader needs to know about the United States from the first English colonists until the beginning of 2008... An objective narrative of this nation's history that readers of all political stripes will appreciate." -- Publishers Weekly "One of our great historians has now given us yet another great work... [It] may be brief, but it is wise, eloquent and authoritative. Readers in search of a sprightly tour of the nation's lives and times need look no farther than Remini's latest achievement." -- Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House