Product Description

This book tackles the messy details, reclaims disregarded heroes, and sets the record straight. It also explains why July 4th isn't really Independence Day.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14437 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

Rummaging Through the Scrap Heap of History
In the introduction to "That's not in my American History Book," Thomas Ayres exposes the fact that the typical high school student knows very little about history. HeThomas then begins to prove why that supposition is true by the bits of "unknown" history he musters to support his case.

Did you know that Franklin Roosevelt had polio? Um, yeah. Did you also know that Jonas Salk cured polio? Um, yeah. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was a printer, a writer, a diplomat AND an inventor? Um, yeah. Did you know that Thomas Paine was an influential pamphleteer during the American Revolution? Um, yeah. Did you know that Benedict Arnold was the real hero of the Battle of Saratoga? Um, yeah.

Then there are the things I didn't know... either because they are patently false or mis-stated. For example, did you know that "Nolichunky Jack" was the President of the State of Franklin, the unaccepted "14th state of the Union?" Well, no, I never heard of "Nolichunky" Jack, but if you are talking about "Nolichucky" Jack Sevier (the first governor of Tenessee), then, yes, yes I did. Did you know that the British own California? Um, no. The source material for this "revelation" was the discovery of Drake's Plate of Brass in California which turned out to be a playful hoax - which goes to show that historical chicanery can be fun (see, for example, Piltdown: A Scientific Forgery, Based on Research by Ian Langham (1942) Did you know that John Wilkes Booth may have escaped capture by the US Government after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln? C'mon, we are now approaching Oliver Stone and JFK - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) territory.

I was fascinated by the premise of the book but it, unfortunately, turned out to be a waste of time.

Don't believe everything you read - especially this book
This book is shockingly inaccurate. I gave up reading it after finding that 2 of the first 6 articles were just factual nonsense:

- "Do the British Own America?" is based entirely on the Drake Plate, which was shown to be a forgery in the 1970s.

- "A Civil War Story" is a mythical story of the origin of taps, one debunked in the 19th century.

Don't even think about reading this book unless you're willing to follow it up with further internet exploration to separate the facts from the fiction. Obviously the author wasn't.

Great source for facts on historical miscues.
From the very first page, I knew I was in for a much lesser understood look at the other side of American history. The book reveals little known and unreported historical detail that seemed to have been overlooked. From the discovery of a place called 'Poverty Point' in Louisiana to the Whitehouse antics of former occupants, there is a treasure trove of both educational and fun facts to pique your interest and curiosity. And, I did take the additional time to check some of the facts reported and they are pretty accurate. Tom Ayers also does a fine job of presenting the information in a very lively and digestible manner. It is interspersed with some humor and candor. It is written in a form that allows the reader to take in the information in small doses; each section being set apart, which I found useful because I have limited time to read and hate trying to pick up where I left off. You can easily read each event or anecdote without losing your place.
If you are at all curious about things like who truly had the first powered flight in the US, or what the real story is about Sacajawea, then this is right up your alley. Plus, you get the added bonus of looking like a real expert when chatting with friends.