intersting but doesnt really work very well in

What did you like best about Don't Know Much About the American Presidents? What did you like least?

interesting to hear how they ran their office terms... history at the time....

Would you ever listen to anything by Kenneth C. Davis again?

good book works better in print.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?

they narrators were good.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

no

Any additional comments?

I think an email of tables and dates would be better than reading out lists.

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stunning...

everything u could ever want to know. fabulous from start to finish!!! a long book but well worth your time

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3 people found this helpful

Interesting way to learn about US history

This is an interesting audiobook which essentially explores US history via the mechanism of the presidency in three sections - the first looks at the creation of the office, the second the presidents themselves and the third the future of the office.

The second section forms the bulk of the book. Each chapter in it deals with a different president and follows a set format of key information, a discussion on the presidents life and time in office and then a review of milestones and a grading of between A to F.

The book is read well by the main narrator, although one of the supporting cast (who appears only momentarily to 'ask' an FAQ) is periodically annoying. The audiobook also really should have done away (or at least reduced) the milestone review, which is essentially a long list being read out.

As for content - the book is well written and interesting and you will definitely come away with a new view of US history. If I had a criticism then it would be that the first section (which is very interesting) is over too quickly and that the second section spends proportionally longer on the modern presidents. The grading system is also a bit random - really most presidents are 'A' or 'F' (or 'incomplete') with the 'B' and 'C' grades being very thin on the ground...

This is rather carping though, as overall the book is very good. If you have an interest in US history, then I would definitely give it a go.

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1 person found this helpful

A really good "Beginner's Guide"

I developed an interest in United States Presidents having watched the excellent drama-doc "John Adams" a few years ago, so I was a bit disappointed that my he only got a C in Mr Davis' somewhat erratic scoring system, but on the whole I found this narrative very informative.

Details did somewhat jar: pronouncing Andrew Jackson a racist who earned his fame by his genocidal attacks on native-Americans and then giving him an A (or was it an A+) seems a tad random, and to go through the entire gamut of 20th Century Presidents without even a mention of that eminence grise for many of them, J.Edgar Hoover also seems a little odd.

However, I do know more about all American Presidents than I did. The presentation was good (although the repetitive if informative lists did not lend itself to an audio-book format).

I can definitely recommend to the novice student of the topic.

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1 person found this helpful

VERY WORTHWHILE

What did you like most about Don't Know Much About the American Presidents?

Extremely well organized and revealing potted history of American Presidents. Each president receives a very well chosen time allotment so that nobody ever outstays his welcome. Notwithstanding its length, it is very concise and impartial and most informative.

Who was your favorite character and why?

FDR for his almost unrivaled breadth of vision and statesmanship .

Did the narrators do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

No - the performances were the weakest part of the enterprise. The male readers were either very dry and husky or unsuitably coarse without being in any way "presidential". The only female contribution was even worse - gabbling as fast as she could so as at times to be almost incoherent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - it was far too long and too much to assimilate in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Audible dropped the ball on this one as far as performance is concerned. I fail to understand why ANY of the readers was considered acceptable, let alone the whole group.

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Very enjoyable!

Where does Don't Know Much About the American Presidents rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As an avid podcast listener and occasional Kindle reader this is my first audio book experience. I've found that listening to anything whilst doing menial day to day activities is very enjoyable and my first audio book was no different. I found the structure and format, although repetitive easy to understand and listen to and helped the book flow very easily. The 24-25 hours passed by really quickly and I'm now hooked on Audible!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Don't Know Much About the American Presidents?

As the structure of the book is pretty much the same for each president, there were not any stand out moments that I can recollect. However, the book provides an excellent 'taster' of each president so and picks out the key moments that will enable you to go off and read a biography of those who are of most interest. I've previously read Bill Clintons autobiography and after listening to this would like to go back in time and listen and learn in more detail about some of the earlier presidents.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I really enjoyed learning more about Abraham Lincoln and some of the background to the slaves being freed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it over 2-3 days. I'm used to listening to lots of podcasts so 20-30 hours over a few days is not unusual for me. Not in one sitting though!

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