A True History of the United States by Daniel Sjursen

A True History of the United States

Indigenous Genocide, Racialized Slavery, Hyper-capitalism, Militarist Imperialism and Other Overlooked Aspects of American Exceptionalism

Daniel Sjursen, Daniel A. Sjursen

Pushkin Press · Print & ebook · June 1, 2021

“Thought-provoking—a must read for [everyone] seeking a firm grasp of accurate American history." —Kirkus (starred review) Brilliant, readable, and raw.

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Who it’s for
A brisk, unsparing account of American exceptionalism and the stories it leaves out.
Genres
U.S. History, 20th-Century America, Civil Rights
Published
Pushkin Press, June 1, 2021

About this book

“Thought-provoking—a must read for [everyone] seeking a firm grasp of accurate American history." —Kirkus (starred review) Brilliant, readable, and raw. Maj. (ret.) Danny Sjursen, who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point, delivers a true epic and the perfect companion to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.

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Sjursen shifts the lens and challenges readers to think critically and to apply common sense to their understanding of our nation's past—and present—so we can view history as never before. A True History of the United States was inspired by a course that Sjursen taught to cadets at West Point, his alma mater. With chapter titles such as "Patriots or Insurgents?" and "The Decade That Roared and Wept", A True History is accurate with respect to the facts and intellectually honest in its presentation and analysis. - Essential reading for every American with a conscience. - Meticulously researched, Sjursen provides a more complete sense of history and encourages readers to view our country objectively. - Sjursen’s powerful storytelling reveals balanced portraits of key figures and the role they played. "Sjursen exposes the dominant historical narrative as at best myth, and at times a lie . . . He brings out from the shadows those who struggled, often at the cost of their own lives, for equality and justice. Their stories, so often ignored or trivialized, give us examples of who we should emulate and who we must become." —Chris Hedges, author of Empire of Illusion and America: The Farewell Tour

The Story Unmade

A brisk, unsparing account of American exceptionalism and the stories it leaves out.

Come here for

  • A hard look at the national myth
  • Big-picture history with teeth

Expect

  • Indigenous genocide, racialized slavery, imperial power
  • Clear argument, plenty to talk about

Where it sits

U.S. History96%
20th-Century America30%
Civil Rights29%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • U.S. History
  • Civics
  • Political Writing
Authors
Daniel Sjursen, Daniel A. Sjursen
Publisher
Pushkin Press
Published
June 1, 2021
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
U.S. History