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The Untold History of the United States Hardcover – October 30, 2012

by Oliver Stone (Author), Peter Kuznick (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,590 ratings
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The companion to the Showtime documentary series, director Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick challenge the prevailing orthodoxies of traditional history books in this thoroughly researched and rigorously analyzed look at the dark side of American history.

“At last the world knows America as the savior of the world!”—Woodrow Wilson

The notion of American exceptionalism, dating back to John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon aboard the Arbella, still warps Americans’ understanding of their nation’s role in the world. Most are loathe to admit that the United States has any imperial pretensions. But history tells a different story as filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick reveal in this riveting account of the rise and decline of the American empire.

Aided by the latest archival findings and recently declassified documents and building on the research of the world’s best scholars, Stone and Kuznick construct an often shocking but meticulously documented “People’s History of the American Empire” that offers startling context to the Bush-Cheney policies that put us at war in two Muslim countries and show us why the Obama administration has had such a difficult time cleaving a new path.

Stone and Kuznick will introduce readers to a pantheon of heroes and villains as they show not only how far the United States has drifted from its democratic traditions, but the powerful forces that have struggled to get us back on track.

The authors reveal that:
· The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were militarily unnecessary and morally indefensible.
· The United States, not the Soviet Union, bore the lion’s share of responsibility for perpetuating the Cold War.
· The U.S. love affair with right-wing dictators has gone as far as overthrowing elected leaders, arming and training murderous military officers, and forcing millions of people into poverty.
· U.S.-funded Islamist fundamentalists, who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan, have blown back to threaten the interests of the U.S. and its allies.
· U.S. presidents, especially in wartime, have frequently trampled on the constitution and international law.
· The United States has brandished nuclear threats repeatedly and come terrifyingly close to nuclear war.

American leaders often believe they are unbound by history, yet Stone and Kuznick argue that we must face our troubling history honestly and forthrightly in order to set a new course for the twenty-first century. Their conclusions will challenge even experts, but there is one question only readers can answer: Is it too late for America to change?
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  1. Print length
    784 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Gallery Books
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 2 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1451613512
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1451613513
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick have done what many would consider impossible. They have written a political history of the United States in the 20th Century that tells us exactly how the United States became an empire through conscious decisions, and how the struggle to maintain that empire will go on despite which political party holds office. It is a brilliant survey of the untold story." Author: Lloyd C. Gardner, author of The Road to Tahrir Square

“Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick provide a critical overview of US foreign policy during the past few decades. There is much here to reflect upon. Such a perspective is indispensable…At stake is whether the United States will choose to be the policeman of a “Pax Americana,” which is a recipe for disaster, or partner with other nations on the way to a safer, more just and sustainable future.” Author: President Mikhail Gorbachev

“A brave revisionist study which shatters many foreign policy myths… the Stone-Kuznick team grapples with the unsavory legacy of American militarism. . . . Make room on your book shelf for this compelling leftist primer.” Author: Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Deluge

"Howard [Zinn] would have loved this ‘people’s history’ of the American Empire. It's compulsive reading: brilliant, a masterpiece!” Author: Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

“Finally, a book with the guts to challenge the accepted narrative of recent American history… This is the 'Washington didn't really chop down the cherry tree' book for our last hundred years." Author: Bill Maher

“Kuznick and Stones’ Untold History is the most important historical narrative of this century.” Author: Martin Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of American Prometheus

"By casting a spotlight on the shadier aspects of America's past, as well as the humane alternatives, Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick provide a thought-provoking rebuttal to the nationalist myths that are far too often served up as history. They remind us that, until Americans have the courage to confront reality, they will remain trapped by their illusions." Author: Lawrence Wittner, author of One World or None: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement Through 1953

"Stone and Kuznick provide a boldly critical view of the most painful aspects of American history. Their perspective on nuclear danger is especially illuminating. They make clear how close we have come to the ultimate human absurdity of annihilating ourselves as a species with our own technology. One thinks of the Enlightenment motto, "Dare to know!" The knowledge we gain can be a source of powerful wisdom." Author: Robert Jay Lifton, author of Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism

"We won't be able to manage America's future if we don't know its past. In their Untold Story, Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick peel away layers of misleading myth about America in the 20th century. Some will be surprised, others angry. Most will understand their nation much better, especially the young. Then perhaps we can move forward in the new century." Author: Jeff Madrick, author of Taking America

It’s time for serious people to confront rather than avoid or attempt to denigrate the profound challenges raised by Stone and Kuznick. They are asking (and answering!) all the right questions. Author: Gar Alperovitz, author of The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb

Many books have been written about specific episodes of American intervention and military aggression. And yet the master narrative remains intact: the US is the "indispensable nation," relied upon by people and nations around the world to preserve the peace and defend freedom. The immense contribution of The Untold History of the United States is to shatter the conventional wisdom, challenging readers to re-conceptualise the American role in the world...Everyone, who reads The Untold History will learn something new and be compelled to examine long held assumptions. For students of US history, this is an invaluable work. Author: Carolyn Eisenberg, author of Drawing the Line: The American Decision to Divide Germany, 1944-1949

"A fascinating and provocative work. This courageous and clear-minded account of American history and the foundations of the American empire is a milestone in a surprisingly small genre of books, namely, critical history written of and for the people. It should have the widest possible reading." Author: Bruce Cumings, author of The Korean War

"Kuznick and Stone tell the untold history of the United States--the often disastrous consequences of American exceptionalism and global domination--with passion and clarity... beautifully illustrated, well-argued, and compellingly written." Author: Marilyn Young, author of The Vietnam Wars

"The Untold History of the United States is one of the most important books of our time. Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick disabuse us of the popular notion that this country has always been a force for good in the world. They document the tragic consequences of U.S. imperialism, the commission of war crimes, and the decimation of civil liberties under the guise of the ‘war on terror’. This work should give us pause whenever we are asked to uncritically accept the idea of American exceptionalism. " Author: Marjorie Cohn, author of Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law

About the Author

Oliver Stone made such iconic films as Platoon, Wall Street, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, Salvador, and W.

Peter Kuznick is professor of history and director of the award-winning Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and is currently serving his fourth term as distinguished lecturer with the Organization of American Historians. He has written extensively about science and politics, nuclear history, and Cold War culture.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery Books; First Gallery Books Edtition edition (October 30, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 784 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451613512
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451613513
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 2 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,590 ratings

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Oliver Stone

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,590 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book thoroughly researched, well-documented, and illuminating. They also describe the characters as realistic and true to detail. Readers describe the book as well-written. However, some find the emotional tone very depressing.

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InformativenessReadabilityCharacterizationEmotional tone
180 customers mention "Informativeness"169 positive11 negative

Customers find the book thoroughly researched and well documented. They also say it contains many startling revelations and is like a road map. Readers appreciate the extensive citations and the fact that the authors don't draw any explicit conclusions. They say the book is fresh and delightfully illuminating.

"...The editing is genius. His Stalinist comments hilarious and always surprising...." Read more

"...more so now in the Internet world, will help us and this great book is like a road map to see where it is coming from...." Read more

"...When approached in this light, I think this book is valuable, especially as a foil to the highly entertaining series of programs carried in its name..." Read more

"...While Oliver does seem to have his biases, this book appears thoroughly researched and well documented...." Read more

42 customers mention "Readability"34 positive8 negative

Customers find the book well-written, easy to read, and a must-read for all citizens. They also appreciate the unbiased style.

"...One things this book has that most other do not is exceptional readability...." Read more

"...This makes for great reading – and evidently passionate controversy -- but Stone’s reliance on counterfactual to “prove” that his desired future..." Read more

"...As were our high school books, these writings are riveting!..." Read more

"...Stone delivers in a quick easy read. The premise in the title that this is the untold story of the United States is a bit misleading...." Read more

15 customers mention "Characterization"13 positive2 negative

Customers find the book full of painful truths that explain how we as a people got to where we are. They also say it's a heavy and healthy dose of reality, filled in many side incidents that they were unaware of. Readers also describe the book as amazing, deep, strong, and sincere. They mention that it makes for a good read, realistic, and true to detail.

"...most professional email documentary Formats I’ve ever seen, and it is all the truth, this is one of the most important series for all Americans and..." Read more

"I found the book fascinating and frightening...." Read more

"I would definitely recommend this book as it filled in many side incidents that I was unaware of...." Read more

"Eye opening and disturbing. It was an easy read even though the level of detail was amazing...." Read more

13 customers mention "Emotional tone"0 positive13 negative

Customers find the emotional tone of the book very depressing, shallow, and conclusory. They also mention that the book is repetitive and not for the faint of heart.

"...few minutes of Stone's companion video series and found it to be massively boring. Not so the book...." Read more

"...The book is extremely negative- AS Oliver Stone says it will be at the beginning...." Read more

"This is a heavy read; not for the faint of heart...." Read more

"...The greatest problem is that it was not a scintillating read. It read like a dry text, thats why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5...." Read more

Important Book
5 out of 5 stars

Important Book

Great book to accompany the television series for more in-depth study.
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Top reviews from the United States

walterasgbenjamin
5.0 out of 5 stars It is the first History of USA from the point of view of Stalin!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
It is the first History of USA from the point of view of Stalin!!!! So great to know that finally Stalin has sons whose he could be proud of - two sons who are doing their best to show how himself ( Stalin) was a great man, a man of peace, a man of kindness. I find this idea to tell the history of USA through Stalin's eyes absolutely genius.

Of course nobody asks to Stalin to be totally fair. Each reader asks Stalin to be right, to kill all of those who are anti-communist, all the types of social-traitors among them not only the Republicans but most of the Democrats.

Of course Stalin will have had always right. He will have won all the battles - he was a genius - even the ones he has not really done as the one against Japan in 1945 and against South Korea "fascists" in 1953.

Of course Stalin have lost no time to read the best new researches made by among the best historians regarding the events such as why the japanese Emperor has decided to surrender - i.e. Herbert Bix "Hirohito and the making of Modern Japan" (2000) neither the great book by Timothy Schneider "Bloodlands" neither numerous American, European ( included the Russians ones as Vassily Grossman "Life and Fate" ) , Asian ( Japanese, Chinese, etc ) Historians and writers who have demonstrated precisely step by step all the non sense of what these two great sons of Stalin ( Oliver Stone and his friend) have written in this book.

[...]

[...]

[...]

But it is the reason I love this book so much - first because I love Oliver Stone's films so much - I love his provocative attitude. I am totally sure that he doesn't pretend to become an Historian - he wants simply to make a good provocative film - and he has succeeded. His serie is brilliant. The editing is genius. His Stalinist comments hilarious and always surprising. I know that he dreams will have been to have met Stalin, to have made an interview of him. What a pity! Stalin who has had a great sense of black humor ( cf Martin Amis's book "Koba" ) will have appreciated to discuss with Oliver Stone - probably after he will have ordered to shoot him . But that it is another story.

I find this book really great for all the lovers of dictators - and specially for the lovers of Putin. I suggest to Putin to propose that Oliver Stone becomes like Gerard Depardieu a citizen of this great peaceful nation.

One of the most funniest things of the book is the way they treat George F. Kennan. They hesitate to make him in the category of "Cold Warrior" or of an anti-Cold Warrior. But one thing they don't do for sure is to read George F Kennan's essays and his incredible deep understanding of Russia.

[...]

But we don't ask to these glorious sons of Stalin ( Oliver Stone and his friend) to understand Russia or the incredible suffers that Ukrainians, Polish, Jewish Russians and all these minorities have supported from a part of the elite and of the slaves of Ethnic Russians have done during the last two centuries until today.

Please read this book it will make you so so furious because of this way to make History as pure propaganda than just after who will ri-ush to read some great historical books as the one by Giambattista Vico "New Science"

[...]

or Niccolo Machiavelli

[...]

etc etc

or Karl Marx

[...]

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, 1852

or Fernand Braudel "Civilization and capitalism"

[...]

Oh how great historians help us to understand the present and our future. Surely they have had influenced them by their deep visions of the Past Events.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Oliver Stone and his friend to have made such effort to write this book and to make their TV serie. It will be for all of us a reference to what must NOT be done.

One detail: how is it possible to be a "moralist" when you pretend to speak about History? After what Niccolo Machiavelli told us? Is it possible to think that there are good and bad leaders who are making history? Only children could think that way. People with no great culture.
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Jerry Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars What We Want To Look Away From
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
First a review note. I recently watched a YouTube video of a room of people that a man was marching back and forth on the stage pointing to a display of the Kindle Amazon site and telling people their "Duty" was to go to Amazon Kindle and find all the books from the "liberals" and "progressives" and give them a "1 STAR smear" and then search for the RW and give them all a "5 STAR." This reflects the sickness perhaps that taints our legitimate interest in seeing things from other perspectives. There are thousands of these people whom seem determined to "Shoot the Messenger" will no regard at all for an intellectual pursuit. Having made this important note--

This is a book that does, as all books of history filling libraries do, cherry picks many things. It has too because books like this dig right to the truths, as perceived, of things that may have been known to us, but we did not want to see or hear it. We are all, all of us, seeking a comfort zone to be sure and when someone like Oliver Stone comes along and sort of puts it in front of us, not down our throats, but in front of us with his incredible skill then we have to face these things.

I was an Army officer for nearly 30-years and a multi-year veteran of over 500 combat flying missions in SE Asia and in the CIA's Secret War. As the years went by I worked all over the world, with more books coming about working with the FBI and CIA (in a surprising manner) it became apparent to me that what Oliver Stone points to has always been in front of us, just that most of us either never looked, or the 99.99% that never was in a position to look--much less care.

We have an ugly history to be sure, perhaps every bit as bad as the Brits and French (maybe?) of colonialism, even as we wish we could ignore or deny it. But it is there.

The real issue as I have seen in my decades all over the world, including years with the CIA in covert work, is who is really running things? Is it global bankers? Jewish conspiracies? Corrupted businessmen (and women sometimes), RW conservatives that would do anything to deny people the rights to vote or other human dignities? Who?

The real thing this book does is sort of give you an electric shock to sit up, look around, be aware. No one can put their finger on just who is doing what. But, overall and maybe Oliver Stone is like this, overall it is the totality of the human existence and the stuggles just to survive that we have stripped from so many hundreds of millions--even as the "we" is unclear. That may be the message you get from this incredible book and the Showtime series that goes with it.

We all die. But so many suffer all over the world for nothing, nothing at all. Is it greed and if so, by whom? The headless, leaderless, borderless corruption flows like a river of dirty mud that engulfs so many, at all levels, in so many governments. Few if any are untainted if not by actual deeds as by looking the other way--the convenient way out.

Oliver Stone gently moves you out of your comfort zone, gets you to recognize that maybe the global human rights is more important than a few dollars on a barrel of oil, or the timber, the mines or whatever else industry wants to steal rather than buy.

The light of day, and more so now in the Internet world, will help us and this great book is like a road map to see where it is coming from.

Some of my own books put us into the shadow world, a world that maybe we do not actually want to know exists. It is is more comforting to, liberal or conservative, religious or not, to simply, carefully, without malice, to look the other way as if a distraction beyond our immediate view is more immediately important than what is before is.

 WAR STORIES - From an Army Pilot Flying in the CIA's Secret War in Laos (myTroubledSkies)
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hegemon USA
Reviewed in India on July 1, 2024
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The book systematically and with references and citations exposes the settler colonist nature of the US government. How the successive governments firstly using the bogey of USSR and communism in the could war years and after that of islamic terrorism has meddled and messed up so many countries right from south America to the middle east. Terrorism take a bow to the USA government.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Da leggere
Reviewed in Italy on September 30, 2017
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Un magnifico libro di storia. Quella vera. Da leggere, se si vuole capire non solo gli stati uniti, ma anche la nostra storia.
2 people found this helpful
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Shirazee Ali
5.0 out of 5 stars History not taught in schools.
Reviewed in Japan on July 5, 2019
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Intriguing read!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Objective History
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2013
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Having a University Degree in History and being Canadian, which allows me to view American history at a distance I would say that this book is one of the most objective histories of the United States I have read. Unlike many other American History books which bury the historical context of a time or event under American values and views (such as patriotism, freedom, individuality, self determination, etc,,,, ad nauseum) "The Untold History of the United States" presents all the facts of the event, from all perspectives. Much of what is written here is not new as it has been recorded in other historical texts from other nations but has been discredited by American Academia as "America Bashing". It is not a criticism of the United States to point out all the errors, misjudgements and false assumptions it has made historically which has caused tremendous upheaval in the world, its just the facts. If you are considering buying this book here is a simple test; Was America justified in involving itself in Vietnam and fighting the Vietnam War? If your answer is "yes" then this book is not for you. If you answered "No", then this book will give you the facts to support the established view that the Vietnam War is recognized globally as an American Political and Military disaster, which wasted the lifes of American soldiers for no clear gain.
An excellent history book, Americans need to step out side their self righteous bubble and read it.
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André Geißenhöner
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are an "America is the best ever" person, this book will be your nightmare.
Reviewed in Germany on February 14, 2015
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One thing can be said right away:
If you are an "America is the best ever" person, this book will be your nightmare.

However I do not quite understand why, since the authors don't really say so much new stuff actually, they simple put what was previously told in several books into one and especially Stone's name gave it wide attention. They have a lot in it that is technically known simply overshadowed by a lot of myths, which makes books like this one important. However I think covering such a long time period comes at the cost of never going into detail (e.g. if a fellow German is reading this and happens to be Sinti… yeah forget it, the book ignores you like most do), but I don't think you can blame the authors for it since the book covers more than 100 years of USA history and it already has more than 650 pages of text, not counting notes and bibliography. Going into more detail would probably turn this into a book 3-times the size of the Bible.
So like I said, they do not go into too much detail except for big turning points but rather are concerned with the patterns that emerge and continue. And I think in that way they are doing a pretty good job, you can question their conclusions and since this was coauthored by Oliver Stone I am sure many will mistrust his methods, but not the facts; and in my eyes that is no different to any other author of history books.
What this book tackles in its basis is the myth of American exceptionalism and I guess that might piss a lot of people off since it really doesn't shy away from doing it, ever. Reading this there is a good chance that you will find a lot of your views are challenged, which I liked about the book but others will probably hate.
However I am sure most will agree where the book is undoubtedly good: The writing and reading flow. Despite all the information it never felt boring to me and the reading experience was without a doubt good and made this very enjoyable, a lot of history books should do it like this.
There are some problems with it though, for instance they say in World War II 27 Million Russians died, which wass actually Soviets (which they did right in the documentary series, where they had the forced mass migration that was missing here), which I think was due to the common trap of equating Soviets with Russians, others would be the Tiananmen square massacres whose numbers are contested and also it treats it like just a student's massacre, which is not true since most died all around Beijing, however the info on that is usually scarce so maybe that is the reason. It also looked as if they regarded Japanese people as dark-skinned and if that is what they did then I wonder what they consider light then. But these were minor things.
Also, despite what many say, this book was in some way actually even nicer to American foreign policy than it probably should be, e.g. it never mentioned the thousands of instances of rape in Okinawa by American soldiers or the collecting of body parts as trophies (which might be linked to the practice of scalping during the Wild West) and glossed over a few things about Vietnam. So like I said it's actually nicer than many think.
Also not all chapters do equally well, the passages on Bush & Clinton may have been the worst with 9/11 getting stronger again, but the prologue was also very good and made me interested in history more.
But despite its flaws, again nothing new for me regarding history books, I think is definitely a recommendable book. At the very least it would get readers to rethink much of what they thought they knew about USA policy, and possibly their own country's policy, over the last century.
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