A History of Us

by Joy Hakim

Book Overview

Being a book about a narrow string of English settlements and the people who live in them. Benjamin Franklin (wise and witty) is one of them. So is Peter Stuyvesant (nasty but efficient). Spaniards--priests and settlers--and Indians--the land's natives--live nearby. Do they all get along? Read this book and find out.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195127536
• ISBN13: 9780195127539
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.4" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 10

Customer Reviews

Some inaccuracies a couple of pages in

I don’t have anything to say about the history pertaining to the New World since that’s why I actually bought this book as a homeschooler who is trying to find good resources for history for my kids — I am glad I am reading it on my own first though, because in this 2003 edition author briefly glosses over the Middle East including Islamic history — as a middle eastern Muslim, I can say I know a couple of things about the history of my personal whereabouts. The main mistake I found was that the author REPEATEDLY referred to Tariq ibn Ziyad as Taril ibn Ziyad, Taril’s army, and Jabal Taril (Taril’s hill). Initially I thought it is a typo, but no. It was not a typing mistake. A second correction I would make is that Ishmael, Abraham’s son, is the descendant of Arabs and not of Muslims as the book briefly claims (albeit the ancestor of Muhammad, an Arab and the last prophet according to Muslims) — Islam is not an ethnoreligion. People of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds can convert to Islam. Additionally, I don’t appreciate the frequent emphasis on Jesus being born in “Israel” and the Crusaders heading towards “Israel” when she could have simply mentioned the city names, whereas in other parts she differentiates between the modern name of a region and that it was not necessarily called that back in those times, e.g. “meanwhile, in the places that would become France, England, Germany, and Italy…” At the time of Jesus’ birth, Israel did not exist as a nation state. When she referred to the birth place of Muhammad, she understandably said “Mecca” the city; and not the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, she includes that Islam spread via religious warfare. As several empires, yes, just like most if not all other non-Islamic kingdom/empire/states, the ruling authority was overcome through warfare. It is not true however that people were force converted by war, and non-Muslims were allowed to practice their own religion freely. Islam as a faith is not simply a nation state or an empire. Why was it necessary to add this not entirely accurate but often repeated Orientalist claim in parentheses? I recognize that especially with this type of storytelling based history books, there’ll be a lot of room for disagreement simply from the subjective as well as watered down tone from the author. I’ve had similar feelings in regards to the Story of the World Series by Susan Bauer and saw some inaccuracies which made me then second guess a lot of the other content I was not as familiar about. I understand why she started off with a mini walk through the Middle East and European renaissance etc. as she explains it, but it’s not what I was looking for, and unfortunately left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth. I hope that the remainder of the book will be more accurate and educationally enriching for me and my family. So far, it’s been informative if I don’t take into account her personal leanings.

Paperback

I Ordered A Hard Copy Of This Book, But, I Received A Paperback Version. Not What I Ordered.

They sent me the teacher guide not the actual book. :(

I like this series, but I didn’t get the right book.

A good first read for my fourth grader.

A good first read for my fourth grader. I wish I started him on this sooner. Beware thought that this book does not come with questions and answers. You have to buy a seperate book for quiz questions with answers.

The English establish thirteen colonies in the New World

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791). Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation. One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony. However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her abil

The English establish thirteen colonies in the New World

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791). Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation. One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony.However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her ability to

Clearly written - fun for all ages!

Our two children are home-schooled, and as we have started collecting the newly issued quarters, the kids came up with lots of questions about them and the origins of each state. This book, along with its companion volumes has answered all our "coin questions" (unlike the Encyclopedia Britannica!) The book is written clearly and simply enough for my 6 year old to grasp, and interesting enough to hold the attention of the adults!

Exceptionally fine writer ... she makes kids love history!

I teach fifth grade in Eugene and have used her books for a number of years now. I love using trade books to teach about history but Joy's books give children a framework from which to consider whether the historical fiction they so love is well written and researched or not. She teaches right along with me in my classroom through her books - we even have a framed picture of this author on our wall along with pictures of Lincoln, Washington, Frederick Douglass, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Her style is crisp and kid-pleasing. She deals with big issues and with important ideas. Children - and teachers - want to read her books over and over again because there is always something new to learn, something interesting to rediscover.