I would just like to tell all people who are interested in reading one of Joseph J. Ellis's novels, to hault that line of thought right now. The reason this man continues to write is because we contnue to buy his work. Any person who attests to have liked this book is either a history teacher who is getting some kind of discount off office supplies for every book their students buy, or are individuals who are truly interested in editing such fine pieces of literature as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary or the Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Please heed my words, for once Joseph gets his writing in your mind, everyone suffers.

why do teachers make us read this when we can read the exact same stuff out of a text book

I was given a list of books where I needed to pick one to read for my AP US hist. class and chose this one, particularly because it was the shortest one I could find (after having already read 3 books for my eng. class). Like most people my age (16) I think this is an extremely difficult book to get into. I will read one page, notice I'm thinking about something else, and have to go back and read it 2-3 more times in order to digest it. One of its few benefits is that by understanding the character of those that became presidents, I can better remember the order they go in for tests. The author did a good job researching- but it lacks creativity necessary to actually stay focused and enjoy this tidious piece of legacy.

For our US History class we've got to outline this book and let me tell you, it is no easy task! Ellis' descriptions could put anyone to sleep. His attention to detail is good, but he pushes the limit and really goes too far. Such minute description is not necessary for someone trying to understand the six events he chooses. The people who give out Pulitzer prizes must not have been very sharp when this book came across, it's really not worth it.

I am had to read this book for my College history class, american history up to 1877, and I found it unexplainably boring. The first chapter in this book should have said it all. Ellis writes a page in what could have been said in a paragraph, and a short one at that. He some how manages a whole chapter on and on like this. This book is highly overrated. I don't see how it ever won a Pulitzer.

I'm in the same class that megan down below is....and I'm gonna have to say that's a definite 10-4 on the "boring" evaluation. Honestly, I wasted two perfectly good days of my life reading it, and, in hindsight, I have to say it wasn't worth it, because I honestly don't think I learned anything incredibly usefull. Overall, I feel un-enriched. Buh-Gah.

I was FORCED to read this book in my Advanced Placement US History course and it was largely a waste of my time-you could have easily gotten the same amount of information in an easy to understand, shortened simplified version somewhere else. Anyone who reads this book on their own time for pleasure is CRAZY. It is the most un-entertaining book I have ever read in my life. The author's writing style is something like this: "he picked up the pen. He then set the pen down on the desk. After looking around, he picked up the pen a second time, after dropping it he lavishly bowed to pick it up again." There is nothing remotely entertaining about this book. All I can say is, my respect for the Pulitzer Prize just went waaaaay down, in the future if I see that stamp on a book I'll run the other direction...if this is what good is to them...

i was assigned this book for my 10th grade summer reading...and its so boring mostly because its so drawn out and slow with stuff i havent even gone over in school...so i cant see how this book could seem interesting to anyone thats not even gone through collage...so basically this book sucks.