Alistair Cooke's America

Superb read. A man with a true grasp of the massive history of America and its development. His perspective of historical events come with an excellent slant and he has managed to note the many hidden aspects of American history that you would rarely find in such detail in a single place. One of the best non-fiction novels I have read.

Cooke does not try to cover the entire history of the USA or explain every quirk he encountered on this journey. Still, in this book, he gives a pretty fair account of who we are, where we've been, and maybe even why and how we do what we do. It's a great book to wander through, picking up information here and there. But it's also a book worth reading from front to back.

Cooke's endearing portraits of Americans and American History. This book was the companion to a wonderful television series by the same name It provides a strong succinct survey of American History's most seminal events. I enjoy getting a non American's POV, though if you are looking for strong criticism, you won't find it here. Cooke clearly loves and appreciates Americans. His style is both highly credible and at times dry witty -- a combination only a Brit can deliver so effectively. It's a sweet, interesting, and valuable book.

Alistair Cooke came to the United States in the years preceding World War II. Although he had gone to grad school here, he was English by birth and heritage. He then returned home where he became a film critic for BBC. His unique knowledge of America helped him in 1936 when, on NBC, he explained the crisis that arose when King Edward VIII fell in love with Wallis Warfield Simpson, the Baltimore-raised divorcée to America.

The next year, he and his American wife left England. In his new job, he would attempt to be a cultural ambassador between his old country and his new. Through his radio appearances, Cooke would help his American audience understand the danger that Hitler would pose to the British and help the British become show more acquainted with these strange Yanks who would soon become essential to the United Kingdom's continued existence. Even before the War had really gotten started, he became an American citizen.

After the War, Cooke stopped reporting the news and took up a new profession, helping Americans learn. In 1952, he began hosting the CBS series "Omnibus," which would televise plays, concerts, and other cultural events. It was this series which introduced me to Leonard Bernstein's "Young People's Concerts," during which he taught millions of school children the delights of orchestral music in its many forms.

Twenty years later, Cooke would become the face of Masterpiece Theatre and perform his magic again on British imports like "Upstairs, Downstairs","The Forsythe Saga", and "The Duchess of Duke Street." Once again, his love and knowledge of his two countries helped him lovingly explain the oddities of the Brtish social system to the point where our wondering minds could not only understand the system but perhaps even envy it a little.

During the early seventies, Cooke also made a documentary about America. Given how fractured American society had become because of the War in Vietnam, social problems, racism, crime, and scandal in the White House, we needed a few reminders about the good things we had done.

So, finally, I come round to the subject of this review: Alistair Cooke's America, the companion book to his documentary. I deeply believe that a person born and raised in this country would ever be able to interpret us to us. We are a strange people, each so individualistic and yet so determined to belong to ... anything.

Cooke does not try to cover the entire history of the USA, nor does he try to explain every quirk he encountered in this journeys. Still, in this book he manages to give a pretty fair account of who we are, where we've been and maybe even why we do what we do. I

t's a great book to wander through, picking up information here and there. But it's also a book that is well worth reading from front to back (or vice versa if that's your way). It's one I tend to pull off the shelves every few years, especially if I'm planning a tour of an unfamiliar part of the country. I would suggest that you do the same. show less

This is a great book, a fascinating all in one guide to American History. I've only read half of it. This may seem not much of a recommendation, but reading the book drew me in to the subject so much that I start deviating off, reading other sources covering the same period of history. It was a library book, I'd renewed it once, and thought I should give someone else a chance and get on with reading a novel or two. But I will go back to it, but I'll probably buy it next time.

Great!

Cooke has written for this new edition a compelling introduction and final chapter that bring his story of America up to date with the wisdom of the inimitably grand old man of correspondents. And what a story this book tells. From the discovery of America by European explorers to modern times; from the fighters for independence to the pioneers who tamed the West; from the slaves who fled to freedom to the huddled masses that sought a new life in...