Ben Waber reviewed America, América by Greg Grandin
A Unique Dive Into International Relations within the Americas
5 stars
This is an absolutely unique, page-turning history, reviewing the history of the US and the rest of the Americas (minus Canada) by analyzing the exchanges and changing relationships between these different countries. The USA is the focal point here, and Grandin persuasively demonstrates that many of the US's non-American international policies were deeply shaped by interactions with the rest of the New World. There is a bit of Latin American history here as well, although it's normally read in relation to future US and global developments, but it's a great introduction if you're unfamiliar with these histories. I do wish there was a bit more on indigenous peoples given how central they are to this history.
Overall this can be regarded as a new foundational historical text. Highly recommend
This is an absolutely unique, page-turning history, reviewing the history of the US and the rest of the Americas (minus Canada) by analyzing the exchanges and changing relationships between these different countries. The USA is the focal point here, and Grandin persuasively demonstrates that many of the US's non-American international policies were deeply shaped by interactions with the rest of the New World. There is a bit of Latin American history here as well, although it's normally read in relation to future US and global developments, but it's a great introduction if you're unfamiliar with these histories. I do wish there was a bit more on indigenous peoples given how central they are to this history.
Overall this can be regarded as a new foundational historical text. Highly recommend