“Illuminating. . . . Compelling. . . . Focuses on a series of key moments: most notably, Valley Forge, the standoff between the Federalists and their opponents, [and] the consequences [of] the Louisiana Purchase on slavery and the treatment of Indians.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“[Ellis] is a storyteller, and a superb one . . . no historian is better at making a complicated jumble of events clear and comprehensible.” —The New York Review of Books
“Illuminating . . . entertaining. . . . Ellis has done us a great service.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Delightful. . . . Ellis is the reigning master of the episodic approach to history.” —The Boston Globe
