British historian Brogan has written a lively narrative history of the United States. With a skilled sense of storytelling and pages loaded with delightful Britishisms, Brogan delivers a personalized narrative that places this book apart fromand abovemost textbooks. We learn, for instance, that Ben Franklin is the American with whom Brogan most fervently wishes to dine in heaven. Since the work was first written for a British audience, it sparkles with new angles on old material, though it seldom challenges the reader to delve more deeply into historical debates. Brogan occasionally relies too heavily on politics as the central focus and falls back on consensus interpretation and traditional chronological categories. Nonetheless, the book gives Americans a chance to see how others describe our historical pageant. Brogan has succeeded splendidly in most respects and deserves a wide readership.