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About The Book

The truth about America is revealed in this first of four volumes of the young readers’ edition of The Untold History of the United States, from Academy Award–winning director Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, adapted by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

There is history as we know it. And there is history we should have known.

Complete with photos, illustrations, and little-known documents, this first of four volumes covers crucial moments in American history from the late nineteenth century to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This is not the kind of history taught in schools or normally presented on television or in popular movies. This riveting young readers’ edition challenges prevailing orthodoxies to reveal the dark reality about the rise and fall of the American empire for curious, budding historians who are hungry for the truth. Based on the latest archival findings and recently declassified information, this book will come as a surprise to the vast majority of students and their teachers—and that’s precisely why this edition is such a crucial counterpoint to today’s history textbooks.

Adapted by Newbery Honor recipient Susan Campbell Bartoletti from the bestselling book and companion to the documentary The Untold History of the United States by Academy Award–winning director Oliver Stone and renowned historian Peter Kuznick, this volume presents young readers with a powerful and provocative look at the past century of American imperialism.

About The Authors

Photograph © Michael Segal Photography

Oliver Stone made such iconic films as PlatoonWall StreetJFKBorn on the Fourth of JulyNatural Born KillersNixonSalvador, and W., and is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Chasing the Light.

American University

Peter Kuznick is professor of history and director of the award-winning Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and is currently serving his sixth three-year term as distinguished lecturer with the Organization of American Historians. He has written extensively about science and politics, nuclear history, and Cold War culture.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (December 9, 2014)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481421751
  • Grades: 5 and up
  • Ages: 10 - 99
  • Lexile ® 1110L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

* STARRED REVIEW * “The darker side of the "American Century," recast for younger audiences… the authors also point to other turning points and near misses that are rarely if ever part of standard school curricula.”

– Kirkus Reviews


“[This book] contains more mind-blowing information, insightful analysis, and revisionist theorizing than all of my other 2014 favorites put together. I see America’s history far differently after reading this volume, the first of four… there are places where grownups prefer that students avoid reading anything that could be construed as questioning the greatness and moral authority of the United States. But for those of us who want to be enlightened and enlighten others, this is a must-have.”

– Richie Partington, Richie's Picks

Awards and Honors

  • CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book

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