How the States Got Their Shapes Audiobook

" Very interesting information. The one drawback was that the information could get a bit repetitive. You read about most state borders twice, because the book is organized alphabetically. "

" Recommended for anyone interested in US history. After a brief intro regarding major US land purchases, the author describes how each state got its present borders. Skip the states you don't want to know about and read the ones you are interested in. Gives a lot of insight into nation-building and "manifest destiny." "

" I had real high hopes for this book and it got so boring that I didn't finish it. First, his summaries at the end of each state get very trite. Second, the problem with doing a border discussion state by state is that it gets incredibly repetitive, as one state's northern border is another's southern border. Good to own to resolve bar disputes, but don't bother reading the whole thing. "

" It took me a long time to get through this book as it was a dry read. I also felt that it was very repetitive and jumped back and forth alot. "

" Would have been a 5 but a little repetitive since states share borders. You could read it straight through or open it to your favorite state which is a plus. "

" Fascinating! Not terribly well-written and quite repetitive, but filled with useless trivia. You should at least skim it to see why Idaho is shaped the way it is - spite is a powerful thing... "

" Really funny and also informative. "

" Extremely informative to learn about America's geography. It's an easy book to read as you can just pick a state and read about it. Be sure to read the introduction first before reading a state's information as there are references to the intro. "

" Cool book that is about history and not geography, there is a lot more drama to state lines than you would think. By necessity there is repetition in the book as many historical events effected the the lines of several states. "

" I loved this book. It was very entertaining. It teaches you that it is very hard to create borders because there will always be someone not happy about the borders you make. After reading this book the Jigsaw puzzle that is the United States with its silly shapes makes a whole lot more sense. "

" It's a hard book to just sit down and read because the information is separated into information about each state but it is a great book to just pick up and read a little or a lot at a time. "

" I always wondered how the states got their shape. Obviously rivers can be a natural border but some shapes just didn't make sense. Now it does. "

" I liked the geography lessons, but I didn't like the organization. It was very disjointed going in alphabetical order rather than regional. Otherwise, it was quite interesting. "

" I wish the author had taken the time to delve deeper into the cultural history instead of producing a litany of latitude and longitude. "

" I liked the trivia in this book, but it wasn't of the best writing. I mean, it was good writing, just bot very interesting. I often had to force myself to read the book. But if history and geography ate you're thing, I'm sure you'll love it. "

" Just loved this book! Amazing the geographic, political and natural elements involved in how each of our fifty states have the borders they have. "

" A very interesting aspect of U.S. history. At times a little monotonous because all borders have two sides, and the book is arranged by states, so he repeats events. The author didn't mention that jog in the Texas/Oklahoma/New Mexico border at the end of the Oklahoma panhandle. "

" A very good book for anyone who loves geography and history. This is a book that you can read a chapter or two at a time as each state has its own chapter. "

" Cool book that is about history and not geography, there is a lot more drama to state lines than you would think. By necessity there is repetition in the book as many historical events effected the the lines of several states. "

" It's a hard book to just sit down and read because the information is separated into information about each state but it is a great book to just pick up and read a little or a lot at a time. "

" Extremely informative to learn about America's geography. It's an easy book to read as you can just pick a state and read about it. Be sure to read the introduction first before reading a state's information as there are references to the intro. "

" no bad. it's an easy read although not a page-turner. it was a great way to learn about a lot of US history in a very brief way. it got a little tedious by the end. "

" This was the perfect book for a geography nerd like me. "

" Interesting, but the writing was monotonous and boring at times. "

" Sounds boring, but not. This book provides a historical account of the development of the US from the context of border boundaries. It details the impact of power and politics in state chartering. "

" i found this book to be incredibly informative, but thought that the placement of the states alphabetically really did the book a disservice. i believe if it would have been done chronologically there would have been less need to flip back and forth between states. "

" Very interesting, but I like the TV show better. "

" This was a good book. It got a little redundant when discussing adjacent states' borders, but I guess it's hard to write it any other way. I'd recommend this to those who are looking for a unique insight into how our states got their shapes. "

" So much history! Shame almost none of it is being taught in school these days. "