And, surely, an Englishman is not the best person to write that story anyway?
Simon Winchester offers a perfect rebuttal to any doubts with this wonderfully readable look at the specific reasons the US evolved into ''one nation, indivisible''.
He focuses on the men - and, occasionally, the madness - involved in five strands of American history: water, wood, earth, metal and fire. Through each, he aims to show how they contributed to the coming together of the country and its people. There is an awful lot about exploration, understandably.
The states were once far from united, and the opening of the West was the biggest single factor in forming a modern America. Lewis and Clark feature prominently, but Winchester also uncovers some lesser-known wanderers, adventurers and surveyors.
Invention is a major theme. The canals that made trade easier, the mountain passes that opened up paths to new opportunities, the wonders of electricity - all are great stories.
Winchester is a ''new American'', an Englishman who fell in love with America and is now a citizen. I think this has given him a fresh perspective on the big country. As an American social history, this is up there with the best I have read.
- Hayden Meikle is ODT sports editor.
