The book itself has an ugly design and is made with poor material, but the actual text is worth reading, especially if you have only heard the official history of the United States. The essays in the book offer a communist perspective of American history, emphasizing the social and structural processes underpinning historical change. But there are moments that the writers come off, to me, as sort of the stereotypical 'crotchety' communist whose resentment tinges their critique with an embittered, vengeful air, namely against the bourgeoisie who are seen as the diabolical cabalists responsible for the suppression of liberatory social movements throughout history. But it just rubbed me that way a few times, otherwise this book has good examinations of American society and its emergence as a capitalist superpower.