After reading this book I was shocked to see how much history can be misinterpreted as a way to further one's own agenda. The author, who is an addiction specialist and also has family members that have dealt with alcoholism, portends to paint everyone in American history as either a teetotaler or raving drunk with little historical evidence to back it up. One of the most out rages claims by the author was it the pilgrims may have been drunk which caused them to be off course for longer than necessary. The author neglects to admit that drinking some sort of alcohol on a consistent basis can actually build a tolerance to alcohol that would allow our forefathers to invite more than the modern person. The author feels that every poor decision and even some successful decisions, have a open made by alcohol without any influence from other factors. If you were looking for a new store cool look at alcohol and the birth of our country look elsewhere.

Wow, I learned a lot more from this book than I had expected. In many ways, the history of America is a history of drinking America. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history!