The Untold History of the United States

“At last the world knows America as the savior of the world!” — Woodrow Wilson The notion of American exceptionalism, dating back to John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon aboard the Arabella, still warps Americans’ understanding of their nation’s role in the world. Most are loathe to admit that the United States has any imperial pretensions. But history tells a different story as filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick reveal in this riveting account of the rise and decline of the American empire. They trace the American empire through the bloody U.S. suppression of the Filipino struggle for independence; the establishment of U.S. financial hegemony via World War I; the repeated U.S. interventions, covert operations, and wars in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East; the transformation of America into a prying national security state; the accumulation of vast fortunes by the wealthiest Americans; and troubling assaults on U.S. constitutional liberties. Aided by the latest archival findings and recently declassified documents and building on the research of the world’s best scholars, Stone and Kuznick construct an often shocking but meticulously documented “people’s history” of the American empire that offers startling context to the Bush-Cheney policies that put us at war in two Muslim countries and show us why the Obama administration has had such a difficult time cleaving a new path. Stone and Kuznick will introduce listeners to a pantheon of heroes and villains as they show not only how far the United States has drifted from its democratic traditions but the powerful forces that have struggled to get us back on track. The authors reveal that: •The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were militarily unnecessary and morally indefensible. •The United States, not the Soviet Union, bore the lion’s share of responsibility for perpetuating the Cold War. •The U.S. love affair with right-wing dictators has gone as far as overthrowing elected leaders, arming and training murderous military officers, and forcing millions of people into poverty. •U.S.-funded Islamist fundamentalists, who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan, have blown back to threaten the interests of the United States and its allies. •U.S. presidents, especially in wartime, have frequently trampled on the Constitution and international law. •The United States has brandished nuclear threats repeatedly and come terrifyingly close to nuclear war. American leaders often believe they are unbound by history, yet Stone and Kuznick argue that we must face our troubling history honestly and forthrightly in order to set a new course for the twenty-first century. Their conclusions will astonish even experts, but there is one question only listeners can answer: Is it too late for America to change?

History

Oliver Stone

Americas

Ebury Press

A companion to Oliver Stone's ten-part Showtime documentary series in the tradition of Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States," this cutting-edge and provocative book challenges the status quo of American history. 
Multiple Academy Award-winner Oliver Stone (once called "Dostoevsky behind a camera") has directed such iconic movies as "Platoon," "Wall Street," "JFK," "Natural Born Killers," and "W "and is known for his often controversial point of view and probing exploration of weighty historical and political topics. Now, Stone collaborates with esteemed American University professor Peter Kuznick to present our country's "secret history," one that has been unearthed through recently discovered archives and newly declassified material. 
Filled with poignant photos and little-known historical facts, this book covers the rise of the American Empire and national security state from the late nineteenth century through the Obama administration, revealing how deeply rooted the seemingly aberrant policies of the Bush-Cheney administration are in the nation's past--and why it has proven so difficult for President Obama to significantly change course. 
By discerning patterns that have previously gone unrecognized and examining the most recently released classified documents, Stone and Kuznick challenge prevailing orthodoxies and ask questions not normally raised. The result is not the kind of history taught in schools or represented on television or in popular movies, and it will come as a surprise to the vast majority of American and global citizens, shocking and astounding both experts and history-lovers alike.

Peter Kuznick

Random House UK, Limited

A companion to Oliver Stone’s ten-part documentary series of the same name, this guide offers a people’s history of the American Empire: “a critical overview of US foreign policy…indispensable” (former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev); “brilliant, a masterpiece!” (Daniel Ellsberg); “Oliver Stone’s new book is as riveting, eye-opening, and thought-provoking as any history book you will ever read. It achieves what history, at its best, ought to do: presents a mountain of previously unknown facts that makes you question and re-examine many of your long-held assumptions about the most influential events” (Glenn Greenwald).In November 2012, Showtime debuted a ten-part documentary series based on Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick’s The Untold History of the United States. The book and documentary looked back at human events that, at the time, went underreported, but also crucially shaped America’s unique and complex history over the twentieth century. From the atomic bombing of Japan to the Cold War and fall of Communism, this concise version of the larger book is adapted for the general reader. Complete with poignant photos, arresting illustrations, and little-known documents, The Concise Untold History of the United States covers the rise of the American empire and national security state from the late nineteenth century through the Obama administration, putting it all together to show how deeply rooted the seemingly aberrant policies of the Bush-Cheney administration are in the nation’s past and why it has proven so difficult for Obama to change course.  In this concise and indispensible guide, Kuznick and Stone (who Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills has called America’s own “Dostoevsky behind a camera”) challenge prevailing orthodoxies to reveal the dark truth about the rise and fall of American imperialism.

The Concise Untold History of the United States

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

In these vivid and revealing interviews, directors such as the Coen brothers, Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella and Neil Jordan recall the making of their 'first films'. Each chapter focuses on a celebrated debut - from "Blood Simple" to "Muriel's Wedding", "Clerks to Angel" - and explores its production from the inside. Along the way, every aspect of the movie industry is explored - from first encounters with agents and moguls, to languishing in development hell, to confronting the dreaded 'test audience'. Lowenstein, himself a writer-director on the verge of his first feature, encourages his subjects to relive the pain and elation, the comedy and the tragedy, of their freshman efforts. For aspirant directors, these tales of sleepless nights and nail-biting days will enthral and terrify in equal measure. For everyone else, they offer a privileged glimpse of famous directors taking their first tentative steps.

My First Movie

Humor & Entertainment

Kevin Smith

Ethan Coen

Joel Coen

Mike Figgis

Anthony Minghella

Pedro Almodóvar

neil-jordan

Barry Levinson

Mike Leigh

Ang Lee

Ken Loach

Bertrand Tavernier

Stephen Frears

James Mangold

Mira Nair

Gary Oldman

J. Hogan

Steve Buscemi

Tom DiCillo

Movies

Faber&Faber

Based on the 1993 feature film, Heaven and Earth, written and directed by Oliver Stone, this volume contains a narrative based on the screenplay and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. An elegant reflection of director Stone's latest movie about the Vietnam War, this book includes a script adaptation, as well as commentary by Le Ly Hayslip, upon whose memoirs the film is based, and actress Hiep Thi Le, who plays Hayslip. There are also stunning still photographs of star Tommy Lee Jones, as well as of Thailand, which served as the location when Vietnam tried to impose conditions on Stone's filming. This movie ''adaptation'' serves as a lovely complement to the film on which it is based. Released simultaneously with the movie. Full color photographs; 153 pp.

Oliver Stone's Heaven and Earth: The Making of an Epic Motion Picture

Tuttle Pub

Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

HarperCollins and Blackstone Publishing

WITH SUBSTANTIAL MATERIAL NOT INCLUDED IN THE DOCUMENTARY\nAcademy Award winner Oliver Stone was able to secure what journalists, news organizations, and even other world leaders have long coveted: extended, unprecedented access to Russian President Vladimir Putin.\nThe Putin Interviews are culled from more than a dozen interviews with Putin over a two-year span--never before has the Russian leader spoken in such depth or at such length with a Western interviewer. No topics are off limits in the interviews, which first occurred during Stone's trips to meet with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow and most recently after the election of President Donald Trump.\nProdded by Stone, Putin discusses relations between the United States and Russia, allegations of interference in the US election, and Russia's involvement with conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere across the globe. Putin speaks about his rise to power and details his relationships with Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump. The exchanges are personal, provocative, and at times surreal. At one point, Stone asks, "Why did Russia hack the election?"; at another, Stone introduces him to Stanley Kubrick's 1964 Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove," which the two watch together.\nStone has interviewed controversial world leaders before, including Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Benjamin Netanyahu. But The Putin Interviews, in its unmediated access to one of the most enigmatic and powerful men in the world, can only be compared to the series of conversations between David Frost and Richard Nixon we now refer to as "The Nixon Interviews" of 1977.\nThe book will also contain references and sources that give readers a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the interviews and make for a more robust reading experience.

The Putin Interviews: Oliver Stone Interviews Vladimir Putin

Hot Books

Chasing The Light

Monoray

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Books by Oliver Stone