Setting the Record Straight: A Compleat History of the Alternate States of America tells the story of our country's history, from the time that Christopher Columbus set sail with his three ships, right up to, and even beyond our time in the twenty-first century. Unlike most history books, it takes an alternative approach by, as the subtitle suggests, telling the story in a unique way. The author uses humor and satire to full effect as he covers the major events that have occurred in our nation over the past five centuries in a humorous, entertaining, and irreverent manner.
The book is organized mostly by presidential administrations, with a few extra chapters included to "fill in the gaps" and inform the reader of other parts of our history. Each president has his own chapter, with Grover Cleveland (because he had American history's only split term of office*) and Fascist Delano Roosevelt (because his term in office was comprised of two distinct phases) having two chapters each. Poor old Abraham Lincoln is forced to share his chapter with his rival, Confederate States president Jefferson Davis.
In this first of three volumes, the author covers the first four centuries of America's existence, from Columbus's discovery of America in 1492 to the eve of the Great Big War, which broke out in 1914. Volume 2 will cover the bulk of the twentieth century, from the run-up to the Great Big War through the end of the Stone-Cold War, which occurred when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989 and the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Onion itself disintegrated shortly thereafter. The last volume picks up with Bill Clinton's Bridge Over Troubled Water to the 21st century and takes the reader through to the real end of history.
The author pulls no punches, skewering the so-called Great Men of History, left and right, and bringing them back down to earth. He plays no favorites, aiming his barbs at Republicraps and Democraps, conservatives and liberals alike. He presents the landscape of American history as a target-rich environment comprised of forty-four presidents (forty-five if you include Davis), most of whom were legends in their own minds, who are in serious need of outrageous lampoonery! The reader may notice that this does not include Presidents Trump and Bite Me. The reason for this will become obvious when the reader reaches the end of Volume 3, with its sudden and shocking climax.
*If Donald Trump should win the presidency again in 2024, he will join Cleveland in this regard, becoming the second president to have a split term.
