This Is America: A Short History of the United States is a unique and very short introduction to the United States of America, a nation that in recent history has been the most affluent, influential, and powerful on Earth, known for innovation as well as for its belief in its own "exceptionalism." As the balance of global political and economic power shifts, this book will help US citizens see their homeland more clearly and will give people elsewhere a more nuanced view of the "beautiful country" - the literal translation of 美国 ("Měiguó"), the name for the United States in Chinese. In seven short chapters, and less than 250 pages, the reader will learn the essentials about the nation usually referred to as "America" - from prehistory and early settlement through the twenty-first century, followed by an overview of the key concepts and debates that continue to shape the United States. Students and teachers will find this concise work an important aid to better understanding of the United States and its evolving position in world affairs.

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William H. McNeill (1917-2016) was Canadian-American, the Robert A. Millikan Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Chicago. His many books include Plagues and Peoples; The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community, which received the National Book Award; Mythistory and Other Essays; History of Western Civilization: A Handbook; and The Pursuit of Power: Technology, Armed Force, and Society since AD 1000. Later in life, he published The Pursuit of Truth: A Historian's Memoir and Summers Long Ago: On Grandfather's Farm and in Grandmother's Kitchen. He was the editor in chief of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, which was published in a Chinese translation in 2024.