This book was an amazing compendium of the private writings of many Americans across a huge span of time. Reading each entry is delicious work: first you have to get the name, the year, an understanding of who the writer was and what the subject was. Then in your mind you go to that day and try to question things like where was the writer, were the expressions clear and true, how would this sound if this passage was actually being spoken directly to me, what did the writer look like... A wonderous packet of questions arose in my mind as I read each entry, and I tried to stretch my mind to find the truth. This is the best kind of writing, I think, for there are so many questions to ponder about it. Did the writer intend for his/her comments to be read? One never really knows, but I am grateful to the Millers for having this book published because I love to ask questions. Thank you!

This book is a collage of American diaries woven together to create an American diary. It's a work of great power.in the way each daily entry, with several different diariests, catches a sense of living in America at different times. Anyone who has kept a diary will appreciate it.