Rating: 
Summary: Too few to be a view
Review: My exposure to Zinn's treatment of U.S. history came through my enrollment in a comparative history class (Paul Johnson's "A History of the American People" provided the foil). While providing a sound base for historiographical debate, Zinn's thesis of governmental and economic control lacks both credibility and evidence.
The focus of Zinn, being of those on the margins of society, tends to ignore the overriding and most influencial dilemmas and personalities of the past. His cursory treatment extolls the efforts of the few as it, at the same time, ignores both the pretexts and the contexts of the periods in which they occurred.
Historiographically, Zinn's presentation is as shallow as is his evidence. His citations direct the reader merely to the books from which he has drawn reference (as opposed to citing a specific page - the generally practiced defense of one's position). His polemic stance begs an evidenciary basis that is found lacking due to his superficial narrative treatment, and the absence of specific sources.
Zinn's version of history does not belong in the category of History but, rather, in a more sociologically oriented category. His views and ideology should not be ignored, however, as they commonly are, because they do represent the beliefs of a great many groups within our society. Zinn forwards many points that rhetorically question the ideals of the U.S. in the face of its actions.
While Zinn provides an ideologically distorted version of the past he does, to his credit, divulge his position early on. Therefore, as a supplement to the cursory histories that are generally presented, Zinn "fills-in the gaps" and illustrates the personalities and tribulations of the characters most usually marginalized by history. His thesis is well served and sincere, though shallow and insubstantiated.
Rating: 
Summary: History retold
Review: So Howard Zinn has a bias big deal, so does every history book and that is the point. As Howard Zinn admits himself, you can't be neutral on a moving train. If you are expecting a reading of history that is neutral and trying to ascertain the "truth" then you should not read this book. If you are looking for a book that tries to include the voices of people who have been omitted from history then this is the book for you. And by this I don't mean to imply that all Americans are evil as some people seem to think, it is the nature of the system we live in. As one of my professors at the U of R says history is always written by the winners. I also had the pleasure of spending a day with Prof. Zinn when he came to speak at the University of Rochester and I can tell you he is by far the least affected person I have ever met and one of the nicest. This truly a great book written by an extraordinary person.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for all Americans
Review: As a history major at the University of Memphis, I have found this book indispensible in my studies. Everyone should read it not only to get a true sense of REAL American history (as opposed to the mickey mouse history taught in highschool and on the history channel), but the book also gives the reader numerous examples as to why it is so important to study history and not just the mythology you're handed in school. One can see events repeating themselves over and over again in American society due to the blind eye cast at history. The solutions of the problems of today are best found in their origins.
Rating:
Summary: The best History Book I have ever read
Review: Howard Zinn's eye openning depiction of the US history from people's point of view is a true masterpiece. It should be ranked as high as all other literature created by the great progressive and peace lovers of the world. It is a must read, specially for everyone whose idea of reality is what is presented to them on TV and other mass media. Contents of this book should be considered not only for raising awareness of mankind it is also a book of lessons that we must learn from and take action against legalized crime. We owe this to our future generations.
Rating:
Summary: Better than any ohter history book!!
Review: THis book was amazing! It is highly readable and keeps moving. It is not a dull history book with repeating chapters. The book covers everyhting from Colombus to Clinton in the view of workers, the poor, immigrants, etc. You'll find great information on womens roghts movements, Vietnam, Carter-Regan-bush Bipartisan deals, Black rights movemnets, slavery, and much more. I reccommend this book to anyone and everyone who ias willing to read it!! Tells the true history and manners used in history of "The best country on earth".
Rating:
Summary: The History You Didn't Want to Know
Review: Howard Zinn, a veteran of the last "good" war, historian, and a peace activist, takes the reader on an amazing journey into the history that isn't taught in schools. Abandoning the perspective of the approved ruling elitist, Zinn gives us a glimpse of the effects of the policies that the glorious white leaders of our "great" nation have perpetrated on the rest of us, from the very beginning. The People's History is just that, the story the rest of us got to live: the union organizers who were beaten and killed, the natives who were there to greet Columbus but who were doomed to extinction within a few short decades afterward, the farmers run off their land foreclosed by ruthless bankers, the revolutionary veterans who were denied any voice or any share of the country they'd fought to create. This is a book that should be read by every thinking American. If our children should read any history book, it should be this one. My oldest son is reading it now. It is an invaluable education in and of itself, and should lead the reader to pursue the truth in other sources. This is an invaluable antidote to 'entertaining ourselves to death.'
Rating: 
Summary: a different book that wont dissapoint
Review: First off, i would like to emphasize what a previous reviewer noted: Howard Zinn assumes that the reader has a sound foundation in American History. In other words, he does not provide a wealth of information. He does, however, provide a radically different perspective, one different from any high schol teacher or textbook. The book is well written, but his style is quite different and takes some time to get used to. Zinn does not just throw generalizations to the reader, he provides accurate evidence and many examples. In fact, what annoyed me most while reading this book was that the examples can somethimes get too repetitious, such as when he writes about the labor movement. After reading this book, i must say my own perspective on american history has changed. Zinn is very skillful in showing the flaws in historical figures, people that most textbooks tend to portray as godly figures. This truely is a great book, one that wont dissapoint you.
Rating:
Summary: The truth often hurts
Review: While I look at the comments of many a reader, who lists the faults of this book, which I think are few, I wonder do those supporters of the "status quo" really look into the footnotes for factual information or look for fault, for fault's sake. Many of the footnotes that were given were easily researched with a general browser or a visit to a local library. This book as many have said is a masterpiece and should be required reading for high school and college students. It would break down the myth of the white manifest destiny and gives more credit to the common man/woman as the one who has the potential of making this country great. This book would make history more avaliable to the student and create dialouge that is missing in classrooms. Like Noah Chomsky alluded in the Miseduation of America, school has been turned into arenas for the furtherance of propaganda and most history text books are the "propaganda." All in all, this book is one that needs to passed along to others and while I have given out six of these books to friends and relatives, "the people" need this book to understand that much hasn't changed (the richest 20% own more than the bottom 80%), that politics are for the rich, by the rich, and that when you are living in tyranny and supporting terror and repressive governments abroad, it is often difficult to tell what and why events are occurring when you don't know your history. Share this book with a friend, a loved one, and especially someone with a closed mind.
Rating:
Summary: No book can tell all of American history
Review: _A People's History Of The United States_ attempts to tell history from a different perspective than the one which American schoolchildren most often hear, and my initial reaction was that it swayed too far to the other side. It viewed every ostensibly helpful development in American history as ultimately dangerous, when viewed in another light. The end of slavery, the civil rights movement, women's suffrage - all, in Zinn's view, are examples of how the (predominantly white, male) power structure gave thin gruel to a populace which starved for change. And it's true: he does sway radically to the other side. But subsequent conversations with friends, and my own stewing over this book, make me think that Zinn's approach is fundamentally sound. His goal is not to reveal ``the truth" about American history, because he doesn't believe there is a single monolithic truth from the perspective of historians. To tell a story about a nation's development, one must abstract certain details (``the mood of the populace") and ignore others. Otherwise one would be forced to describe the lives of millions of people in great detail - for what does a ``nation's mood" mean if not the mood of the millions of people who comprise that nation? Zinn's argues that American history has always been taught from the perspective of particular Big Men - Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, Roosevelt, etc. The lives of small people - the rest of us - have been ignored. Zinn doesn't believe this is a coincidence: in his view, the power structure wants us to believe that our salvation does not come from ourselves. It wants us to believe, instead, that we have to turn to impersonal political institutions and thereby submit to political control. A thread running throughout _A People's History_ is that, whenever social change has come to the U.S., it has come through individual action by people who avoided the accepted channels. Those channels, according to Zinn, are dominated by monied capitalists who've promoted their agenda over that of the people. The massive social changes that most of us view as progress - for instance, the abolition of slavery - were largely small crumbs that the power structure threw to the populace in lieu of real change. The evil lurking beneath all of these disgusting social institutions was capitalism, which pits man against man and class against class. Interracial hatred, in Zinn's view, was a way for the capitalist class to divide its enemies. Instead of poor whites and blacks - both exploited - rising up against their oppressors, they fought each other. As Bob Dylan said, poor whites were still ``only a pawn in their game." I think Zinn would agree. The premise that we've always been an inch away from social revolution, but have been stymied by governments and capitalists that want to keep us under control, runs through the entire book. It is a coherent view of history. The problem is that it seems far too simple. Anyone living today realizes that our society is incredibly complicated, and that trying to describe it in just a few words - even a full book - would fail. Even an uncomplicated assertion like ``Defense spending should be significantly cut" could be debated for a long time without coming to any conclusion. Such a question indeed *has* been hotly debated. Zinn's book packages such questions as though they had been resolved - as though it were *obvious* that defense spending should be cut, that abortion should be legal, that American workers are oppressed by their capitalist masters. (Full disclosure: the current author largely agrees with Zinn, but disagrees with his presentation.) Any one of the questions that Zinn closes in this comparatively slim volume (660 pages in the paperback edition I'm reading) would take up its own book. Zinn has no room for questions. He has an agenda to promote. That, of course, is his point: most history books which American schoolchildren read have their own agenda, whether or not they announce it. Zinn lays out his biases early on, then writes a book to defend his views. There's nothing wrong with reading such a book, as long as one doesn't fool onesself into believing that it - or any other book - possesses the truth. Still, something makes me uneasy about any book that doesn't admit doubt, whether that book tends to be aligned with or against capitalism. A statement like ``American Indians were slaughtered, even though all their intimations toward the North American conquerors were peaceful" could, by a less biased author, be accompanied by statements like ``other historians disagree ...". We don't have to choose between the two intense biases; truth is much more complicated than either Zinn or the accepted wisdom would have it. It's clearly better to have two monolithic versions of history than only one (the one we've become used to). But I bet we could do better than either Zinn or the accepted wisdom gives us.
Rating:
Summary: The Only History Book That Makes Sense
Review: This book changed my outlook on everything. Zinn's ideas may be a little outrageous at times but the point of the book is for the reader to find a common ground between Zinn and themselves. This book should be required reading in all high schools... im sorry I had to wait till college to read it.
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