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Summary: You don't have to agree with the ideas to listen to them!
Review: Portions of this text were used for an American History class I took in High School. Is it biased? Of course! But we knew beforehand that this book was biased and took that into account when we were learning from it. Even if you don't necessarily agree with all (or even most) or the ideas in this book, or the way that those ideas are presented, it is still important that you see these ideas. If you decide to make them part of your understanding of American History, fine. Just don't become so overwhelmed that you reject all mainstream history in a knee-jerk reaction. If you decide to reject this book and all the ideas it stands for, also fine. In coming up with solid refutations for his arguments you will still gain a deeper understanding of American History. All History Books are biased in some way or another, for the simple reason that they are written by human beings. At least this one is honest about it and, so long as the bias is taken into account, can still serve as a valuable tool for learning.
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Summary: Ultra liberal bias taints discussion of American History
Review: It is both somewhat understandable that Howard Zinn lives in the socialistic state of Massachusetts and at the same time surprising that he even can tolerate at all to live in the United States, where he sees so much wrong and corrupt. I think mainland China however would be happy to receive him as a citizen. But he would probably find fault with their system too. Alas, the truth is that the utopia Howard Zinn dreams of does not and will never exist. I was highly disappointed with this book especially Zinn's finding all things Republican evil and all moderate Democrats slightly better than Republicans. Conservative thought seems to have no place in a country's evolution. Zinn's insistence on raising isolated ultra liberal individuals to hero status for being opposed to U.S. policy, such as the Gulf War, is a gross distortion. His discussions repeatedly ignore recognizing those who really have made our country great. All policy has its critics and supporters but Zinn only chooses to present one side of many issues, citing anectodotal events and opposition as uncontrovertible support for his points of view. I read this book looking for another point of view after reading Paul Johnson's book on American History. Although Mr. Johnson has a conservative slant, I found him not to lean as much to one side as Mr. Zinn and to give, although biased, a less distorted discussion of American History supported more by facts and statistics. Overall if you love Ted Kennedy and his guilt ridden, hypocritical liberal ranting you will love this book.
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Summary: A little something for the radical in all of us
Review: I heard about Mr. Zinn's revolutionary book through a fellow activist and the more I heard, I just knew that I had to buy it. This book reassured me that it was not an accident that I felt ailenated from conventional materials, but because my story as a disabled woman had largely gone underreported in the traditional curriculm. While in junior high and high school I had often entertained thoughts of becoming a teacher, but my activist concience realized that I did not neccesarily want to use the WASP male biased material prevalent in so many school districts across the country. I realized I could not stomach the thought of teaching with material that marginalized the experiences of women, the working class, minorities, GLBT's and the disabled in favor of a legend that never was. Although I have now decided to go to law school, Mr. Zinn's text remains an invaluable resource for those who have even an inkling they are not getting the real story behind the history of this nation. Even though the information in this book can easily be found in their own respective fields (Women's studies...African American studies, Disability Studies..etc) the synthesized version is especially attractive for high school courses.
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Summary: Buy It Now, Thank Me Later
Review: This is the part they didn't tell you. You won't see it on TV, you won't read it in Newsweek, and you'll have to dig to discover the history that Zinn has unearthed for you, from underneath a vast pile of "mainstream media." The first eleven pages made me want to cry, or punch something. A lot of it is like that. But for those of us who maybe aren't so content with Things As They Are, there is real hope contained in these pages -- the hope, based on real historical examples -- that organized citizens can stand up to tyranny, and WIN. I hope everyone who reads this book takes away from it more than just a series of rarely told, vitally important chapters of American history. I hope they recognize the power that all of us have, if we only choose to reject our marching orders and stand together for what is right.
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Summary: OUR history
Review: It's not biased if it's the truth. Zinn tells OUR history, the story of people just like you and me fighting back against the tremendous forces that have always oppressed us.
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Summary: Food for thought
Review: You will never feel the same way about the American flag again.
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Summary: Enlightening but frustrating look at US History
Review: First and most importantly, A People's History is not really what it claims to be. It is not U.S. History told from the point of view of "everyday people", although that is one element of it. Instead, it is an attempt to tell the story of progressive social movements in the US while simutaneouly critiquing the historical inequalities of US society. It is also worth noting that Zinn concerns himself solely with progressive movements in this book--there is little if any mention of conservative social movements like the know-nothings or the right to life movement. When Zinn is simply telling the history of progressive social movements in the US History, he largely succeeds. He presents a wealth of fascinating information on labor unions, the socialist movement, slave revolts and other progressive movements. He also tells the story of how these movements (and the people behind them) were often oppressed and even killed by those in power. In telling these stories, Zinn does a marvelous job--the book is worth reading for this aspect alone. However, Zinn's attempt to critique of US History is another matter altogether. Zinn writes from an unabashedly Marxist perspective at the exclusion of all other views. It is this part of the book that is frustrating and largely forgettable due to its lack of sophistication in historical analysis. Zinn's is so single-minded in his presentation of US History through a Marxist lens that his analyses sometimes border on conspiricy theory (i.e. the moneied elite are consciously and collectively conspiring to exploit the working class). His strict adherence to Marxist critism also does not allow him to adquetely consider other factors leading to oppression of marginalized groups such as racism, xenophobia, sexism, etc. To Zinn, all these social ills are simply proxies for class warfare. The bottom line is that Zinn's book is worth reading for the often-overlooked history that it presents on progressive social momements. However, be warned that you may well find yourself frustrated with his historical analyses if you are not a staunch Marxist.
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Summary: Not the stuff you learn about in high school US history
Review: This was a great book to read. But that's not to say it's the only book to read. This is more like a supplement to what you would get out of a school textbook. It paints a grim picture of the US(and the people who were here when it wasn't the US, save for the Native Americans). Very grim. But it's an important view to see, so I'd recommend it to anyone who likes history. But it isn't all there is to American history. Even if you're a disgruntled postal worker who hates any and every aspect of the country and delivers letter bombs to federal buildings. The book doesn't give too much information on many things. Don't expect to read anything about Pickett's Charge and how it affected the Battle of Gettysburg in this book. It goes over wars, but in a much more political way. A political way which is seen throughout the entire book. Zinn gives a very pessimistic impression. A view that conveys that nothing the US does has been for the good of anyone but the people running it, primarily private power. Should the actions also help others is purely coincidental. Like when the US pulls out of Vietnam or grants more civil liberties. The reasons are to avoid conflict that could potentially harm those running the country. Though, this is not to say that Zinn is incorrect. He backs himself up very well and I agree with him, for the most part. The only thing I didn't particularly like was that every few chapters would have one dealing almost entirely with strikes and other similar movements. Not that it wasn't of any significance, but the reading got slow at times. Though, it helps him to better get his message across to the reader, so it doesn't take enough away from the book for it to still earn five stars from my perspective.
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Summary: makes "status - quo" liberals uncomfortable
Review: This book is a comprehensive expos`e of the fact that the "America" that the vast majority of us learned about in elementary and high school is a myth. The land of the free and the home of the brave is an experiment in a new form of control of the populace. This new strategy eschews violence in favor of propaganda. The book explains the ultimate human utilization of the strategies of "divide and conquer" and mass distraction. Those who found this book too "cynical" are deluding themselves into thinking that human history has somehow magically changed with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It is infinitely more comforting to adopt this mindset than to realize that America is not a magical "Disney-land" where human motivations have suddenly and irrevocably changed. Not to accept this piece of societal delusion is to be forced to rethink one's complicity in the subterfuge. The great strides in health care mentioned by one reviewer must be mentioned in complete ignorance of the fact that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world without universal coverage.
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Summary: The US History You Did Not Learn
Review: Well written, extremely informative, and shocking. Over the course of the history of the United States: - The Indian population would be reduced from 10 million to 1 million. - By 1800, 10 to 15 million blacks had been transported to the Americas as slaves. - From capture to sale, 2 of every 5 blacks died. - Of the founding fathers, 40 of 55 were bondholders. - In the Civil War, white soldiers received $13 a month, black soldiers received $10 - In 1880, Chinese immigrants working on the railroads numbered 75,000, 1/10th of the population of California. - In 1920s, 25,000 were killed on the job, 100,000 were disabled. Overall, a great resource. It is biased, but serves as a counterweight to the generalist reading of history taught in most schools.
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