A People's History of the United States : 1492-Present

Rating:
Summary: INTERESTING BUT SKEWED VIEW OF HISTORY
Review: This book has been around a long time but still causes a great deal of conversation at the least and violent reactions at the most. Zinn's book claims to give the oppressed a voice in a historically accurate manner. However, Zinn's true motives are to propagate his political views. (In case you were unaware, Zinn shares the same beliefs as Chomsky and Nader.) Many modern teachers have taken to his view on history in their classrooms and this book has become a frequent text to use. A People's History is biased, he admits, but it is biased AGAINST the white, ethnocentric, focus-on-presidential-successions-and-wars-and-battles American history books that all of us have grown up with. Zinn Refuses to mention or even admit how our capitalist government has allowed us to be the most successful country in the world. Zinn prefers pure communism which the collapse of the USSR clearly shows does NOT work.

Zinn does a wonderful job at showing the United States through the eyes of those who it exploited: the workers, the natives, the colonial people of other nations. Yes we killed indians and took their land, yes we had slaves, yes there has been racism and discrimination against ethnic groups and women. These things are all important facts not to be forgotten or swept under the rug. But Zinn fails to acknowledge the strides this country has made in the last century to rectify those mistakes.

While I cannot discount the book as communist propaganda as some have I must say that this text is good as a supplement to objective sources, but it is too biased to be a primary one.



Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever.
Review: This is an amazing book. It is foreceful and powerful. It offers a unique and valuable perspective on American history. Recommended to everyone who is interested in history, particularly for people who are in search for alternative views other than the dominant textbook ideas.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: While there is no doubt that Mr. Zinn is a communist at heart, there is also no doubt that Zinn's view and presentation is very entertaining not to mention pretty factual. Let us not fool ourselves here my friends, every writer who writes about politics or history is going to have a bias and that bias is going to present itself in that author's work.
I am a Republican, born again Christian and I had no problem with Zinn's views, simply because I am a realist. For years we were fed that nonsensical view of Christopher Columbus being a pious man coming to the Americas to bring salvation and religion to the indigenous people or simply just omitting the facts in American history studies that would show a very negative side of our founding fathers.
(THIS IS NOT UNPATRIOTIC)
I don't agree with everything Mr. Zinn has said in this book but it is refreshing to see history told more correctly so than in our public school system which are suppose to educate not indoctrinate.
To my dear republican brethren out there, do not feel that you have to put our fore fathers on a pedestal in order for you to feel patriotic and zealous for your country. The reason I can be a conservative Republican and still agree with a lot of what Zinn has to say is (1. I do not allow a party to think for me, I always keep an open mind, without an open mind we are no different then the followers of David Koresh and other cultic fanatics. (2. We have come a long way in this great country of ours and have much to be proud of regardless of your race or back ground. Let us not view things as liberal or right wing, just be open minded and sift through the facts in different history books and find the truth somewhere in the middle.

I recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars (-1 star for the indoctrinating tone)