A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)
by: Howard Zinn
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Amazon.com Review:
Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, this revised and updated edition of A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers of all nationalities into this thorough narrative that spans American history from Christopher Columbus's arrival to an afterword on the Clinton presidency.
Addressing his trademark reversals of perspective, Zinn--a teacher, historian, and social activist for more than 20 years--explains, "My point is not that we must, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus in absentia. It is too late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. But the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay for progress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadt and Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us all)--that is still with us. One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth."
If your last experience of American history was brought to you by junior high school textbooks--or even if you're a specialist--get ready for the other side of stories you may not even have heard. With its vivid descriptions of rarely noted events, A People's History of the United States is required reading for anyone who wants to take a fresh look at the rich, rocky history of America.
Product Description:
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, this revised and updated edition of A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers of all nationalities into this thorough narrative that spans American history from Christopher Columbus's arrival to an afterword on the Clinton presidency.
Addressing his trademark reversals of perspective, Zinn--a teacher, historian, and social activist for more than 20 years--explains, "My point is not that we must, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus in absentia. It is too late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. But the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay for progress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadt and Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us all)--that is still with us. One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth."
If your last experience of American history was brought to you by junior high school textbooks--or even if you're a specialist--get ready for the other side of stories you may not even have heard. With its vivid descriptions of rarely noted events, A People's History of the United States is required reading for anyone who wants to take a fresh look at the rich, rocky history of America.
Product Description:
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Alternate Versions:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Liberal bias
I was told that this was a good book for my students.....but if you want them to read a left slanted, liberal biased history of the US....this book is for you,but not for me.
Rating: - A New Direction
Zinn's History provides some much needed perspective from minority groups throughout America's history, starting, of course, in 1492 with Columbus.The book provides interesting new interpretations of historical events and backs them up with a variety of source material.Zinn's prose is clear, poignant, and unabashed in addressing the grievances of a great many groups of people.For those who have only heard the victor's version of American history, this book will provide a sobering look at many ... Read More
Rating: 
- Great Read
This book brings up a lot of very interesting questions and topics (some new).It is great to read a more skeptical view of America's history and balance this with the very pro-American typical history books.It's better to be skeptical than to follow blindly.
History is written by the victors, and this is a great, fresh perspective that seems a little more fair and realistic.
Of the history books I have read, this was the most enjoyable.
Rating: - Outstanding introductory test on American history
As a former university instructor and lover of American history, I believe that The History Of The American People is without equal as an introduction to American history, either as a class text or simply as a great read for asnyone who wants to know the real history of our country.
It is meticulously documented but it is also extremely well written and truly a joy to read.
The only criticism I would make is that the section on world war two, while certainly accurate as far ... Read More
Rating: - So Many Hidden Facts!!!
I was amazed when I read this book!There's so much information to digest and a fresh new perspective on history is FINALLY given to the reader!Anyone interested in the history of this country should DEFINITELY read this book!
- Liberal biasI was told that this was a good book for my students.....but if you want them to read a left slanted, liberal biased history of the US....this book is for you,but not for me.
- A New DirectionZinn's History provides some much needed perspective from minority groups throughout America's history, starting, of course, in 1492 with Columbus.The book provides interesting new interpretations of historical events and backs them up with a variety of source material.Zinn's prose is clear, poignant, and unabashed in addressing the grievances of a great many groups of people.For those who have only heard the victor's version of American history, this book will provide a sobering look at many ... Read More
- Great ReadThis book brings up a lot of very interesting questions and topics (some new).It is great to read a more skeptical view of America's history and balance this with the very pro-American typical history books.It's better to be skeptical than to follow blindly.
History is written by the victors, and this is a great, fresh perspective that seems a little more fair and realistic.
Of the history books I have read, this was the most enjoyable.
- Outstanding introductory test on American historyAs a former university instructor and lover of American history, I believe that The History Of The American People is without equal as an introduction to American history, either as a class text or simply as a great read for asnyone who wants to know the real history of our country.
It is meticulously documented but it is also extremely well written and truly a joy to read.
The only criticism I would make is that the section on world war two, while certainly accurate as far ... Read More
- So Many Hidden Facts!!!I was amazed when I read this book!There's so much information to digest and a fresh new perspective on history is FINALLY given to the reader!Anyone interested in the history of this country should DEFINITELY read this book!
