Anyone read "People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn

[pocketkangaroo]

I know it's kind of famous from the line in Good Will Hunting, but the book is actually fucking eye opening. If you are interested in American History, not the sugar coated stuff we learn in Junior High, I highly recommend picking it up. It's a long read but very interesting.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Great book!!!

I majored in History, with a focus on Social History - Howard Zinn has always been one of my favorite authors to read, and to listen to on NPR, etc.

I don't always agree entirely with him, but he is quite astute, and challenges you intellectually.

ADG

[pocketkangaroo]

I haven't heard his radio interviews but noticed there is a DVD out on him that is in my Netflix queue. Being a history buff, can you recommend any books?

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

A selection of Howard Zinn's published work:

- Voices of a People's History of the United States (with Anthony Arnove)

From the publisher: "Here in their own words are Frederick Douglass, George Jackson, Chief Joseph, Martin Luther King Jr., Plough Jogger, Sacco and Vanzetti, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Mark Twain, and Malcolm X, to name just a few of the hundreds of voices that appear in Voices of a People's History of the United States, edited by Howard Zinn and
Anthony Arnove.

Paralleling the twenty-four chapters of Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Voices of a People's History is the long-awaited companion volume to the national bestseller."

- Howard Zinn on Democratic Education

From the publisher: "Howard Zinn on Democratic Education describes what is missing from school textbooks and in classrooms-and how we move beyond these deficiencies to improve student education. Critical skills of citizenship are insufficiently developed in schools, according to Zinn.

Textbooks and curricula must be changed to transcend the recitation of received wisdom too common today in our schools. Educational policies of Bush and most previous presidents have been on the wrong track in meeting educational needs.

This book seeks to redefine national goals at a time when public debates over education have never been more polarized-nor higher in public visibility and contentious debate." (Paradigm Publishers)

- The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

From the publisher: "The Zinn Reader represents the first time Zinn has attempted to present the depth, and breadth, of his concerns in one volume. The result is a monumental book, one that will remain, alongside A People's History of the United States, as an essential and necessary Zinn text."

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

From the publisher: "Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace." (Harper Collins)

- You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

From the publisher: "Acclaimed historian Howard Zinn has both chronicled and participated in some of the most important social movements of our time. In 'You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train,' Zinn's experiences speak to the future as much as to the past: they show in vivid detail how small actions can effect historic change." (Beacon Press)

- Terrorism and War (with Anthony Arnove)

From the publisher: "New interviews conducted since the tragic events of September 11 and the bombing campaign against Afghanistan, Terrorism and War provides Zinn's most up-to-date thinking on war, terrorism, and the new global order." (Seven Stories Press)

- Howard Zinn on War

From the publisher: "Howard Zinn on War includes reflections on the Vietnam War, World War II, the recent wars against Iraq and in Kosovo, and on the meaning of war in a world where even the "most advanced" societies have proven themselves incapable of overcoming the primitive predilection for physically attacking their neighbors." (Seven Stories
Press)

- Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice

From the publisher: "From the bestselling author of A People's History of the United States comes this selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at American political ideology. Previously published as 'Declarations of Independence.'" (Harper Collins)

- Emma

From the publisher: "In this play, historian and playwright Howard Zinn dramatizes the life of Emma Goldman, the anarchist, feminist, and free-spirited thinker who was exiled from the United States because of her outspoken views, including her opposition to World War I." (South End Press)

- Artists in Times of War

From the publisher: "'Political power,' says Howard Zinn, 'is controlled by the corporate elite, and the arts are the locale for a kind of guerilla warfare in the sense that guerillas look for apertures and opportunities where they can have an effect."

In his new book, "Artists in Times of War,' Zinn looks at the possibilities to create such apertures through art, film, activism, publishing and through our everyday lives." (Seven Stories Press)

- Howard Zinn on History

From the publisher: "Howard Zinn on History is a handy pocket guide on the uses of history-and the power of history when it is put to the service of the struggle for human rights-by America's most beloved radical historian." (Seven Stories Press)

- The Twentieth Century: A People's History

From the publisher: "Containing just the twentieth-century chapters from Howard Zinn's bestselling A People's History of the United States, this revised and updated edition includes two new chapters - covering Clinton's presidency, the 2000 Election, and the 'war on terrorism.'" (Harper Collins)

- The People Speak: American Voices, Some Famous, Some Little Known
From the publisher: "To celebrate the millionth copy sold of Howard Zinn's great People's History of the United States, Zinn drew on the words of Americans -- some famous, some little known -- across the range of American history.

Collected here under one cover is a brief history of America told through dramatic readings applauding the enduring spirit of dissent." (Harper Collins)

http://howardzinn.org/default - HowardZinn.org

- The Politics of History

From the publisher: "This paperback bestseller presents a series of case studies and thought-provoking essays arguing for a radical approach to history and providing a revisionist interpretation of the historian's role. In a new introduction written for this edition, Howard Zinn responds to critics of the 1970 edition and comments further on the radicalization of
history." (University of Illinois Press)

- The Future of History: Interviews with David Barsamian

From the publisher: "Who will control the past--and the future? In these panoramic interviews (1989-1998), Howard Zinn makes sense of the last century as only he can, tying together themes as diverse as the rise and fall (and rise again?) of the labor movement and the role of arts in American politics. He creates a platform from which to fight for the future and a funny, fast-paced read." (Common Courage Press)

- SNCC: The New Abolitionists (Volume 1, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "An indispensable study of the Student Nonviolent Coordinatitng Committee, of the 1960s, and of the process of social change." (South End Press)

- The Southern Mystique (Volume 2, South End Press Radical 60s Series)
From the publisher: "Zinn challenges the stereotypes surrounding the South, race relations, and how change happens in history." (South End Press)

- Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawl (Volume 3, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "Of the many books that challenged the Vietnam War, Howard Zinn's stands out as one of the best and most influential. It helped spark national debate on the war." (South End Press)

- Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies of Law and Order (Volume 4, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "In this slim volume, historian Howard Zinn lays out a clear and dynamic case for civil disobedience and protest. He challenges the dominant arguments against forms of protest that challenge the status quo." (South End Press)

- Postwar America: 1945-1971 (Volume 5, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "By critically examining US militarism abroad and racism at home, he raises challenging questions about this often romanticized era." (South End Press)

- Justice in Everyday Life: The Way It Really Works (Volume 6, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "This critical anthology edited by Howard Zinn covers the reality of justice, which has always stood in sharp contrast to the rhetoric about equal rights under the law." (South End Press)

- Failure to Quit: Reflections of an Optimistic Historian (Volume 7, South End Press Radical 60s Series)

From the publisher: "Howard Zinn discusses a wide range of historical and political topics, from the role of the Supreme Court in US history to the nature of higher education today." (South End Press)

ADG

[pocketkangaroo]

Nice list, will probably pick up one or two of his books next week.