THE CLASSIC NATIONAL BESTSELLER“A wonderful, splendid book—a book that should be read by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future.” –Howard FastHistorian Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its … up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace.
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, it 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, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As Zinn shows, many of our country’s greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women’s rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.
Covering Christopher Columbus’s arrival through President Clinton’s first term, A People’s History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. This edition also includes an introduction by Anthony Arnove, who wrote, directed, and produced The People Speak with Zinn and who coauthored, with Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
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Historically inaccurate. Has ruined a generation of historians.
Socialist/communist view of American history. Waste of time and money.
Just terrible. A myopic, one-dimensional view of history that exhibits no apparent understanding of the historical context of any given event. Rather, it prefers to judge historical events through a modern lense, casting actors and motives across a moral spectrum. While history always benefits from new or competing viewpoints and research, Zinn’s work is too steeped in a pervasive political agenda to be more than a conversion-starter. Learn your facts from a more objective source first, then turn to Zinn only to explore how history can be twisted to advance a political agenda. If you can stomach his self-righteous moralizing, that is.
A humorous and yet deeply biased view of American history.
Should be required reading for every registered voter before they vote.
classic good leftist history of the USA
easy reading, entertaining
high school level
I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK SO I CANNOT RATE IT!!
the history of the United States essentially told by the losing side instead of the history of the winners you were taught in school. Like Will Haunting said “it will blow your hair back”
I read this book because it was mentioned in the film GOOD WILL HUNTING. Will mentioned it as a book that would ‘blow your hair back’ and he wasn’t wrong. Well, kind of wrong since I’m bald but it did make me raise my eyebrows. It is history written from the perspective of the conquered and enslaved and I have to say, it opened my eyes to a lot. Capitalism, socialism, the manipulation of the poor, the powerless, and the voiceless all finally, have their stories told. I’ve never been so sad, angry and disgusted by the machinations of the uber rich when reading a book before. That being said, and the author states, that there is some bias in this book BUT, it doesn’t make the facts or the words written by the conquerors any less grotesque. This is going on my shelves as a hardcover to keep.
Depressing as hell. This should be mandatory reading for all American high school kids.
Rating this book seems a little crazy. It is all the history that you didn’t know but should. As much as we love this country, it doesn’t always do the right thing. If you didn’t know that you really need to read this book.
This should be required reading in ALL American public schools.
This book is filled with distortions and half truths based on manipulations of original source documents
revisionist history
One of the best books that I have ever read concerning U.S. history. this should be ‘required reading’ in overall educational institutions.
excellent source of REAL american history
Not a balanced view of history.
Cynical.
This book sucks, revisionist history all the way.
Best description of this book is “fiction”. Biased to the core.
Biased, not true history.