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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
“If history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without denying the past, it should... emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past when, even in brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join together, and occasionally to win.”
A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn
This is a groundbreaking and eye-opening work that challenges the sanitized, triumphalist version of American history so often taught in schools. Rather than focusing solely on presidents, generals, and the so-called “great men,” Zinn centers the stories of workers, Indigenous people, women, enslaved Africans, and others whose voices are too often erased from the national narrative.
This book doesn’t shy away from America’s darker chapters. In fact, it insists we confront them head-on. From the genocide of Native peoples and the brutal legacy of slavery to the struggles of labor movements, civil rights activists, and anti-war protestors, Zinn reveals the warts-and-all history of the U.S. that is essential to understanding who we are as a nation.
In a time when our government and current administration are attempting to erase, sanitize, or rewrite history to suit political agendas, “A People’s History” is more vital than ever. Zinn’s work reminds us that historical memory is a battleground and that by acknowledging the full complexity of our past, we can begin to build a more just and honest future.
This is not just a book about where we’ve been, it’s a call to action for where we still need to go. For anyone seeking to understand the United States beyond mythology, and to see the people behind the power, “A People’s History” is required reading.
A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn
This is a groundbreaking and eye-opening work that challenges the sanitized, triumphalist version of American history so often taught in schools. Rather than focusing solely on presidents, generals, and the so-called “great men,” Zinn centers the stories of workers, Indigenous people, women, enslaved Africans, and others whose voices are too often erased from the national narrative.
This book doesn’t shy away from America’s darker chapters. In fact, it insists we confront them head-on. From the genocide of Native peoples and the brutal legacy of slavery to the struggles of labor movements, civil rights activists, and anti-war protestors, Zinn reveals the warts-and-all history of the U.S. that is essential to understanding who we are as a nation.
In a time when our government and current administration are attempting to erase, sanitize, or rewrite history to suit political agendas, “A People’s History” is more vital than ever. Zinn’s work reminds us that historical memory is a battleground and that by acknowledging the full complexity of our past, we can begin to build a more just and honest future.
This is not just a book about where we’ve been, it’s a call to action for where we still need to go. For anyone seeking to understand the United States beyond mythology, and to see the people behind the power, “A People’s History” is required reading.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
I am giving up on this one. This is the first book I’ve DNFd in a long time, but I can’t do it. It’s been two months and I still hate every page. Got to the halfway point but I’m done torturing myself.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
An expansive yet detailed look into the real history of the United States. This book should be, but would never be allowed to be, required reading for every student in America. From Columbus to 9/11, Zinn explores the way the ruling class has controlled what we now know as the United States and used the middle and lower classes to their advantage. Though a sobering reminder of the horrors of this country’s history, the book offers concrete examples of the moments throughout the last hundreds of years where “the people” have taken part in rebellious movements that have shaped what progress the country has made at a social level. Glimmers of hope can be taken from these examples. From strikes to riots, people in America have had to fight to gain dignity and rights, and that fight continues to this day.
Reading this book lends valuable insight into why things are the way they are today. Our particular moment in history, in 2025, may seem like uncharted territory for many people, but nothing is particularly ahistorical about the Trump administration’s warmongering, deportations, silencing of free speech, expansionism, etc. A People’s History also highlights the bipartisan consensus of our countries major political parties in protecting the interests of the ruling class, and how neither party has never represented the interests of “the people”. Again, only through the agitation can true progress be made, and this book provides models for the type of resistance necessary in our current time.
Reading this book lends valuable insight into why things are the way they are today. Our particular moment in history, in 2025, may seem like uncharted territory for many people, but nothing is particularly ahistorical about the Trump administration’s warmongering, deportations, silencing of free speech, expansionism, etc. A People’s History also highlights the bipartisan consensus of our countries major political parties in protecting the interests of the ruling class, and how neither party has never represented the interests of “the people”. Again, only through the agitation can true progress be made, and this book provides models for the type of resistance necessary in our current time.
It’s great but it’s 34 hours on audiobook and my library loan is not long enough to finish
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Everyone should read this book at least once in life. I've started it twice before and it was so heavy I put it down by the time I hit the 50s. I finished it this time, and it's more relevant than ever.
Just a bit too heavy right now with everything going on in the world. Could definitely see myself returning to it though.