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sassysara's review against another edition
4.0
I am very impressed with Zinn’s ability to present practically all of Euro-American US History (starting at 1492) in less than 800 pages. The text was easy to read (listen to) and had a lot of information that they are just now beginning to touch on at universities. Part of me thinks Zinn’s book, originally published in 1980 with numerous updates over the years, likely influenced the university curriculum taught today.
My main critique is that there is no mention of the US’s role in the founding of Israel or its close relations with Zionists and how that has negatively impacted the Palestinian people.
I looked up an interview he did for Moment magazine (which covers Jewish politics) before his passing in 2010 and he did state that he believed the Jewish state was a mistake. He is quoted saying, “if it’s never again, it’s not just never again for Jews, it’s never again for anybody.” So I am glad to see that he publicly commented on Israel, but it would have been nice if he included it in this book.
He also barely touched on Latino or LGBTQIA+ issues, but he did acknowledge that fact in his afterward and recommended texts for future reading.
My main critique is that there is no mention of the US’s role in the founding of Israel or its close relations with Zionists and how that has negatively impacted the Palestinian people.
I looked up an interview he did for Moment magazine (which covers Jewish politics) before his passing in 2010 and he did state that he believed the Jewish state was a mistake. He is quoted saying, “if it’s never again, it’s not just never again for Jews, it’s never again for anybody.” So I am glad to see that he publicly commented on Israel, but it would have been nice if he included it in this book.
He also barely touched on Latino or LGBTQIA+ issues, but he did acknowledge that fact in his afterward and recommended texts for future reading.
samlikestoreadbooks's review
5.0
Should be required reading for all Americans as a jumping off point for anti imperialism and the dreams of the creation of a better world
savaging's review
5.0
"My point is not to grieve for the victims and denounce the executioners. Those tears, that anger, cast into the past, deplete our moral energy for the present. And the lines are not always clear. In the long run, the oppressor is also a victim. In the short run (and so far, human history has consisted only of short runs), victims, themselves desperate and tainted with the culture that oppresses them, turn on other victims."
A note on the final chapters: Zinn is a better historian than prophet. In the last chapters, when he tries to pick out which social movements at the time are doing the important work, he spends a lot of ink on groups that seem pretty irrelevant to me now, and doesn't mention movements that have grown and remained relevant since the book was published.
A note on the final chapters: Zinn is a better historian than prophet. In the last chapters, when he tries to pick out which social movements at the time are doing the important work, he spends a lot of ink on groups that seem pretty irrelevant to me now, and doesn't mention movements that have grown and remained relevant since the book was published.
laurenscholle's review
5.0
4.5. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I want to use it to teach —already have a couple of ideas for certain sections
sreyasreya's review
4.0
Interesting view on history. I had a problem with this idea that Howard Zinn—a white man—could say that he was writing from the perspective of oppressed people.
raerni's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Honestly, this book was fine and did what it sought out to do, but in my mind, was also entirely too long. I imagine it might be ground-breaking or eye-opening for those who have only encountered the dominant discourses of U.S. history. However, as someone already immersed in that history, I felt like it dragged. I did learn about some specific incidents that I had not previously encountered, but I fear I won’t maintain them given the pure length of this book. I would have rather engaged with shorter books on specific eras of U.S. history.