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A People's History of American Empire by Paul M. Buhle, Mike Konopacki, Dave Wagner, Howard Zinn
quietjenn's review against another edition
5.0
Enlightening, entertaining, infuriating, inspirational.
lpreadstoo's review against another edition
in addition to the classic zinnian prose (which you will likely enjoy or not to the same degree that you enjoy/don't other things by zinn) the book really benefits from some dramatic drawings. and i am not just saying this because the illustrator was a friend of my parents when i was growing up, though that was a bit hilarious to discover. this connection did however inspire my mom to read the book. no word yet on what she thinks.
zzazazz's review against another edition
5.0
I tore through over a weekend. A nice essay on American foreign policy with pictures.
djinn_n_juice's review against another edition
3.0
So, if there is a god, he/she/it/they doesn't hold my intellect in very high esteem.
He/she/it/they must think I'm an idiot.
See, a while back, I reserved Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and what I ended up arriving on the holds shelf was the children's version, complete with funny illustrations to try and walk teenagers through the theory of relativity. Now, I thought I had placed a hold on A People's History of the United States, and I ended up with this graphic novel.
It's quite possible I just suck at placing holds.
Anywho, I'll start with this graphic novel, and then launch into my rant. This is an adaptation of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States into graphic novel form. The art was aight, but nothing to write home about, and that’s pretty much how I felt about the whole adaptation: the form doesn’t add much in the way of substance, although I’m sure this makes it more likely that some people intimidated by the pictureless tome would read this.
Speaking of, here’s a picture of a cute baby panda, in case your attention was drifting.
I may be making shit up, but I’ve gotten a sense that conservatives dismiss Howard Zinn as a partisan who does nothing but poo-poo the U.S. of A., portraying it as politically corrupt. However, the same people who dismiss him for this join the Taxed Enough Already party, even though the party has no tea, nor any dancing or spiked punch. So, let us be consistent for a minute: IS the government overriding our freedoms or not? It doesn’t magically become invasive when a democrat’s in office, and then become Smokey the Safety Bear when a republican’s in office. These parties BOTH support constant foreign wars that are motivated by partially empirical motives. These parties BOTH supported big checks for the big banks as soon as they started whining. These parties BOTH agree on a lot of the big issues, and I think most of us disagree with both parties on these issues—or would, if these issues weren’t ignored by the media.
That said, even if you know you reject socialism as a political structure, you should read this book. (In whichever form you prefer.) Even if you don’t agree with some of Zinn’s positions, that doesn’t make the research he’s done invalid, nor does it make the facts he discusses false. This is a history book that challenges a lot of the assumptions taken by the history textbooks we’re forced to read in schools. Zinn believes the U.S. is accountable for its actions in Vietnam, World War I, and…well, ALL of its actions. This doesn’t mean he hates this country. It means he refuses to be blinded by nationalism. If we wear blinders regarding our own nation’s actions, why on earth would we expect to NOT be taken advantage of by those in power? When we look at the history of any other country, in any other time period, we can see intrigue, corruption, and a power structure that disfavors the poor. Why would we assume without research that the same thing isn’t happening in the U.S. right now?
It is.
Howard Zinn was one of our great historians, because he challenged the mainstream and saw his job as more than teaching history: he was a social activist that fought against injustices. It’s for his books that he’ll be remembered hundreds of years from now, but it’s for the whole of his life that I will say this:
Howard Zinn was badass.
He/she/it/they must think I'm an idiot.
See, a while back, I reserved Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and what I ended up arriving on the holds shelf was the children's version, complete with funny illustrations to try and walk teenagers through the theory of relativity. Now, I thought I had placed a hold on A People's History of the United States, and I ended up with this graphic novel.
It's quite possible I just suck at placing holds.
Anywho, I'll start with this graphic novel, and then launch into my rant. This is an adaptation of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States into graphic novel form. The art was aight, but nothing to write home about, and that’s pretty much how I felt about the whole adaptation: the form doesn’t add much in the way of substance, although I’m sure this makes it more likely that some people intimidated by the pictureless tome would read this.
Speaking of, here’s a picture of a cute baby panda, in case your attention was drifting.
I may be making shit up, but I’ve gotten a sense that conservatives dismiss Howard Zinn as a partisan who does nothing but poo-poo the U.S. of A., portraying it as politically corrupt. However, the same people who dismiss him for this join the Taxed Enough Already party, even though the party has no tea, nor any dancing or spiked punch. So, let us be consistent for a minute: IS the government overriding our freedoms or not? It doesn’t magically become invasive when a democrat’s in office, and then become Smokey the Safety Bear when a republican’s in office. These parties BOTH support constant foreign wars that are motivated by partially empirical motives. These parties BOTH supported big checks for the big banks as soon as they started whining. These parties BOTH agree on a lot of the big issues, and I think most of us disagree with both parties on these issues—or would, if these issues weren’t ignored by the media.
That said, even if you know you reject socialism as a political structure, you should read this book. (In whichever form you prefer.) Even if you don’t agree with some of Zinn’s positions, that doesn’t make the research he’s done invalid, nor does it make the facts he discusses false. This is a history book that challenges a lot of the assumptions taken by the history textbooks we’re forced to read in schools. Zinn believes the U.S. is accountable for its actions in Vietnam, World War I, and…well, ALL of its actions. This doesn’t mean he hates this country. It means he refuses to be blinded by nationalism. If we wear blinders regarding our own nation’s actions, why on earth would we expect to NOT be taken advantage of by those in power? When we look at the history of any other country, in any other time period, we can see intrigue, corruption, and a power structure that disfavors the poor. Why would we assume without research that the same thing isn’t happening in the U.S. right now?
It is.
Howard Zinn was one of our great historians, because he challenged the mainstream and saw his job as more than teaching history: he was a social activist that fought against injustices. It’s for his books that he’ll be remembered hundreds of years from now, but it’s for the whole of his life that I will say this:
Howard Zinn was badass.
mark_cc's review against another edition
4.0
I wish there had been more direct citation, or a lot more "according to," since it's always hard to take an alternate view of history as face value.
I was also surprised by how violently graphic some of the art was, despite its cartoonish nature in general. I know that's appropriate for the subject matter, but wow.
I was also surprised by how violently graphic some of the art was, despite its cartoonish nature in general. I know that's appropriate for the subject matter, but wow.
peppermint_kiss's review against another edition
1.0
I could not finish it; It was too biased and condescending.
alexctelander's review against another edition
3.0
A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF AMERICAN EMPIRE BY HOWARD ZINN, MIKE KONOPACKI, AND PAUL BUHLE: Activist, author, and teacher Howard Zinn is probably best known for the consistently bestselling A People’s History of the United States, with the help of writer Mike Konopacki and artist Paul Buhle, now presents A People’s History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaptation. With the popularity of books like Persepolis, 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, and Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, the genre of journalism through graphic illustration is a growing one, and now has a solid member with Howard Zinn’s book.
A People’s History of American Empire begins at the beginning with the growing American colonies and subjugation of minorities on the North American continent. The book does not hold back in putting blame on the US government, as we pass through the civil war, and the World Wars, spending time in revealing the apparent need of the government to be in charge of everything. It becomes obvious that something strange has been going on for over a century, where the American government seems obsessed with controlling the governments and peoples of developing countries in Central and South America. The term “empire” is key for the book as it extols on America’s need to be dictating the actions of other countries. As we reach the 1960s, the authors go into detail about the transference of this “American empire” from the Americas to the Middle East, when oil became such a necessary natural resource. The book does an excellent job in showing just who it is that suffers most: the poor, whichever country they may be in. Many die and A People’s History shows this as a necessary sacrifice, for ultimately it’s not Americans dying.
A People’s History of Empire is a sobering look at American history through the actions of its government, its presidents, and its politicians. The artwork aids the writing, in showing an emotion and character of the people and events, making a stronger impression on the reader. It reveals a true history rarely seen or discussed in history books that makes the reader wonder at times why so many other countries revere the United States as the land of the free, with the amount of blood that has been spilled in its past over personal gain.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
A People’s History of American Empire begins at the beginning with the growing American colonies and subjugation of minorities on the North American continent. The book does not hold back in putting blame on the US government, as we pass through the civil war, and the World Wars, spending time in revealing the apparent need of the government to be in charge of everything. It becomes obvious that something strange has been going on for over a century, where the American government seems obsessed with controlling the governments and peoples of developing countries in Central and South America. The term “empire” is key for the book as it extols on America’s need to be dictating the actions of other countries. As we reach the 1960s, the authors go into detail about the transference of this “American empire” from the Americas to the Middle East, when oil became such a necessary natural resource. The book does an excellent job in showing just who it is that suffers most: the poor, whichever country they may be in. Many die and A People’s History shows this as a necessary sacrifice, for ultimately it’s not Americans dying.
A People’s History of Empire is a sobering look at American history through the actions of its government, its presidents, and its politicians. The artwork aids the writing, in showing an emotion and character of the people and events, making a stronger impression on the reader. It reveals a true history rarely seen or discussed in history books that makes the reader wonder at times why so many other countries revere the United States as the land of the free, with the amount of blood that has been spilled in its past over personal gain.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
paladinboy's review against another edition
4.0
I have read a several "subversive" books but this particular view of American History shows a deep distrust of the American government and its goals. Though the end of the book does give credit to some progress the majority is reserved for the story of the self serving state. This is a fine foil to the standard American Mythology of Great White Men and their wars.
buffalokid's review against another edition
5.0
The writing is dense, basically taken straight out of Zinns book, BUT if you want some serious history that isn't lessened by basic visual interpretation - get in here!