It is hard for me to fathom that I was at one time a history major in college, yet had not heard of this book. If there is one thing that I did not liIt is hard for me to fathom that I was at one time a history major in college, yet had not heard of this book. If there is one thing that I did not like about the book is that it ended... Professor Howard Zinn covers the history of the United States from its founding until the declaration of the "War on Terror" from the perspective of popular movements and the "losers" of history. This is a book that should be on the shelves of everyone who cares anything about history, politics and civic involvement. Professor Zinn stands besides Dr. Sherman Jackson as amongst my favorite contemporary authors. His recent passing is a blow to the academic and political world.
In regards to the low reviews that this book has received, they either stem from people who do prefer to take the ideological view of history, purged from the inconvenient facts that get in the way of nationalistic patriotism, or decry the work because it is in fact, a history book. Does Professor Zinn offer new information that was hidden in the manuscripts and private collections of his nation's political establishment? No. That was not the intent of the work. His aim was to summarize the often neglected history of popular resistance and the people who were on the losing end of our nation's establishment and subsequent rise to superpower status. There is not a single fact or bit of information that cannot be found in other sources. But the fluid narrative and manner in which Professor Zinn contextualizes the suppressed history of this country is remarkable.
Objectivity is a myth and the fact that Professor Zinn does not seek to hide his agenda should not be seen as a negative. The story is for the author to tell, whether or not the conclusions reach accord with the facts at hand should be the criterion by which the work should be judged. And upon those grounds, one would be hard-pressed to object to anything that Professor Zinn has penned....more
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