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A People's History of the United States

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A People's History of the United States

By: Howard Zinn
Narrated by: Jeff Zinn
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"A wonderful, splendid book - a book that should be ready by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future." (Howard Fast)

For much of his life, historian Howard Zinn chronicled American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version 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, A People's History of the United States 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' 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.

©2009 Howard Zinn (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers Americas Democracy Ideologies & Doctrines Politics & Government American History War Equality Capitalism Socialism Social justice Thought-Provoking Inspiring Discrimination Student United States History

Critic reviews

"Zinn's work is a vital corrective to triumphalist accounts." ( Publishers Weekly)
Marginalized Voices • Untold Stories • Engaging Narration • Oppressed Perspectives • Grassroots Struggles
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Few books have stirred such patriotic feelings in me. It's wonderful to to live in a country, that, despite its flaws, allows a book that goes against the grain of the "accepted narrative" to be printed.

Many will accuse Zinn of being biased, but that is the point. History is, by its nature, biased from a point of view. Zinn is writing a People's history, telling events from the points of view that have long been silenced. Anyone offended by this would be better suited for less literate works by gaseous pundits that bolster weak arguments rather than challenge the mind.

It is true that the audio book should have been edited before release. I noted one long swatch of narrative that was repeated (Were there long omissions? I may never know). Also entertaining was a long sound check that showed fascinating insights into the workings of the audiobook recording industry. However, the errors are few and shouldn't detract from an otherwise fascinating and vital work.

A Must-Read

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The narrator sucks! The production was poor. I read most of the comments and was like it can not be that bad. They must have fix some problems because I did not hear a few that were mentioned through out the comments. The narrators voice gets loud then soft many times. Sometimes so soft that I have to crank up the volume and then all of a sudden the guy is screaming. I did find myself laughing at the way he tried to read people's names and when he was trying to read the writings from African Americans. Although the information was very good, it would have helped the book out if they add more chapters to break the information down. Instead of having one 3 hour chapter, how about 5-10 sub chapters to give the listener a break and a good stopping place to take in all that information. In all, I guess it could have been worse, I could have been the narrator!

Narration SUCKS and poor production!

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This book changed the way I view the founding of our great nation. Howard Zinn backs all of his claims and views with concrete documentation from the period. This book will tell you the peoples side of the story, not the glorified ideals that they put into modern text books. The slaves Native Americans, and women finally have their voice through Howard Zinn. I would and have recommended this book to all who want to know the peoples view of our great nation.

Wonderfully incite full

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I've heard talk about this book for years. Conservatives have raged against it, accusing it of liberal propaganda. I've heard friends and educators praise it. I've even heard liberal professors call it ahistorical and rubbish. And so I read it for myself. Firstly, everything discussed in the book is FACT. What Zinn points out that while most historians (and by extension politicians and professors) all recognize the basic facts of American history. The question is how is it discussed. In the 'objective' narratives, one finds the stories of the down trodden largely minimized or washed away entirely. The founding fathers are messiahs in their own right, and while the question of slavery and civil rights may be addressed, they are covered in a way that paints America as troubled but also unique in it's pursuit of equality. The military exploits of America, outside of the bigger ones such as Korea and Vietnam, are largely left to bullet points or blanket statements. Hell, even on my exam for the CSET (The subject oriented exam given to prospective teachers), the cold war coups orchestrated by the US are mentioned in perhaps a sentence or two while focusing much more on the value of the free market and American ideals. This book takes all that into account and explores topics not so much discussed in the likes of Alexander the musical and the mainstream historical readings. The class angle of the founding fathers, the regime change legacy of the US, which stretches much farther back than Iraq and Afghanistan, and so much more. Feminism, class struggle, racial inequality, wealth distribution in the long view, and war are centra focus points in the book. Zinn cites historians, media and firsthand accounts, as well as statistics to analyze America's past and also it's trajectory. perhaps most importantly, the book gives agency to it's readers.

A Must Read

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The standard version of history served up by school books and teachers was written by politicians and elites for politicians and elites, not to teach the foundations of democracy, but to keep it in check. This book illuminates a consistent pattern of governing to serve capitalism and its wealthiest at the expense of the vast majority of us, from the "discovery" of America to the present.

Essential reading for a reality check

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Howard Zinn is extremely articulate, and his book is well-researched and based on fact, not American textbook propaganda.

The best, the truth.

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Did the narration match the pace of the story?

More or less, but Mat Damon narrates the second half highlights from 20th century and I think he does a much better job. I wish he could have narrated this unabridged version

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it takes a lot of absorbing. I had to put it down and think about it, reread it and then start again.

Mind Blowing

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So many review bombs on this book "communist trash", "bummer" or flame it for not giving the "good sides of American history". And if they read the book and listened to it, they would understand that when it comes to the people's view of American history THERE ARE NO GOOD SIDES. It has been a constant uphill, agonizing, demoralizing, abusive climb for any one not belonging to the wealthy and powerful. And if you truly think about it, can you think of one major social upheaval that has not eventually gone to the right side of history?
Basic workers' rights, women's suffrage, the civil rights movement, all of these seem so common sense now, but at their time they had to fight a major backlash against the powers that be, mainly the rich and mainly the white. In many ways these fights are still occuring, which is a sad fact, and yes...a bummer.

No history book is devoid of bias, simply because you only have so many pages to write on. And when you write a book that spans 600 years, you are going to have to dwell on some things and avoid others. But the main message of this book is that true positive change in America has only happened, and can only happen, when those that are mistreated avoid their differences and unite against their common oppressors. And also the history books that look through America from the len's of single political figures do little to tell the story of America

You Need Only Look At the Anonymous Review Bombs

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This history of the US shows all the bad points of US history and how the US treated many groups very bad. However, the author weaves threads in and out and confuses the reader.

Good Story But No Consistency

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very detailed, sourceful and fluid. highly recommend it to anyone. must have. I also bought the hard over for my bookshelf

Best history book

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