Our country will never be able to live up to the lofty ideals of our founding documents unless we come to grips with the truth of how we got where we are. This book tells the truth about how the people on top have butchered and suppressed others in order to STAY on top. The first 10 pages are absolutely shocking - WHY do we celebrate Columbus Day?
Every American school student should be required to read this, if only to counterbalance the glorious, whitewashed history that is in our textbooks.

The sad part is the ideas Zinn is so passionate about deserve to be expressed well and read by an even larger audience than he currently enjoys.

Had Zinn hooked up with a good writer this may well have been a good book. As it stands I can't help feel I am browsing wily nilly through stacks of index cards filled with quotes, facts, and observations from original and secondary sources pertaining to a particular view of U.S. history.

Now all someone has to do is organize all these cards into a book with, if we are lucky, a compelling narrative flow. That is a separate art from the collection of the index cards, something Zinn is very good at.

Currently the material is mind numbingly unorganized, repetitive, and verbose, which is a shame. Zinn's view of the primary forces that have shaped, and continue to shape our country deserve a better showing.

It's obvious this cat knew the kind of book he wanted to write before he started. He just needed the facts and data to back it up. A lot of this guy's opinions and conclusions are probably right. But it's hard to lend much credibility to a historian who grabs at so many straws. One thing I remember was he wrote about a riot in New York during the Civil War and stated that no actual number of deaths were ever recorded, but that this was the largest number of deaths ever in a case of domestic violence in America. Is that a guess then? I think that's around pg. 236, though I don't have it in front of me. One thing I do know is on pg. 193 he talks about the massacre at Fort Pillow, Kentucky. Dude, Fort Pillow is in Tennessee. If you can't even get a fact like that straight, how can I trust all the other less clear-cut things you present? Go ahead and read this if you want a non-typical book that doesn't rave about how great America's past was. Just don't put much stock in everything this guy tries to feed you.

This is a book that everyone should read & should be a requirement in all schools.

Wow! Just superb. It gave me the real, true perspective of the US. It was an eye opener for me. One of my top 3 reads of all time.

Thank you!

Amazing book. I am 63 years old and wish I'd been interested in american history sooner. I spent most of my life blindly believing the history of school textbooks. Howard Zinn blows the lid off of most of what I had accepted as gospel. This book certainly opened my eyes to what went on behind the scenes. We may not be bad people, but we've sure had some very bad leaders over the years, who made some very selfish decisions without regard to the long term effects of their actions. Three cheers for Howard Zinn.

Well written, intensely compelling, and mind expanding. This book should be a mandatory read for every high school student in the country. Throw away The American Pageant, and hand out Zinn's book instead.

Professor Zinn definitely fills a need--a well-documented political history of the United States from the point-of-view of those who work to move this country nearer to a realization of the democratic values expressed in The Declaration of Independence--in other words to transform the beautiful rhetoric of the Declaration into political reality. This work has only begun and has a long way to go. Zinn's book does disappoint me, though, in touching so lightly on cultural history: just to pick two examples, the Index lists neither J.J. Audubon nor George Washington Carver. My impression is that Zinn elbows the unique achievements of Americans aside in his anxiety to shine a searchlight on our dirty laundry--of which there is a great heap!

People in America love the fairy tale of America being the greatest best hope of mankind, and all that blind patriotic crap that we've all had shoved down our throat our entire lives. This book is a reaction to the fairy tales that most American so blindly believe. Zinn honesty admits this book is biased, just like any work of art is. You only have to look at the title of the book to realize that this is history told from the perspective of the oppressed and violated. Does it leave out the perspective of the establishment? Yes. Does it have an anti-patriotic edge? For sure. But this does not mean it's any less accurate than the "official" version of American history taught in our schools. More than anything it shows that oppressed and marginalized parts of our population transcend race, political ideology, and even class.

I love Howard Zinn. The most amicable individual I have ever seen. Sure he is a peace activist and a scholar. That, in and of itself gets my vote.

Some people slam Howard Zinn for communist, etc... yet our "democratic" government (almost) always suppresses the truth; goes the extra mile to not provide the complete story; makes sure people can't voice their opinion (sometimes).

I found it to be a complex read and yes kind of dry and gut-wrenching at times, but overall I believe that's the way it was (and continues to be). There's plenty of evidence everywhere.
Like Howard said himself... the difference between History in middle school and graduate school, is the footnotes. The system does not want to teach how barbaric our precursors were. No other way of sugar coating it.

It is tremendously important for people (in America) to know that The United States of America is NOT America. The name America is given to a whole, entire continent. This name was given by a Italian conquistador, Amerigo Vespucci . [...]

That said... there is an incredible level of ignorance about history in this country. History of the world, and how societies have evolved, raised and fallen, etc... But all in the context of the world, not just the current empire. This is how/why current leaders raise to power, because of ignorance of the people and lack of understanding of other societies (concieved by the government, by design).

I think it is time for the USA to start looking at all the other more stable and prosperous democracies around the world. Howard Zinn can help you do that through books like his.

Believe me, there ARE prosperous and stable democracies out there...

I rate non-fiction books on two criteria: how much I learn and how much I'm entertained. This book rates high for the first criterion but low for the second.

The basic premise of this book pretty much "duhhh." You mean corporations and a capitalist government is bad for the poor? Say it ain't so! You mean we did horrible things to American Indians and slaves? No way! However, this book does give many rich details about these subjects and many more. If you like to argue liberal/socialist principles, this book will definitely help you frame your arguments. It's helped me a lot in the blogosphere. It's extremely well researched and well cited. Even if you don't get into this stuff, you might enjoy trying to punch holes in Zinn's arguments.

However, it is quite a chore to get through. It's as exciting as a textbook. It is truly a college-level history textbook from a different viewpoint. I could only read it in small doses.

I am a big fan of history and wanted to see what the buzz regarding this book was all about. I am fully aware that history is written by the conquerors and there are plenty of shameful things my country has done that the government has not even tried to lie about or cover up, so... I was very curious to learn what more there is that my burnt out, under paid, teachers did not know, or bother, to share with me. I am still not bothered by my countries conquest. What is revolting is the lieing, cheating, murdering, stealing and most of all the hypocrisy. As we find ourselves in more conflicts in the Middle East, it only reminds me that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. I guess they would need to be concerned about history, or the future, in the first place for it to make a difference. I read this book as I do all things, with a skeptical eye. I would still very much recommend it. It helps to have an interest in history and or politics and or geography as it can be a dry read at times. But either way it is time well spent. Tony Stengel

This hugely popular, best-selling book is the second great work of revisionist history published in the 20th century, the first being Charles A. Beard's "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States." Zinn writes in a style similar to Beard's, with the intention of inspiring academic debate by re-interpreting American history through a lens of strict socio-economic class stratification. This leads to sweeping and ultimately rather ponderous conclusions regarding the extent to which America has historically been a racist, imperialist society sustained by the economic exploitation of the masses by privileged elites.

Like Beard's work, "A People's History" is indeed a wonderful tool for stimulating academic debate. But no scholar worth their weight seriously believes that Zinn's book is an accurate portrayal of how America's history unfolded. Revisionism is meant to be taken with a grain of salt; its purpose is to challenge convention, and not necessarily to present the truth.

This is a fantastic history book, very easy to read and eye opening! My husband and I are both reading it. So different than what we are taught in school. I absolutely love this book.

I bought this book to learn history. Turns out, the whole thing is just shallow socialist propaganda. Don't buy it. You'll be better off.

finally a great history book kids can relate to
a must to read along as one study the tedious scholar books of American History.
As a teacher i did it and my students got so involved , loved it and wanted more, never had enough of it.
Howard Zinn is a great Master! highly highly recommended ! cb

This author does an excellent job of portraying the history of the United States from the view of the people. He illustrates quite well the hard times people have experienced and still go through to this day. Definitely a recommended book.

This is probably the most important history book you'll ever read. Contrary to the opinion of those who disapprove of this book through their important Amazon reviews, I (a Zinn fan) do not consider myself a communist, libertarian, socialist, Democrat or Republican. I do not find arguments for or against any of these labels either necessary for my own growth or relative to truth. Rather I find arguments built on principles of truth, equality, liberty, peace and justice to be the most virtuous ones and the most beneficial to my own personal freedom and the freedom of all. These arguments seem to always transcend such labels.

In that vein, Zinn wrote this book with passion but remained free of subjectivity, free of ideology, free from fear of retaliation, all the while transcending all of those aforementioned labels. A People's History makes those who do not believe that change is possible and necessary, jump in their seats. But that's fine with this reviewer. Let them jump out of their shells and rethink what they learned! This book aims to do just that, get you rethinking the truths you once held sacred as a part of US history.

Through this book, his anti-war activism, and his endless tours promoting the ideas of truth and liberty by disclosing historical truths, Zinn has captured the spirit of this country. That is, its self-evident truth of equality and the rights of all to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This books gives great insight into United state history. It covers from Columbus time to present. Author did extensive research and presented detailed look events chronologically. Its a must read for any one who wants to understand & analyze how USA evolved over the years.

It's interesting to me how dismissive some of the reviewers are of this book. I'm not a Communist or even a Socialist. I am a human being who is alarmed by the revisionist tales we tell ourselves about who we are as Americans and how we became a nation. Our true healing as a country will come when we can take responsibility for our actions thus far, and move into a new paradigm that truly values and honors all living creatures. Or to paraphrase Buckminister Fuller, "a world that works for everyone". This book is a marvelous first step. It's reader friendly and thorough. If you want to know more about our true history, read this book.

Useless, a disappointing purchase. I sold mine off. It's just alot of leftist thought regarding how nasty everyone was throughout the years of the U.S.'s history, oppressing everyone.

This has to be one of the most fascinating History books ever. I wish they had had this out when I was in school.

The book is filled with interesting information, but I didn't love the way it was written. I agree that it sometimes seems like a losers history of the US.

I found this book to be, at times, outstanding. At other times, less than outstanding. Some chapters stand alone quite well as excellent sources of history, while other chapters tend to tread water. I found the author's writing style a bit hard to digest. This aspect of the book is my biggest complaint. After reading the book (from a library) I did decide to buy it because I feel certain chapters/passages will serve me well in the future as an educator.

Howard Zinn's time is past. Colleges and universities stopped using it long ago. The last bastion was the high schools but today's teachers know it for what it is and use it only sparingly as an example of how revisionist historians distort history.

Great read and I would recommend it to anyone! It would have gotten 5 stars, but to me, he seemed to drag some of the subjects a little long. I guess this book should be required reading before being able to vote in this country, considering the terra incognita most U.S. citizens have for oneselfs own country,(Historically/Politically). Lest the reader can agree/disagree and can vote, caveat emptor!

Trying to condense the history of the United States into a paperback book is a daunting, if not impossible, challenge. Howard Zinn manages to pull off this feat by assuming that the reader already has a basic understanding of American History. This leads to some glossing over of topics, but the overall effort is a success. For sure, this is not the history that most of us learned in elementary school (Zinn is particularly harsh on the actions and attitudes of Colonial-era America), but chances are if you're reading this book you looking for a more mature, and possibly challenging, take on the subject.

Ok, Howie, OK, I get it: USA bad, everyone else good. But that's waaaaay too simplistic. Though I should not be surprised. Mr. Zinn is one of those people who seem to think that the United States is the only country in the history of civilization to have conquered the natives, oppressed people, etc. Guess what? Other countries have, too! *gasp!* Hard to believe, I know, but crack open 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and be amazed.

Also, condemning Columbus, et al. for not having 20th/21st century "morals", viewpoints, whatever is a waste of time. The only thing that comes across is a smug superiority of "If I was there at the time, I would have saved the day!" Most people in history were doing what they thought was best AT THAT TIME, enlightened or not.

Hey, I'll be the first to admit we're not a perfect country (is any country perfect?)... but I'd still rather live here than any place else.

Zinn's history is well-researched and well-written. It is readable, which separates it from about 92% of history texts, and I recommend it to anyone with a good knowledge of United States history and a hunger to learn more.

That said (and "that" is quite a lot), there are also some substantial flaws to this work.

This is a "socialist" history of the United States -- it is written from that perspective, is laced with the appropriate commentary, and selectively provides facts to support its own conclusions. The author defends such a thing throughout the work by insisting that his -- the "other side" -- is a minority viewpoint, offered to balance the overwhelming amount of material that already supplies the viewpoint of the majority.

Let us concede that Zinn's work runs contrary to most of his competitors. It still remains that a highly-biased history, eschewing any pretense towards "balance" or presenting both sides of a conflict, or the relevant context of any given situation, is incomplete. When Zinn discusses, say, Vietnam, and gives us the perspective of the Vietnamese, or of the ethnic minority, or pacifist G.I., it's well and good. We ought to learn about these perspectives that are woefully underrepresented in standard history classes and texts. However, to *only* present that side, and not any other -- to mention "domino theory" without any discussion of Stalin, or Soviet spying programs, or the fallout of the Yalta conference, or the Chinese "support" of North Korea, or Communism itself -- is to do a disservice to the reader. Zinn says that he dislikes such a political, "great man" approach to history altogether (though he enjoys discussing "great men" when he agrees with them, like Malcolm X), but without the greater context, it is impossible to really assess Zinn's critiques which are all written with that context in mind. Anyone who assumes that people reading this already know all about the majority viewpoint of these issues hasn't been on a college campus lately.

Zinn reaches (or at least provides) a number of conclusions, most quite cynical, that the various "reforms" undertaken by U.S. politicians were attempts to mollify a discontented, potentially-revolutionary underclass. Vietnam is presented as a cold, calculated "safety valve" feature -- we send our youth to die in war as a way of distracting our voting populace. In the complete absence of a true discussion of the context of any given conflict, such conclusions are, perhaps, permissible. But they are untenable against the wider backdrop of United States history, which is, perhaps, why Zinn is uninterested in giving us such a backdrop.

This is not to say that Vietnam was "good" or any of the other things that Zinn fights against -- these are fine conversations to have. It is only to say that, in his drive to counter what he feels are 1-sided narratives, Zinn provides his own 1-sided narrative, which winds up being equally as unbalanced, narrow, and biased as those against which he struggles.

Socialists, and their fellow-travelers, will take comfort in Zinn's history, just as some will stick to those histories that ignore all of Zinn's topics -- because they find them comfortingly agreeable with their own, ready-made ideologies. A true student of history, however, ought to pursue an understanding of all sides, and a complete context against which to evaluate particular events, people, and episodes. Such a student will find one side of the story well-presented here, and in an enjoyable format. But the student must understand absolutely that this is only one side of the story, and does not represent a full examination of the events being discussed.

This book inspired me to learn more about the country that I live in. Zinn wrote an absolute classic. I read it about two years ago and will give it another read in a few years as a refresher...& yes I will encourage my child to read this book, probably around the high school age so he can get a real grasp of a people's point of view towards this country's past.

A must read!

This is a brilliantly presented, comprehensive, and powerful articulation of the true History of the United States. This book carefully explains WHY were are the way we are -- race, class, law, economics, politics, wars, etc.

1. No 'serious' scholar or observer of U.S. History or Political Science should be taken seriously unless he/she can say that they have read this book.

2. This should be required reading in all American classrooms and libraries.

3. As a lover of history (and avid reader), I consider this the MOST important U.S. History book I have ever read.

Zinn's history is well-researched and well-written. It is readable, which separates it from about 92% of history texts, and I recommend it to anyone with a good knowledge of United States history and a hunger to learn more.

That said (and "that" is quite a lot), there are also some substantial flaws to this work.

This is a "socialist" history of the United States -- it is written from that perspective, is laced with the appropriate commentary, and selectively provides facts to support its own conclusions. The author defends such a thing throughout the work by insisting that his -- the "other side" -- is a minority viewpoint, offered to balance the overwhelming amount of material that already supplies the viewpoint of the majority.

Let us concede that Zinn's work runs contrary to most of his competitors. It still remains that a highly-biased history, eschewing any pretense towards "balance" or presenting both sides of a conflict, or the relevant context of any given situation, is incomplete. When Zinn discusses, say, Vietnam, and gives us the perspective of the Vietnamese, or of the ethnic minority, or pacifist G.I., it's well and good. We ought to learn about these perspectives that are woefully underrepresented in standard history classes and texts. However, to *only* present that side, and not any other -- to mention "domino theory" without any discussion of Stalin, or Soviet spying programs, or the fallout of the Yalta conference, or the Chinese "support" of North Korea, or Communism itself -- is to do a disservice to the reader. Zinn says that he dislikes such a political, "great man" approach to history altogether (though he enjoys discussing "great men" when he agrees with them, like Malcolm X), but without the greater context, it is impossible to really assess Zinn's critiques which are all written with that context in mind. Anyone who assumes that people reading this already know all about the majority viewpoint of these issues hasn't been on a college campus lately.

Zinn reaches (or at least provides) a number of conclusions, most quite cynical, that the various "reforms" undertaken by U.S. politicians were attempts to mollify a discontented, potentially-revolutionary underclass. Vietnam is presented as a cold, calculated "safety valve" feature -- we send our youth to die in war as a way of distracting our voting populace. In the complete absence of a true discussion of the context of any given conflict, such conclusions are, perhaps, permissible. But they are untenable against the wider backdrop of United States history, which is, perhaps, why Zinn is uninterested in giving us such a backdrop.

This is not to say that Vietnam was "good" or any of the other things that Zinn fights against -- these are fine conversations to have. It is only to say that, in his drive to counter what he feels are 1-sided narratives, Zinn provides his own 1-sided narrative, which winds up being equally as unbalanced, narrow, and biased as those against which he struggles.

Socialists, and their fellow-travelers, will take comfort in Zinn's history, just as some will stick to those histories that ignore all of Zinn's topics -- because they find them comfortingly agreeable with their own, ready-made ideologies. A true student of history, however, ought to pursue an understanding of all sides, and a complete context against which to evaluate particular events, people, and episodes. Such a student will find much lacking, here.

Any student of history or lay person with a passing interest in the history of this country should read this. Some would complain that this has a "leftist" P.O.V., but I would content as Zinn does that this is simply a history by and for the people.

Matt Zarnstorff

Zinn's history of social struggle in America is nothing short of brutal. I just finished it. When all the atrocities against poor Americans and the rest of the world are portrayed without the usual flag-waving patriotic rhetoric and justification associated with it, we see a stark and persuasive condemnation of American domestic and foreign policy. It is a difficult read and not without slanting of its own, but compared to the standard representations of American history, they are minor. I was aware of Native American history since I've studied that for a long time. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is a classic. But new to me was the organic generation of the labor movement. Unions evolved from spontaneous uprisings against oppressive business practices, not as a result of socialist agitation. Imagine, only 100 years ago in America, people were struggling to reduce child labor from 10 hour days! As many people were dying in industrial accidents then as in automobiles today - mining, railroad, steel, construction, farming and factory were all dangerous occupations with absolutely no compensation owed to the injured or killed. It took demonstrations, strikes, and class-action lawsuits to improve these atrocities. Today we see some trying to eliminate the class-action process, mislabeling it the cause of increased medical and insurance costs!

Slavery is another important ingredient in this history and does much to illuminate the rift between white America and black. To have an ancestry who were literarily bought and sold, denied education, prohibited from marrying, and defined in public policy as inferior or even sub-human leaves an irrepressible scar in the psyche of an entire race. The violent counteraction to the on-going suppression of blacks is met with prisons and punishment only slightly more refined than lynching but with the same general inspiration and purpose. Immigrants, the women's movement, worker's rights, minorities, the poor and jobless, gay rights, non-Christian and atheist rights, the struggle goes on and on while the richest 1% in America determine the political structure, balance of power, candidates for public office, legislation, and foreign policy. Our foreign policy today can be neatly summarized - as in George Orwell's 1984 - as a perpetual state of war to promote unopposed patriotism and industrial welfare. When necessary, we switch partners and the dance goes on. We've propped up dictators, overthrown democracies, and armed death squads against revolutionaries modeling their cause on our own American Revolution - all for economic domination that seems beyond reproach for monetary stability and growth. We've lost our recent wars against indigenous opponents for exactly the same reasons our founding republic defeated the most powerful nation on earth in our own War of Independence. When its your home, you have everything to lose and will never give up the fight.

The same brutal attenuation of the character and value of other cultures is seen today as justification for a continued militancy in foreign policy extended from that applied to non-whites here at home. Surrounded by mountains of civilian corpses in Iraq, we have the audacity to claim we are trying to establish freedom and democracy. With our shiny-new foreign policy of preemptive war, if we were to relive the Cold War, we would have struck the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with hundreds of nuclear bombs in 1949 - surprise!

Mostly, Zinn establishes the argument that the America government is now, and mostly always has been, a tool for the wealthy to control the population at large while establishing institutions and rules of law that justify and promote that structure. Today we see the out-sourcing of manufacturing, pharmaceutical, software, and research jobs from America to foreign shores for the sole benefit of mega-corporations more intent on the short-range goals of increased profit margins - already fabulously high - then a concern for the well being at home and world leadership based upon a humanitarian America. We continue to maintain an armed force geared to fighting the Soviet Union and Red China (two mythical monsters) while the rest of the world looks at us as a once reliable power now sickened by its own self-interest, Christian dogma, a furious economy that relies on threats and enemies for its continued inferno, and a military-industrial complex that the supreme commander of the monstrous military machine that ground across Europe to victory in the second world war warned against as the most serious threat to American democracy. We see government institutions today - from the Supreme Court, and Congress and White House, to governmental departments like Defense, Labor, Justice, and Environmental Protection, the State Department and CIA that promote a democracy that ensures the well being of the ultra rich and privileged.

Zinn portrays a history where every freedom, right, and protection under the law has been won by people uniting to rise up and rile against the power of the establishment - from emancipation to voter rights and integration to a 40-hour work week. And the establishment has always feared most the power of unification. So we have today the knife-edge divide between liberals and conservatives, blue states and red, Christians and heathens, allies and enemies, gays and straights, blacks, whites, Hispanics, Muslims, Cops TV and nightly news broadcast featuring black male suspects.

But Zinn fails to acknowledge that America has in fact progressed, arduous and painful as has been the process and is today comparatively ahead of many other societies. Historically, progress has often entailed social enlightenment that broke the bonds of discrimination and injustice practiced worldwide and not unique to America. But this is still a powerful work that can change one's recognition of the origins of social unrest within our boarders and cast light on a militant foreign policy with haunting awareness.

Very interesting read. Many of us were told in elementary school the winners write history. Well this book is told from the "losers" point of view. It gives a more rounded view of U.S. history you thought you knew in and out. The making of America was a hostile take over, not the romantic fairy tale we memorize about equality of ALL men (and women), or the fact that our ancestors were looking for religious freedom. Europeans wiped out Native Americans who taught them how to farm and live off the land, ironically we celebrate this with Thanksgiving, but forget about clan who made it possible. When you finish reading this you will realize the many things you celebrate today is because of a systematic injustice of others.

A historian has two duties. The first is to get the facts right about what happened. The second is to interpret them honestly and impartialy. This book fails on both counts.

The problem with this book is not the author's political views; many political extremists wrote excellent history. Nor is it that his political views influence his work: many historians fail the imparitality test, and still can at least give an interesting, if biased, account of why things happened as they did. The problem is that the book is that it is, first, dishonest: the author deliberatly leaves out "inconvenient" facts and puts in inaccurate claims that support the author's thesis ("noble savage opressed by greedy capitalists"). The second problem is that it is simply wrong: quite a few of the "facts" it presents are simply wrong. A biased history book is one thing; a dishonest, inaccurate history book is something else altogether.

For example, it is simply not true that the English settlers in Virginia genocided the Powhatan Indians; it is not true that the Chesapeake colonies avidly desired slaves, or that income inequality increased in the 18th century colonies; it is not true that Lincoln "changed his views to suit his audience"; it is not true that a woman named Polly Baker was "tried for having children out of wedlock" (it is a well-known literary hoax perpetuated by Benjamin Franklin to call attention to the mistreatment of women by the justice system); it is not true that the Tet offensive was a Northern victory (quite the opposite, in fact, dramatic TV footage to the contrary notwithstanding).

And so on and so forth. The non-facts presented as "history" in this book could fill a volume--and they did (at least, they filled quite a few pages in Prof. Oscar Handlin's review of the book, back in 1980). It is hard to decide whether Zinn is simply a careless, incompetent historian or whether he is knowingly distorting and inventing "facts", that is, if he's lying. This, however, is a moot point, since this is hardly the only general history book available about the United States. With so many good books out there, why bother with this one?

Of course in the history of our American history it is inevitable that HOTUSA would be published. Zinn didn't create anything revolutionary. Literature provides hardly the first step towards revolution. But atmospherically journeying through HOTUSA the reader clearly gets an awakening. The book overall is completely useless. If you want to go do something deny the false democracy we live in and launch a discourse against the institutions (like our useless education system and government) that control, manipulate and dominate the minds of supposedly "free" individuals.

The one history of the United States absolutely every person who cares about this country should read. Mandatory.

I wish I had had access to this book decades ago. I am 58 now. I just finished reading it this evening. I had my impression of American history based on inoffensive and boring texts in high school; books that basically suggested Americans were the good guys at all times and in all places. That naivete nearly got me killed. If I had had some real sense of perspective on how and why America went to war I might not have joined the Marines during the Vietnam era. I really believed then that if Our Government took military action then it must have a darn good reason. I was just young, poor, and blindly ignorant, but with a genuine desire to do the right thing. I was just lucky that I was never sent to Vietnam. Most of my fellow Marines were and many did not return. It took me many years of reading, newscasts, and reflection to finally realize that My Government not infreqently engages in outright criminal behavior followed by lies and deceit at its highest levels to cover up the crimes. Reading Dr. Zinn's book just clarified and organized the picture more completely. It's an extremely valuable supplement to mainstream histories; one every student should be encouraged to read. Here is where the word "education" takes on a profound meaning. Zinn's book serves to "educate" us in a true sense by showing us an alternative way to think about our culture and its effect on the world. Whenever someone can stimulate you to think more clearly about things that are important--that's education. Anyone who reads this book carefully and reflects on its contents is far less likely to be "had" by a politician or a political party. And it provides hope; there actually were very large and successful strikes, social movements and mass resistance to government policies in our history. Until I read Dr. Zinn's book I hadn't really known that; in fact, there were a great many significant events that I had never heard about.

Howard Zinn seeks to explain all of United States history through a Marxist perspective in which the ruling classes dominate the proletariat. If this doesn't sound interesting to you, I would recommend buying another book.

I believe Zinn's analysis does have something important to offer a student of American history. He explores little known and frequently disregarded aspects of the American experience.

The only criticism I have of this work is that, since it covers more than half a millenia of history in one volume, it can be a little overwhelming. Perhaps a less ambitious focus, say of a hundred years, could offer more in depth coverage of the events and personalities involved. By necessity, Zinn works rather quickly in such an ambitious work that seeks to desribe all of American history in only 682 pages.

was a great gift for your history buff. A major hit. Will buy additional copies for other "buffs" when their special days approach.

I bought this for my son for Christmas. He will be student teaching in the fall and will be teaching history. His professor told him this is the best book he could read for facts on the History of the United States. He was so excited when he opened it and I am so glad that Amazon offered it for purchase. I wouldn't look anywhere else for books!

This book should be used in all history classes in the world. A book to read and keep in the library.

This book provides the history that we never learned in school. It is well written and enjoyable to read.

bought as a gift for daughter who is studying to be a history teacher. She was thrilled to receive it because it had been highly recommended to her.

Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky are often lumped into the same category: Highly-eductated Americans who see nothing but lies and hidden agendas within the United States Government. Yet both make their cases quite passionately and back it up with intense research and fact checking.
This book is one of the "greatest hits" of both of their arsenals, along with Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent" which was made into an outstanding documentary film.
Anyone who feels a twinge of suspicion whenever a politician discusses welfare programs, or when a sitting President starts waving the flag will enjoy this book immensely. Though I will say that there are times while reading this book where you just may feel a little ashamed at being an American.

This book is a concise history for the masses. It describes the reasons nations become powerful and the consequences of their actions. It should be required reading for students so that they understand why we are where we are. Hopefully it forces readers to question the actions of governments and how those actions impact us and others around the world. And whether governments' power and actions are in the best interest of the majority or only an elite, powerful minority. Once this question has been asked and answered, the next step is to ask what should be done to change the status quo. There are tons of books out there to help you answer that question. I recommend Parecon to help you get started.

The USA, for good and for bad, has nowadays a great influence on the rest of the world. I, therefore, believe it is important to try to understand their ways, which are not the ways of most of the world. Although we all know that "americans" (I am also american, having been born in South America) are more interested in things than in people, I found Zinn's book illuminating in this respect and many others. Culture, in its anthropological meaning, is a historical construction, and Zinn manages to unfold this construction from its very beginning. Together with the video "The american dream", it's the most illuminating document I have found in this respect. I recommend it to all who wish to understand better the USA and its contradictions.

Most works dealing with history are carefully researched and are backed up by other sources. You can find where the author gets his or her information by reading the citations.

You won't find citations in this book...not one. You're reading nothing but a book of opinions. you may agree with those opinions or not but that's all they are in this book.

Several of his claims are simply not true, such as stating that Washington was the richest man in America...hardly but it makes for a good story, a Marxist story; the richest assuming power. The reoccurring theme in Zinn's work is that of class conflict. Read Marx if you want, but this is little more than a man's opinion of American history through the distorted view of a Marxist.

This is an amazing book. Every American needs to know the little-known history of the United States that is brought out by Howard Zinn's painstaking research. It is not always a happy story, but since those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it--it is a story that we need to know.

This book should be mandatory reading for every member of the U.S. Government.