A People's History of the United States

By: Howard Zinn

Narrated by: Jeff Zinn

Length: 34 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

"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

Critic reviews

"Zinn's work is a vital corrective to triumphalist accounts." ( Publishers Weekly)

Even History Haters Will Love This

Every country should be so lucky as to have a history like this that punctures all the carefully concocted national myths and gives the contrary view--in Zinn's account George Washington was a wealthy landowner who fomented revolution for personal gain; Abe Lincoln believed blacks were not equal to whites and only abolished slavery out of political expediency; FDR was a staunch defender of upper-class privilege who only introduced the New Deal to defuse revolt; etc. But Zinn is not just a gadfly--his version makes sense more often than not, and furthermore, his great sense of story gives hackneyed old history new life and makes for highly enjoyable entertainment. And don't pay any attention to the quibbles about production quality--the actual reading is fine and the few technical glitches there are barely deserve mention.

Essential reading!

This book was so eye opening. I highly recommend this knowledge-bomb! It's hard to get though parts because it can be quite depressing but power through, it's well worth it!

Informative and relevant

The content of the book is simply amazing. Zinn tells countless stories of injustice and citizen struggles that generally don’t show up in history books or popular media. The audio quality was also well done.

I almost didn’t purchase this audiobook because some reviewers complained of the audio quality and some transitions. In over 30 hours of content I only noticed a couple glitches, but they hardly took away from the message or listening experience.

Required reading for our times.

Excellent book, from Columbus to post 9-11 certainly not an easy read, but one worth the journey.

Very one sided and negative view.

A very one sided negative view on the USA. One would have to be a fool not to know all countries have a good and a bad side this book tells only the the negative side of our development has a nation. I was hoping it would be a non biased account of our history.

THIS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!

What made the experience of listening to A People's History of the United States the most enjoyable?

THE PERFORMANCE WAS GREAT

What did you like best about this story?

UNKNOWN FACTS

What about Jeff Zinn’s performance did you like?

VERY MUCH

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

I READ IT IN SCHOOL BUT WANTED TO LISTEN TO IT IN MY CAR

Any additional comments?

JUST INCREDIBLY POWERFUL

Worthwhile listen

Definitely recommend this. Overall a lot of great information, providing a different perspective from what we’re usually taught.

I struggled through the early chapters (wasn’t crazy about the narrator), but once I sped the playback up to 1.25x speed, it was much easier to get through it.

My major criticism is the repetitive nature of a lot of the information. Instead of making a point and moving on, the author would repeat the same point over and over, using lots of different examples. I understand the value of thoroughly researched positions, but I would have preferred for the information to have been packaged and presented more efficiently.

Simply essential reading!

Eye-opening wake up call showing the arc of history from 1490s to the 1990s (and a little into the 2000s) from the perspective of "the people" what the author calls the "99%" of humans not in powerful elite positions. Helps one grasp why today's headlines exist and what can be done to affect change. just read it and share it widely

A must read

This is an excellent book which challenges the "traditional" history permeating the culture. All should be required to read this, as it provides an important perspective on history from the viewpoint of the oppressed, rather than the oppressors (which are often overly glorified).

Read it no matter what

In 2006, I picked up two hitch hikers along the road and gave them a ride to Slidell. They were in NOLA to help us rebuild our schools after the storm. One of them gave me this book. It's taken me 9 years to REALLY finish it and has left me more aware of people's plight, more sensitive to their burdens, more knowledgable of domestic rebellions and filled with more hope that we can make this world the type of utopian society we are far more than capable of creating.
Thank you Howard Zinn... Give this book to your children.
#Apeopleshistoryoftheunitedstates #howardzinn