A People's History of the United States

Highlights from the Twentieth Century

By: Howard Zinn

Narrated by: Matt Damon, Howard Zinn

For much of his life, historian Howard Zinn has been chronicling 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, Zinn's 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 - its women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. Here we learn that many of our country's greatest battles - labor laws, women's rights, racial equality - were carried out at the grassroots level, against steel-willed resistance. This edition of A People's History of the United States features insightful analysis of some of the most important events in this country in the past 100 years.

Featuring a preface and afterword read by the author himself, this audio continues Howard Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.

Also, listen to The People Speak, a celebration of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.©1980, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003 Howard Zinn (P)199, 2003 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Matt Damon's reading captures the spirit of the text. Like the book, Damon's voice has an edge to it. He expresses the author's outrage regarding the exploitation of certain groups in American history. He also communicates Zinn's admiration for the courage and determination demonstrated by protest leaders." ( AudioFile)

Thought provoking perspective

I found this book disturbingly powerful, soul searching and convincing. The thesis is that government portrays the idea of a unified country with a common identity and and National Interest& in order to perpetuate a system where the rich stay rich and benefit greatly and the lower classes of people are kept subservient. The wars since WWII have been to perpetuate the interest of large corporations whose policies place greed above human life, working conditions rights and freedoms. Wars are fought by poorer classes of Americans and the myth of National Interest& is used to motivate them. Wars also serve to distract those being taken advantage of at home from realizing this fact. There are grave injustices against blacks, women, Latinos, gays etc in this country as well as the people in the countries that we attack. The money that could have been used to improve the plight of the underprivileged is instead being used to make arms for the military to fight these wars. The ultimate suffering is by children. Children killed and mutilated by wars, children born in poverty in this country and children of immigrants who are denied services in this country by the lack of social programs. This book makes you want to fight for social justice. I highly recommend this book.

USMC Veteran

If you are an American, you must listen to, and or read this book. If you are not American, please do not, because it will only piss you off even more.

It will ruin you forever... for the better

This book really rocks your world if you still believed everything they taught you at school about American History. It makes you want to go out and learn more... realizing how little we really know and brain-washed we all have been.

Zinn Comes Through in a Big Way!

I really enjoyed reading Howard Zinn’s, People’s History of the United States, in the way that he made history come alive and be fun to read. I like history in general, but he could be at times somewhat drudgery reading through various depictions of a particular author’s description of historical events. Zinn doesn’t really good job in keeping you captivated by the way he delivers the information, with not over doing it on the details, but becoming a very good storyteller.

Even though the United States history only goes back several hundred years, this book is still chock-full of information about the familiar characters that have made up our history. The book also is up-to-date and current in regards to talking about the New Millennium, the “War on Terrorism” and recent events within the last 10 years.

This is recommended reading for anyone who even has the slightest interest in the history of the United States and what has gone to make this country great, in spite of the trials and tribulations and challenges that we continue to go through.

expected more from the title

i thought it would go deeper into the founding of the country. Good, but mostly a people's history of the 2nd half of the 20th century.

Exceptional. A wonderful compilation of facts and history. Easy to follow and clear and understand. It fills in the gap for us

W. A wonderful way to chat with friends,
Almost way to be certain how we got where we are today.

Listen to it. Now. Do it.

A beacon of fair representation in history. Brace yourself for some rage, fury and frustration.

Powerful and Frustrating.

I don't normally do any abridgements, but I picked this up on the last two for one sale.
Loved Matt Damon as the reader (cool Will Hunting tie-in). I appreciated that the author took over the final section as that part deviated from facts to editorial comment.
I was in college during the Viet Nam/ Pentagon Papers and Watergate eras. I KNOW our government lies. I grow so disillusioned by our inability to learn from our history. It doesn't matter who is in the White House...nothing changes.

Over all, I now need to find time to do the whole History.
Well worth the listen.

eye opener

a great story of a history untold. I've never felt like I've been part of history but this book makes history human and I find that I am part of that history

A must listen for learning “American” history

While Matt Damon’s readings were bland and difficult to discern when switching history topics, the topics themselves are nonetheless what has been left out of “regularly taught” American history.
Howard Zinn’s recitation was much better and I appreciate his acknowledgments of the shortcomings of even his tellings of American history. Still a very good and important listen.