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The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn

by Dave Zirin

Howard Zinn in the currents of American history

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Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    New York Times bestselling author

    The metadata identifies Dave Zirin as a New York Times bestselling author.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Howard Zinn in the currents of American history

Dave Zirin places Howard Zinn’s life and historical writing alongside the political movements and conflicts that shaped the United States across the 20th century. The biography spans the Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and Zinn’s later years, connecting his work as a historian with his decades of political engagement. Its account draws on family input and Zinn’s personal papers, while examples from his teaching at Spelman College and work related to the release of POWs in Hanoi situate his public legacy in particular episodes of his life. The book also considers how that legacy relates to contemporary political movements.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Howard Zinn’s life, writing, and political engagement.
  • Readers exploring 20th-century U.S. history through biography.
  • Readers interested in the history of civil rights and progressive movements.

Themes

Howard Zinn’s life and historical work20th-century U.S. political historyCivil rights and social movementsHistorical legacy and contemporary politics

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A biography of iconic radical historian Howard Zinn, examining his life and work as a progressive icon and thought leader through the story of the times that shaped him as well as the United States of America.

From The Nation magazine columnist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Zirin, The People's Historian is a deeply researched biography of Howard Zinn, the beloved author of the classic national bestseller with more than four million copies sold, A People's History of the United States.

The People's Historian shows Zinn's presence on the great canvases of the 20th century: from the Depression to World War II to the Civil Rights Movement to the war in Vietnam all the way until his death in 2010. With intimately researched stories from Zinn's life and career, such as the way Atlanta's small Spelman College, where Zinn taught as a young professor, helped launch the Civil Rights Movement, Zinn's work traveling to Hanoi to engineer the release of POWs, and his continuing influence in the emerging Democratic Socialist movement, The People's Historian explores Zinn's past while also demonstrating how his 75 years of political engagement with the social struggles of his time informs our perilous present.

With input from family and access to Zinn's personal papers, The People's Historian paints a picture of the man behind A People's History, examining his work and legacy in the broader context of the United States.
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