A People’s History Book Review
Sometimes, you just have to read a book you know will change you. Sometimes, it’s scary to confront Truth, especially when you feel so helpless in the face of it. But knowledge is power, and how can you be helpless when you now have the knowledge to inform better decisions and to change perspectives?
So the Very Casual Book Club embarked on a journey to read renowned historian Howard Zinn’s magnum opus: A People’s History of the United States. Jo and I had both read sections of this behemoth of a book, but neither of us had ever committed to drudging through the hundreds of years of bloodshed, genocide, injustice, and persecution that pervades American history. (There is no argument against this – it is factual that the Land of the Free was built on the backs of slave/serf labor, racial oppression, sexism, and the mass slaughtering of humans.)
What does Zinn mean when he refers to A People’s History? Zinn specifically writes for the sake of and from the perspective of the oppressed. That includes but isn’t limited to immigrants, slaves, women, children, socialists, communists, protestors, and indigenous peoples. Zinn himself was born into a family of uneducated immigrants. Really, take the time just to scan his Wikipedia page, and you’ll find a fascinating man.
This book takes you through a roller coaster of emotions. Anger at the systems structuring the U.S. serve the elite and wealthy. Disgust at the lies perpetuated by governments and education systems. Hope that a brighter, more just future is beyond the horizon. Fear that such a bright and just day will never come. As I began tabbing A People’s History, I decided that blue tabs would signify any moment I felt intense hope or powerful love for the history of this country. Ultimately, I had no more than six blue tabs.
Admittedly, certain sections wear on the reader – if I had to read about labor strikes for one more sentence, I would’ve lost it. But I can write that from a privileged standpoint considering I’ve never had to endure a strike myself. Even as recently as 2023, labor strikes have been at the forefront of gaining equitable treatment and pay from the higher-ups. (Looking at you, Hollywood.) Other sections of A People’s History simply ache to read from the sheer inhumanity. (The My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War in particular has burrowed into my brain.) But growth doesn’t come from ease. That’s why it is important to read books such as these.
Zinn’s book is the most mainstream in left-leaning, humanity-focused histories, I’d say, but discussing this book with people, Internet research, and BookTok has led me to other important books, ones that delve deeper into those hardest questions. A few examples:
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Don’t be afraid to read a book like this. Take it slowly. Read it with a friend. Confront those hardest truths. It’s all worthwhile.
