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23rd out of 274 books
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A People's History of American Empire
Since its landmark publication in 1980, A People’s History of the United States has had six new editions, sold more than 1.7 million copies, become required classroom reading throughout the country, and been turned into an acclaimed play. More than a successful book, A People’s History triggered a revolution in the way history is told, displacing the official versions with...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by Metropolitan Books
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starting with mad magazine, then to the "big book" series, moving onto the "beginners" series, then onto other types of graphic novels and interpretations, the genre and pop-education in general has fascinated me for awhile. This is an amazing addition to the genre, although as a pop-ed tool, the rhetoric may be a bit too much for many people not versed in radical theory, ideology, or thought. i considered getting this for my dad for xmas, but then realized he may be a bit ...more
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Sarah Maddaford
rated it
I didn't put it down because I disagreed with the presentation of history (although I do think it is a bit harsh). I put it down because it is a large book filled with a single version of historical events. While I do not think that the author is anti-America or anti-American, he is certainly anti-establishment, anti-expansionist, and rather bitter. He served in the military, which gives him more right to be upset with American foreign policy and military action (in my opinion). If I sat down wi...more
This is a graphic novel adaptation of Zinn’s famous history book, “A People’s History of the United States.”
It doesn’t cover everything in “A People’s History...”, but starts with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, when American soldiers killed or wounded 300 Native Americans in about an hour. In the 1890’s, America was going through a depression, so a foreign enemy was needed against which to rally the public (along with finding new markets to exploit). The Cuban Revolution was atte...more
It doesn’t cover everything in “A People’s History...”, but starts with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, when American soldiers killed or wounded 300 Native Americans in about an hour. In the 1890’s, America was going through a depression, so a foreign enemy was needed against which to rally the public (along with finding new markets to exploit). The Cuban Revolution was atte...more
A graphic combination of incidents from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" (see my review), and his autobiography (which I have not read), this "People's History", as the title suggests, emphasizes the interfering role of the United States in world events, and how the people of those nations and our own have tried to fight back. It also, like Zinn's longer written history, talks about the struggle of labor, Native Americans, and slaves and their descende...more
This is a retelling of A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present in comic book form, with an emphasis on American foreign policy that downright imperial. And we're not talking classic American soft power here, where we send Coke and McDonald's in order to get people to buy American products in an effort to spread our cultural values. Rather, we're talking about a cynical examination of American international actions like the Spanish-American war, Manifest Destiny, Iran Contra, a...more
I don't dispute that much of what is presented here is factual. I would however dispute that ALL of the facts are being presented. I understand that those who believe in "radical" politics feel that their viewpoints have been massively underrepresented - but that doesn't give you a pass on dealing with historical facts that don't support your overarching thesis.
This is a polemic on American imperialism rather than an alternative look at American history... and that impression...more
This is a polemic on American imperialism rather than an alternative look at American history... and that impression...more
Yeah.
Two probs. Number one: The illustration style of this was hodgepodge, photo-collage/artsy/basic-routine all mixed up, with not that much attention to the effect of the switches on pacing, mood etc. So that was annoying.
Problem two: Uh, I don't like this narrative of history. It was like wars of empire are bad, so here are the violent things people did to try to stop them, or the papers they stole from the government to prove how bad they were. There were a few hopeful words her...more
Two probs. Number one: The illustration style of this was hodgepodge, photo-collage/artsy/basic-routine all mixed up, with not that much attention to the effect of the switches on pacing, mood etc. So that was annoying.
Problem two: Uh, I don't like this narrative of history. It was like wars of empire are bad, so here are the violent things people did to try to stop them, or the papers they stole from the government to prove how bad they were. There were a few hopeful words her...more
My first dosage of "radical" material. Self proclaimed radical Zinn points towards the US government as a continuous suppressor of people in the foreign AND domestic arena. The format of his rhetoric is fantastic! The graphic novel is an interesting approach in and of itself. Being interested in history and art, I was immediatley intrigued by the book. Progressing throughout the book, I slowly became more disenfranchised with it. Zinn does a great job pointing out the evils of for...more
A heartbreaking and devastating history of America's imperial history, which will seem strangely similar to current events. Manufactured provocations, vicious cruelty, and utter hypocrisy abound. Told in a simple comic book style, this is a heartfelt plea from Zinn to all Americans to take a closer look at the often anti-democratic, inhumane, and even sickening behavior of their government.
At one time I thought that graphic novels or graphic adaptations were rather childish and not true literature. This is the third one I have read and it is the best. It was very powerful and thought provoking. I think that the illustrations made an even more powerful statement than the written word. This book tells the history of the American Empire, but more from the point of view of the losers rather than the winners. It gives the "behind the scene" story of many of the wars and c...more
This book read like a set of notecards you make yourself so you can cram for a big exam. It's interesting, and if you knew nothing before going into it then you come away with enough to make yourself look somewhat informed on issues like Pearl Harbor and Watergate (if they come up over cocktails, for example). But it left me wanting more on some subjects, and so for that I think I'd have been better off reading a book that focuses more on one period, or war, or historical event etc. But that's m...more
The People's History to the United States can be boiled down to "follow the money". That is, whenever the American government is involved, corporate interests are close behind.
The graphic novel version is an abridged version of the original textbook, which combines autobiographical elements from Zinn's personal life with the format of delivering a speech on how the invasion of Iraq is an unbroken chain of empire ideology.
Covers a wide, wide range of topics, many...more
The graphic novel version is an abridged version of the original textbook, which combines autobiographical elements from Zinn's personal life with the format of delivering a speech on how the invasion of Iraq is an unbroken chain of empire ideology.
Covers a wide, wide range of topics, many...more
The most effective part of this book is Zinn's own story of growing up as the son of immigrants, working to help build the USS Iowa, becoming a tailgunner on a WWII bomber crew, and eventually developing his growing sense that America was creating its own military empire, under FDR. His realization eventually leads him to go back to the roots of American imperialism, and this drive which always seems to be pushed by the lust for power and fed with lies.
The book illustrates, using ...more
The book illustrates, using ...more
Everyone should read this book! Going far far beyond the "official" versions of almost all historical events of America's imperialistic activities, this book finally tells it from the people's side. Yes "history" is written by the victors, even when the victors sought out and created the conflicts in the first place. Americans have been fed a long line of bullshit from day one! This book, while not going into too much detail about any one event (see the bibliography people! I...more
A real disappointment. As a historian, probably I was hoping for too much, but I thought that the attempt to mix history and graphics could be interesting. It was not. Graphically the book was bland, historically it was highly tendentious, and as a work of literature it was poorly written and executed. Zinn is not a nuanced historian, this is understood from the get-go, but his flaws in distorting and simplifying a complex past for explicit political purpose are even more pronounced here bec...more
It's Howard Zinn in graphic novel form - if you're already a fan of his work, this one's an easy sell.
It's easy and fun to pick up and read, partly because of the great artwork and format, but mostly because Howard Zinn's style is so accessible and personal.
It's an easy read, but not a frivolous one. Zinn writes from a distinct perspective - sometimes you'll agree with him, sometimes you'll disagree - but as a historian, he's meticulous about his facts.
This w...more
It's easy and fun to pick up and read, partly because of the great artwork and format, but mostly because Howard Zinn's style is so accessible and personal.
It's an easy read, but not a frivolous one. Zinn writes from a distinct perspective - sometimes you'll agree with him, sometimes you'll disagree - but as a historian, he's meticulous about his facts.
This w...more
My second graphic book. Hadn't forgotten Zinn (who died within the year) or his work as a teacher, writer, activist. Subscribe to The Progressive in part because of his writing. This is a very powerful book, one from which students would definitely benefit. Goes well with Lies My Teacher Told Me (James Loewen) and the print text of Zinn's A People's History of America. As an older person and radical wannabe, books like these deeply remind me how crucial it is for kids to learn to think, to e...more
Bought this at Barnes and Noble after second YAL meeting. Zinn died recently and his "cartoon" history, while geared "left," deftly takes readers through events and trends from Wounded Knee to the Pullman Strike to all the wars/protests and movements (civil, feminist, etc.) The word "empire" is the key. Zinn details how the drive for empire has infected and damaged the notion of American democracy, perhaps irreparably, but he ends on a somewhat hopeful note.
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This is a sort of shortened comic book version of Zinn's work. While I typically like graphic novels, and I liked Zinn's People's History of the United States, the combination was not what I would have hoped for. The art while generally decent, lent itself to some unfortunately harsh caricaturing of some of the people Zinn disagreed with, in their physical appearances. At the same time, the rush to pack information into what is a much shorter volume than his purely written works, led to somewhat...more
Personally I think this would an amazing supplement to any US History class. Zinn takes the point of view of the "boots on the ground", looking at history from a bottom up perspective and showing how it affected the people involved and not just the government like so many textbooks.
Unabashedly socialist in its approach, the book is a great resource to expand & compliment on many of the themes in US History and the teaching thereof.
In addition, that it is a grap...more
Unabashedly socialist in its approach, the book is a great resource to expand & compliment on many of the themes in US History and the teaching thereof.
In addition, that it is a grap...more
Allison
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
YAs & Up
Recommended to Allison by:
Online discussion
Wow. Wow. Double Wow. This should be required reading for every American. Period. The graphic novel format makes it easier to digest than if the text were all written in paragraph format. There is a magnificent bibliography in the back of the book as well as an index. The bibliography is comprehensive enough that resolute readers can easily find reliable source documents for the information contained in the book. I learned so much that in my 44 years I'd NEVER learned anywhere before. And, it wa...more
Michael
rated it
So, if there is a god, he/she/it/they doesn't hold my intellect in very high esteem.
He/she/it/they must think I'm an idiot.
See, a while back, I reserved Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and what I ended up arriving on the holds shelf was the children's version, complete with funny illustrations to try and walk teenagers through the theory of relativity. Now, I thought I had placed a hold on A People's History of the United States, and I ended up with t...more
He/she/it/they must think I'm an idiot.
See, a while back, I reserved Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and what I ended up arriving on the holds shelf was the children's version, complete with funny illustrations to try and walk teenagers through the theory of relativity. Now, I thought I had placed a hold on A People's History of the United States, and I ended up with t...more
Where to start. I guess this book caught me in a transitional time in my life. At first it annoyed me. I thought it was a little too left leaning (ok I am left leaning, but I don't like things to be too biased, even if I agree with them.) Then Howard Zinn, who wrote the original book and serves here as narrator, started to speak directly to me. To my growing confusion, discontent and disillusionment. I just always wanted to ignore these things I kind of knew. Politicians are corrupt. America isn...more
This was the first historically-based graphic novel (comic book) that I've read in a while. Zinn is an excellent story teller, and connects the dots very well between American government military actions and large corporate business interests, bolstered by media (this is what he calls American "empire"). People who view American policies patriotically as mostly upright and moral will probably not read this book, though I think they would benefit from Zinn's heaping doses of healthy ...more
Konopacki and Buhle loosely base their graphic novel on Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, using a cartoon Zinn as the narrator of the most wincing episodes in America’s thirst and hunger for empire. Their targets include the internal conflicts of the U.S. (women’s suffrage, anti-labor efforts, the massacre at Wounded Knee, the Civil Rights era) as well as external ones (the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, the multifarious conflicts in both the Middle East and La...more
It's a bit much for the genre.
What really bothers me, though, is the way he addresses the Iran-Contra scandal. How he can devote so many pages to it without once mentioning Bed McFarlane, who was Prince Bandar's main contact, speaks of shoddy reporting to me. Further, from what I know of the Reagan White House, Ronnie was not the brightest bulb in the drawer, and his top people did not report to him. Portraying him as the mastermind of the entire scheme is a pretty stupid joke, and a...more
What really bothers me, though, is the way he addresses the Iran-Contra scandal. How he can devote so many pages to it without once mentioning Bed McFarlane, who was Prince Bandar's main contact, speaks of shoddy reporting to me. Further, from what I know of the Reagan White House, Ronnie was not the brightest bulb in the drawer, and his top people did not report to him. Portraying him as the mastermind of the entire scheme is a pretty stupid joke, and a...more
Howard Zinn is the author of the excellent People’s History of the United States, and this is a graphical adaptation of much of the material in the book. It’s similar to the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, going through different events and talking about what most of us have been taught about history is usually full of factual errors.
He discusses the many events that have led the United States to go to war, how big business reacted when workers decided to form unions, and different cul...more
He discusses the many events that have led the United States to go to war, how big business reacted when workers decided to form unions, and different cul...more
A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF AMERICAN EMPIRE BY HOWARD ZINN, MIKE KONOPACKI, AND PAUL BUHLE: Activist, author, and teacher Howard Zinn is probably best known for the consistently bestselling A People’s History of the United States, with the help of writer Mike Konopacki and artist Paul Buhle, now presents A People’s History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaptation. With the popularity of books like Persepolis, 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, and Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, the genre of jou...more
Konopacki and Buhle do Zinn a giant favor by excerpting and condensing his seminal (and lengthy) A People's History of the United States into a manageable—and fun, if "fun" can be applied to a tale of systemic oppression—introduction. It's been years since I read A People's History of the US, and American Empire was a perfectly-timed and paced- refresher.
I saw this book in a San Francisco bookstore--it takes Zinn's pathbreaking history of America (Zinn explodes most of the Apple Pie myths of the American heritage and, for that, faces considerable critique and hostility from those who prefer that happy mythology). This text is a graphic novel version of his textbook--there is also a great short video of this work on YouTube. Even if you prefer the Apple Pie version of American history, it is important to read and understand and consider the mer...more
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Howard Zinn was a historian, playwright, and social activist. He was a shipyard worker and Air Force bombardier before he went to college under the GI Bill and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He taught at Spelman College and Boston University, and was a visiting professor at the University of Paris and the University of Bologna. He received the Thomas Merton Award, the Eugene V. Debs...more
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