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Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America

Mary Grabar

3.95 · Rating details · 265 ratings · 73 reviews

Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States has sold more than 2.5 million copies. It is pushed by Hollywood celebrities, defended by university professors who know better, and assigned in high school and college classrooms to teach students that American history is nothing more than a litany of oppression, slavery, and exploitation.

Zinn’s history is popular, b ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 20th 2019 by Regnery History

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Nov 08, 2019 Michael Perkins rated it did not like it

Shelves: overrated

I'm a trained historian. The author of this book is an English professor. If you're properly trained you learn the historical method.

For a book I was working on, I researched Columbus. I had no political agenda. I was simply trying to learn what happened in the first voyage that ended in the shipwreck of the Santa Maria.

I read the entire text of Columbus' first voyage log book. From his own words, it's clear he was a not an explorer. He mistakenly thought he had landed in East Asia instead of t ...more

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Nov 10, 2019 Jeanette rated it really liked it

It's fully 4.5 stars for the immense research done in the historical method that is valid. Not polemic, not occluded, and especially not bias to theory and origin of sources as Zinn demonstrates. Also without any plagiarism.

The first few chapters citing the experts' opinions who do history within method and evidence- are 5 star excellent.

How bottom up history can be distorted in order to inspire blame, hatred, identity self-hate- all given their purposes. Zinn's life biography and very active ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Anthony Murawski rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The title should be "An Ad Hominem Diatribe Against Howard Zinn By A True Believer In U.S. Government SAnctioned Mythology."

Even in the introduction, the author repeatedly makes false and histrionic accusations against Zinn, such as the remarkable accusation that he equated the United States with Nazi Germany because he used the Socratic Method and accurately noted that the United States has carried out a systematic foreign policy of overthrowing democratic governments in Latin America, the Midd The title should be "An Ad Hominem Diatribe Against Howard Zinn By A True Believer In U.S. Government SAnctioned Mythology."

Even in the introduction, the author repeatedly makes false and histrionic accusations against Zinn, such as the remarkable accusation that he equated the United States with Nazi Germany because he used the Socratic Method and accurately noted that the United States has carried out a systematic foreign policy of overthrowing democratic governments in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, etc. and installing supposedly more "stable" and therefore more "reliable" fascist military dictatorships in their place. This was the official rationale behind our foreign policy. As documented in Inevitable Revolutions by Walter LaFeber:

QUOTE
In March 1950, the State Department's expert on Soviet Affairs, George Kennan, flew to Rio de Janeiro to meet with U.S. ambassadors in South America. ...Kennan outlined how Latin America fit into U.S. foreign policy:

INTERNAL QUOTE
1. The protection of our [sic] raw materials [note: "sic" was inserted by LaFeber];
2. The prevention of military exploitation of Latin America by the enemy [my note: to enable the U.S. to continue exploiting Latin America unhindered]; and
3. The prevention of the psychological mobilization of Latin America against us \[my note: more accurately, these policies guaranteed that Latin America's citizens would mobilize against a colonial empire that actually believed it owned the raw materials (and labor) of the people in Latin America].

*****

The final answer might be an unpleasant one, but...we should not hesitate before police repression [my ote: i.e., death squad murders and torture of advocates for democratic reforms]. This is not something shameful since the Communists are essentially traitors... [my note: stated exactly as a Bolshevik would word it, substituting the word "Communist" for "Western imperialist." ]]. It is better to have a strong regime [my note: i.e., a fascist, military dictatorship] in power than a liberal government if it is indulgent and relaxed and penetrated by Communists [my note: having served on the Board of Directors of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA, I can tell you that in military dictatorships installed and maintained by the United States, "Communist" was and still is defined as anyone who criticizes the U.S.-backed dictatorship. According to the U.N. Truth Commission, Guatemalan military and paramilitary forces trained and armed by the U.S. murdered 250,000 civilians--primarily children and women, between 1979 and 1996].

END INTERNAL QUOTE
END QUOTE

That internal quote was classified for decades, because it reveals the beastly motives of U.S. foreign policy in much of. the world over the past 69 years.

Based on what I just wrote, the author of this cheap attack on Zinn would accuse me of equating the U.S. with the Nazis. As a child of a Holocaust survivor, I find this sort of propagandistic ad hominem attack outright nauseating. ...more

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Oct 23, 2019 Peter Bradley rated it it was amazing

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

We have just gone through another Columbus Day (2020) where Americans have been shamed about the Great Navigator: still more cities have renamed Columbus Day "Indigenous Peoples' Day" Somehow, magically for those of us who graduated school in a different era, it seems that Columbus has been definitively declared a racist, rapist, murderer who is not worthy of recognition for his role in an event that literally ...more

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Jun 18, 2020 Dave rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-have, x-2020-edel-reviewed, edelweiss-books, history-social-science, history

In a time when the deeds of the great explorers and even those of the fathers of our country, it is important to understand where the criticism has come from and whether it has a strong historical basis. Much of the impetus behind the new rewrite of history seems to stem from Howard Zinn's A People's History, a book that states its purpose of providing a bottom up view of history from the point of view of those victimized. Mary Grabar boldly steps into this debate, declaring that Zinn's Marxist- In a time when the deeds of the great explorers and even those of the fathers of our country, it is important to understand where the criticism has come from and whether it has a strong historical basis. Much of the impetus behind the new rewrite of history seems to stem from Howard Zinn's A People's History, a book that states its purpose of providing a bottom up view of history from the point of view of those victimized. Mary Grabar boldly steps into this debate, declaring that Zinn's Marxist-inspired history is inherently flawed, fails to present all the facts, lacks any nuance, and is focused solely on presenting a political point of view rather than an honest historical record.

Her well-researched critique begins with exploring how Zinn's book became so popular and influential and who he was. His credentials are quite uninspiring for someone so widely read. Then, Grabar turns to refuting each of Zinn's chapters, beginning with Columbus and the explorers, arguing that the historical record does not support the view that Columbus was a bad man or that he ever intended harm to the Native Americans. And Cortez apparently took on an Aztec Empire for whom human sacrifice of other tribes was a frequent event. Indeed, the records of the contacts between New World settlers and the Natives were far more complex and nuanced than apparently Zinn would ever admit.

Grabar gives a similar critique of Zinn's treatment of the founding fathers, the Civil War, World War 2, the Cold War, and Vietnam. Grabar shows how Zinn's book simplified and caricatured events and people to divide people into oppressors and the oppressed without regard for historical accuracy, the greater picture of the world at the time, or the intricacies involved.

In many instances where historical figures have been critiqued, rather than simply dismissing them as irredeemably flawed, Grabar posits that it is perhaps more accurate to see them in historical context and their work as critical founding building blocks - though flawed by today's values - but which promised liberty, justice, and equal treatment under the law for all, a promise which unfortunately took a civil war and even a civil rights movement a hundred years later to fulfill.

Grabar offers up a fascinating study that should make readers eager to do their own research and rethink the propaganda they've been taught. Being a critique of another book, it's not always an easy read, but quite worthwhile. ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Mark rated it it was amazing

I had to read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" during my AP US History course in High School. The book is a rebellion on the traditional wisdom, turning everything we were taught about the history of the United States on it's head. If this is the only "history" book you ever read you will come away disenfranchised and ashamed to be an American. Zinn's book challenged my understanding of American history. Since then I have answered that challenge and reclassified Zinn's "hi ...more

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Sep 22, 2019 Jennifer Snow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mandatory

A detailed look at what can only be called Communist propaganda disguised as history and it's unfortunate and long-range effects on education in America, replacing respect with misplaced blame. ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Jonathan rated it did not like it

The author spends her time attacking Zinn, instead of trying to prove her own argument. This is nothing more than a libelous hit-piece.

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May 03, 2020 Louis rated it did not like it

Shelves: conservative-garbage

It’s not everyday that I can say that I read a book that was so foolish I couldn’t put it down. When I read People’s History it made me want to understand more and find information on the topics discussed in the book. In other words I didn’t want a white washing of American history that painted everything with rose colored glasses. Along comes Mary Grabar to make sure those rose colored glasses stay on and don’t come off.

How arrogant can someone be that they simply can’t handle the other point ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 Tom rated it it was amazing

Zinn gained prominence despite an utter lack of actual and honest scholarship because his "People's History" undermined and "unmasked" the (frankly, true) history shared by Americans prior to his book and "shocked" those who accepted the old versions. If those who love Zinn are truly interested in history,they will consider this book which does to Zinn what he did to Columbus -- only this one does it with facts.

This book carefully picks apart Zinn's dishonest "scholarship" -- omitting from quote ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Susan rated it did not like it

After the first bit, I ended up skimming the rest. This book shows the importance both in the author being aware of their own biases and in the reader identifying the author's biases. I've also not read Howard Zinn's history, so I can't speak about his work really. I therefore won't say that some of the criticism of his work isn't justified. After the first few pages, I looked up the author and found that she's an English professor who was born in a Communist country and then came to America. Gi ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Barry rated it really liked it

Shelves: history

Grabar tries to set the record straight regarding Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States,” which has become disturbingly ubiquitous in high school and college curricula. Zinn claims to have written a history from the “bottom up,” focusing on the marginalized peoples rather than the winners that are otherwise believed to write the history that is taught in schools. Although that may seem a laudable goal, Grabar’s contention is that Zinn’s “history” is falsified and more appropriat Grabar tries to set the record straight regarding Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States,” which has become disturbingly ubiquitous in high school and college curricula. Zinn claims to have written a history from the “bottom up,” focusing on the marginalized peoples rather than the winners that are otherwise believed to write the history that is taught in schools. Although that may seem a laudable goal, Grabar’s contention is that Zinn’s “history” is falsified and more appropriately described as propaganda designed solely to stoke the flames of resentment to the point of igniting a communist revolution. Strong words, but does she make her case?

Chapters 1 and 3 concentrate on Zinn himself and his motives. I suppose it’s important to know that Zinn had no intention to write an “objective” history (he thought it was impossible to be objective thus justifying overt bias), and that he wasn’t really an historian, but was primarily a political activist and communist sympathizer. He seems to believe the ends justify the means as long as he is on the right (that is, left) side. Still, I think these chapters are a bit overdone, and if not exactly ad hominem attacks, they do border on strident Bulverism. Instead, the important questions are: is Zinn’s history true? Is his book historically accurate? Are his conclusions well-founded?

Well, the short answer to all these questions is a resounding “No.” Most of the rest of the book examines Zinn’s historical claims. Grabar details how consistently inaccurate Zinn’s accounts of history are. He plagiarizes some authors (typically leftist activists rather than historians) that agree with him, while he misquotes others to give the impression that they believed the exact opposite of what they wrote. He omits facts that would demonstrate that his views are erroneous. He tells half-truths to leave readers with a false impression about some events, and flat-out lies about others. The correction of all these historical inaccuracies comprises the bulk of this book. It is thorough and, quite frankly, exhausting.

It’s sad to think that a student reading Zinn’s book, because it has been assigned by an instructor, or because the genius in “Good Will Hunting” gives it a glowing recommendation, would have no idea that much of the book is factually false. It is also distressing that professors continue to use this book as a teaching tool despite Zinn’s failure to follow the principles of the American Historical Association. They would never allow a book in their classrooms with such shoddy scholarship and obvious political bias if the political goals did not align with their own. They should be ashamed.

Here’s a couple better reviews:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Drtaxsacto rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If Historians had an errors and omissions policy - to cover inadvertent or purposeful distortions of history - Howard Zinn's policy would long have lapsed based on the number of payouts. Zinn was an activist called a People's History of the United States; in reality it is a far left of center interpretation of our history - distorted through Zinn's political biases. Zinn distorted almost all of American history - from restating the argument first made by Charles Beard (that the Constitution was ...more

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Dec 14, 2019 DH rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Poorly sourced hack job by Koch-funded "scholar." Yuck. ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Brett T rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: full-review-available, politics, history, non-fiction, education

To say that Howard Zinn's 1980 book A People's History of the United States has detractors undersells the widespread work of polemicists, opinion writers and historians right and left who question its scholarship, aims and the honesty of its author. Zinn was a political science professor at Boston University when he wrote the book that would define the rest of his life. He said he intended it to counter the kind of historical narrative that only focused on the powerful, political and economic el To say that Howard Zinn's 1980 book A People's History of the United States has detractors undersells the widespread work of polemicists, opinion writers and historians right and left who question its scholarship, aims and the honesty of its author. Zinn was a political science professor at Boston University when he wrote the book that would define the rest of his life. He said he intended it to counter the kind of historical narrative that only focused on the powerful, political and economic elites and the winners. He wanted a history that told the stories of the people that those traditional narratives overlooked.

Almost immediately, the book would draw rabid praise and cold-eyed criticism. As expected, conservative-leaning intellectuals dismissed Zinn's class-struggle based iconoclasm. But a number of centrist and left-leaning historians also pointed out that Zinn had only inverted the hero-villain narratives of the histories he disliked rather than corrected them. The vision of history in People's History was just as simplistic, they said, and Zinn's zeal to lift up what he saw as oppressed classes led him to omit information that might suggest a more nuanced history.

Nevertheless, excellent publicity and strong financial support have kept Zinn's book and his work at the forefront of academic debate -- its use in high school classes is frequently targeted even today. That's why 2019 can see something like Mary Grabar's Debunking Howard Zinn, a 350-page fisking of Zinn's 40-year-old book. Grabar, a longtime English professor who now works with the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, takes a couple of chapters to outline the popularity of People's History before diving into its text and errors.

Although not herself a historian, Grabar is a scholar and mostly follows standard academic practice in Debunking. She extensively footnotes her work and relies on a wide range of attributed sources -- something Zinn himself did less well at. It's certainly a book that Zinn detractors and folks interested in more honest history should keep for ready access. Grabar's meticulous dissection makes it easy to point out what the professor got wrong, where he may very likely have plagiarized other work and where he ignored clear evidence from his own cited works that says the opposite of what he says it does.

But as a work in its own right, Debunking's polemic tone begins to take on the air of a rather heated PowerPoint presentation. Fisking is fun at first but since Zinn isn't all that creative in his errors Grabar is also stuck repeating herself. The world will be a better place when People's History winds up in the dustbin of the same and scholars like Mary Grabar can turn their attention to more interesting topics.

Original available here. ...more

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Jan 25, 2021 David rated it it was amazing

I've been wondering why it is that our youth of today have developed such hatred for America, their own country, the same country that tens and hundreds of thousands of people from around the world risk their lives to immigrate to. Has no one told these wanna be immigrants what a horrible place America is, full of racists, misogynists, homophobes, bigots, etc, etc? One reason is Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States (which I have actually read) that is defended by (mostly le I've been wondering why it is that our youth of today have developed such hatred for America, their own country, the same country that tens and hundreds of thousands of people from around the world risk their lives to immigrate to. Has no one told these wanna be immigrants what a horrible place America is, full of racists, misogynists, homophobes, bigots, etc, etc? One reason is Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States (which I have actually read) that is defended by (mostly leftist) university professors who know better, and is assigned as mandatory reading in high school and college classrooms to teach students that American history is nothing more than a litany of oppression, slavery, and exploitation. It has thoroughly infected our classrooms and essentially turned them into indoctrination centers for popular socialist/communist doctrine that puts a trendy populist spin on American history but reads more like a collection of leftist propagandist talking points. According to Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America, Scholar Mary Grabar, exposes just how wrong Zinn is in this stunning new book as she takes on and demolishes his Marxist talking points that now dominate American education. She uses facts and reference materials from real historians to dispel much of the opinions pushed by Zinn as facts (Nazis always said to make lies big and repeat often and people will start to believe them as truth). When you peel away all of Zinn's distortions you will realize what people around the world understand about America that our kids are being re-educated into forgetting and why these foreigners still want to come here. The author also reveals Zinn’s bag of dishonest rhetorical tricks like his use of partisan history, explicit rejection of historical balance, and selective quotation of sources to make them say the exact opposite of what their authors intended. If you care about America’s true past—and the promise of our future—you need to read this book. ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Maynard Nordmoe rated it it was amazing

Review: Debunking Howard Zinn by Mary Grabar Feb. 23, 2020
If you think that Christopher Columbus was a rapacious adventurer and a genocidal maniac out for gold and slaves, chances are you have been heavily influenced by Howard Zinn and his popular book, A People’s History of the United States. Zinn (1920-2010) was a charismatic and non-conformist professor who wrote a number of books but none so popular as A People’s History that appeared in 1980. Mary Grabar has done us all a great favor by Review: Debunking Howard Zinn by Mary Grabar Feb. 23, 2020
If you think that Christopher Columbus was a rapacious adventurer and a genocidal maniac out for gold and slaves, chances are you have been heavily influenced by Howard Zinn and his popular book, A People’s History of the United States. Zinn (1920-2010) was a charismatic and non-conformist professor who wrote a number of books but none so popular as A People’s History that appeared in 1980. Mary Grabar has done us all a great favor by raising the curtain on Zinn to reveal him to be the Marxist propagandist that he is all the while he pretends to be a serious historian. Any attentive reader should easily come to that conclusion in reading his book for he provides ample rope to hang himself at every turn. Grabar’s counter is entitled The Debunking of Howard Zinn, Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America. She has done the heavy lifting combing through reams of thorough research to counter the egregious lies, plagiarism, and mis-information abounding in Howard Zinn’s work. Grabar’s book is not especially easy or fun reading for all the footnoting, quotes, and counter-quotes, but it is essential and a treasure if one is to combat this pernicious polemic. Plus, it will make you downright mad to see the twisted viewpoints on American history parading themselves as facts throughout Zinn’s work. One must come to Zinn with the understanding that he is a thorough-going Marxist, and he sees all history through the eyes of Karl Marx. The American revolution was fomented by rich white men to amass more wealth. Indians were feminist-communist sexual revolutionaries ahead of their time. The Civil War was fought to perpetuate a racist capitalistic state. Americans of the “greatest generations” were no better than the Nazi war criminals they fought against. The Viet Cong were well-meaning community leaders advocating for local self-rule. The Black Panthers were virtuous civil rights leaders. America invented racism. These and other themes portray all the evils of the world as a result of capitalistic oppression of the working class. Zinn is a champion of all who call for revolution and the abolition of capitalism. As such, his People’s History is carefully designed to polarize and incite anger.
Why and how Zinn’s work has become so popular and how it has infiltrated all of higher academia and even into public high schools is the most troubling question after reading Grabar’s book. Zinn definitely appeals to our cynical nature that wants to believe the worst of anyone and anything. And we always want to blame someone for the ills and injustices of society. How much also do we find the novel and unorthodox attractive for it sets us apart and gives us a feeling of superiority similar to the ancient gnostics with their special and secret wisdom. Similar movements gathered strength in Britain in the late 1800’s when cynicism became fashionable amongst the educated young who tired of the patriotic jingoism of the British Empire and poo-pooed the whole idea of king and country. Britain’s Empire began its steady decline at that point. Are the educated elite of our country just so weary and tired of America’s success, prosperity, and power that they wish to embrace a whole new and dark view of our uniqueness? Or is the lure of a Utopian, one-world community and economy where nations dissolve their borders and live together in peace and equanimity still alive and well? In that case, patriotism and nationalism are the enemy and the sooner we trash our romantic notions of American exceptionalism the better.
The stakes are high for our young are being imbued with a whole other way of viewing our heritage as a people. I must agree with Grabar when she says, “When historians lie, there is no defense.” And that, to me, is downright scary.
Maynard Nordmoe
M.Ed, M.A. (History)

...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Jason E. Fort rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Zinn, the awful activist (and his history sucked, too!)

Wow! Where do I begin? First of all, the author put a lot of work into this, and is to be commended for all her hard research. Secondly, it was refreshing to read from such a scholarly author for once, and NOT read how bad my own country is. On the contrary, she points out the fact that although someone like Howard Zinn liked to point at all our flaws (in quite inaccurate or incomplete manner), there have been some very noble deeds and value ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Brian Fiedler rated it it was amazing

An excellent survey of selected epochs in American history. The book can be read independent of any personal need to debunk your personal reading of Zinn's book. There is no need to have a copy of Zinn at hand, or to even have read it. The important quotes from Zinn are delivered to you.

Given the wide popularity of Zinnism, you have undoubtedly been exposed to it. Your brain may have at least a low grade infection of Zinnism. You will appreciate the relief this book brings.

What allowed Zinnism t ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Gerrit Ayers rated it really liked it

Not a breezy read, but an important one. I'm not shocked that liberal academia would push a book with a leftist/socialist agenda, but I guess I was naïve enough to believe bona fide historians would not endorse a book with so many blatant historical distortions, omissions and outright lies simply because it pushes their agenda. Mary Grabar factually supports each of her chapters with original source material, driving an academic mack truck right through the center of Howard Zinn's house of cards ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Jerry rated it really liked it

Shelves: history

Grabar reveals the sacrifices of historical accuracy Zinn was willing to make in order to further his agenda. Zinn twists Frederick Douglas and his love for America, demonizes Columbus, and idealizes Mao and Ho Chi Minh. A helpful deconstruction of A People's History. ...more

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May 08, 2020 Rick Harsch added it

No stars for propaganda.

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Jan 31, 2021 Michaela rated it it was ok

Skimmed. Zinn should be held to task for any plagiarism or errors of omission meant to misconstrue the speaker's meaning. But mostly the author's own bias is reflected in the same sins for which she faults Zinn. This is thin gruel and probably couldn't have come out at a worse time. If all you can do is say someone didn't eat babies, just killed them or someone else killed babies too, well it's a poor defense. Also, don't rest on your grandparents laurels in one single area when the rest of your ...more

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May 20, 2020 Richard Munro rated it it was amazing

very important book and well-researched. Will have more to say later. Zinn was a disgrace. Zinn was a plagiarist, Zinn was dishonest and distorted history. Grabar documents everything word for word. And yes, he was probably a Communist.

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Feb 18, 2020 Isaac rated it really liked it

I'll try to keep this review short. Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States' is Marxist propaganda, nothing more. Zinn lies to his readers repeatedly, pretending that he's really just telling history from the perspective of 'the oppressed'. That way he can continually dismiss more 'mainstream' (in this case accurate) views as representing the views of 'the oppressors', which are, of course, morally illegitimate in his opinion. Zinn provides his readers with the morally legitimate I'll try to keep this review short. Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States' is Marxist propaganda, nothing more. Zinn lies to his readers repeatedly, pretending that he's really just telling history from the perspective of 'the oppressed'. That way he can continually dismiss more 'mainstream' (in this case accurate) views as representing the views of 'the oppressors', which are, of course, morally illegitimate in his opinion. Zinn provides his readers with the morally legitimate opinion.

It's convenient how 'the oppressed', in Zinn's telling, always seem to think like Marxists and how their stories always seem to conform to Marxist propaganda about class and capitalism. According to Zinn, Native Americans were basically peaceful proto-communists and proto-feminists, European settlers (capitalists) were bloodthirsty mass-murderers, Communists were at the forefront in fighting for civil rights in the 1960s, the Vietcong were freedom-fighters, and capitalism (free markets) are the source of most of the world's ills today.

That is BS. Mary Grabar's book shows why it is BS. So, you should read Mary Grabar's book. It's not perfect, and it is rather partisan toward American conservatism (with neo-conservative leanings). However, as competent left-wing historians seem reluctant write a full-length expose of Zinn's deceptions (perhaps because Zinn is so popular on the American left), this is the best book available for that purpose.

I would have given this book 5/5, except for two reasons:

(1) the 'debunking' format is awkward, with the narrative lurching from one period to another, and generally does not make for good history writing,

(2) the author occasionally makes personal attacks on Zinn that are not relevant to his 'scholarship'. That he was a Communist and a radical activist are relevant, as this exposes his extreme political biases, as well as his personal investment in some of the events he describes, and explains why he's more interested in writing propaganda than good history. However, his sexual misconduct and infidelity are much less relevant and deserved less attention than they got.

Despite these flaws, I highly recommend this book.

P.S. For those looking for competent histories of the U.S., I'd recommend either Jill Lepore's 'These Truths' (left-wing, liberal perspective) or William J. Bennett's 'America: The Last Best Hope' (right-wing, conservative perspective). ...more

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Jun 17, 2020 Daniel Moss rated it liked it

To the extent that this is a historical corrective of Zinn's work, is there extent to which I liked it. The reason I gave it 3 stars (2.5 if I could) is because half of this book is either a reiteration of the orthodox telling of events, with little to no use of revisionist techniques, or consequentialist ideology. ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Bud Hewlett rated it really liked it

This is not an easy book to read, especially the chapter on Vietnam. The last chapter is the best, but most disturbing. If so many millennials have read this book, it's no wonder so many of them seem to be falling for Marxism. ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Bryan rated it liked it

I'm ambivalent on this one.

I think Zinn's People's History is terrible propaganda for a POV that has metastasized and is a clear and present danger in American public life. It needs a thorough takedown and how it infiltrated two generations' of academics and students' brains should be taught as a vital, harrowing lesson. The Zinn-academic-industrial-complex must be dismantled... but not necessarily by any means necessary. Take this one for example. It's terribly written. What useful info is in h ...more

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Mar 19, 2021 Christopher rated it liked it

A non-historian reviews a bad historian.

"A People's History" is one of those "famous" books that more people probably claim to have read than have actually read. Add to the fact that it's become a staple of HS curricula and is frequently cited by the unserious as being authoritative places it firmly in the pantheon of "celebrity" histories. The marketing machine behind Zinn and his most famous work adds to this. That's fine as it is, get your money Howie. But just as Zinn purportedly wrote his ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Thom Willis rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book corroborates much of what Dr. Jordan Peterson has said about the conversion of "classical" Marxism to post-modern identity politics.

It was a good companion piece to Dominion by Tom Holland, which I also read this year. It is almost amusing how virtually all enemies and critics of Christendom (Christianity and Western Civ) can only attack them using weapons Christendom built. Empathy for the suffering, suspicion toward the powerful, and the idea that there is an objective moral obligat ...more

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About Mary Grabar

Mary Grabar

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Mary Grabar, the author of “Debunking Howard Zinn,” earned her PhD from the University of Georgia and taught college English for 20 years. She is now a resident fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization in Clinton, New York. Her writing can be found at DissidentProf.com and at marygrabar.com.

Books by Mary Grabar

Exiled: Stories from Conservative and Moderate Professors Who Have Been Ridiculed, Ostracized, Marginalized, Demonized, and Frozen Out

Debunking the 1619 Project: Exposing the Plan to Divide America

The Crisis in American Journalism and the Conservative Response

"A New Beginning," or a Revised Past?: Barack Obama's Cairo Speech

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33 Sweeping Multigenerational Family Dramas

Why not focus on some serious family drama? Not yours, of course, but a fictional family whose story you can follow through the generations of...

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“A People’s History of the United States is intended to inspire anger of such magnitude that its readers want to overthrow the American Republic.” — 1 likes

“As Alexis de Tocqueville commented in the 1830s, there were no peasants in America. At that time, Europe was still filled with them, many living in “absolute slavery” with no way to escape their lot, as Lebergott demonstrates. Peasants were not only “subject to taxes by central and local governments,” but “also subject to even more rigorous charges imposed by landowners who took a substantial portion of their grain as payment for milling the rest into flour, forbidding them to do their own milling. Americans averaged less than a dollar a year in taxes. And anyone was free to set up a mill.”11 That is why millions of these impoverished “left in an unplanned exodus,” following “a handful of earnest religious leaders and believers, entrepreneurs and gold seekers, who had shown the way.” The French-American writer Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur in his Letters from an American Farmer, published in 1782, described the situation in America: “The European does not find, as in Europe, a crowded society where every place is overstocked; he does not feel that . . . difficulty of beginning. . . . here is room for everybody, in America. Has he any particular talent, or industry? He exerts it in order to procure a livelihood, and it succeeds. . . . is he a laborer, sober and industrious? He need not go many miles . . . before he will be hired, well fed . . . and paid four or five times more than he can get in Europe.” — 0 likes

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Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America

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