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apfelahmed's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book about how history started, evolved and repeated (repeating) itself. What a journey!
mrgrifter's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing, after reading Zinn’s surprisingly smart and nuanced people’s history of the US. About 120 pages in, this author finally states that the book is just about class struggle; this should have been reflected in the title. Coverage of non-Western civilizations’ developments felt unequal. The little I got about China, South America, and Africa made me want’much more. The treatment of the tragic, vicious compromises by Russia, China, and Cuba felt almost apologetic - “how else could they have caught up to the industrial level of the major powers but to oppress their own people?” In contrast, similar betrayals in other countries are decried as “cowardice”. I accept this is a history, not a manifesto, but I would have liked to read some kind of discussion of how to overcome the same outcomes. I understand that the middle class leaders have always been corrupted by the capitalist rulers, but how can this be combated? why do the workers have the power yet are never capable of coming up with a plan to socialize (a statement the author repeats a number of times)? Although this author is staunchly pro-Marxist, by the end of this book, i became convinced that socialism is simply never going to work, because it never has.
marcymurli's review against another edition
4.0
This book is phenomenal. I could not put it down. It definitely doesn't follow Howard Zinn's methodology of using ordinary people's views of historical events, but it certainly does give a sense of how ordinary people are affected by historical change. The text is exciting to read and gives one an expansive view of history. While a western perspective definitely dominates the text, ultimately it is a book that illustrates how events in one part of the world affect events in other parts of the world. It's a terrific read!
stevenminer3's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Useful for history amateurs who want leftist readings of most major world events, but Harman's tone is rarely more interesting than a Wikipedia's. I do appreciate his intolerance for ruling class ideologies that view working class lives as expendable.
jade_smith's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
This book was so incredibly long (just over 600 pages of dense history) and took me about three months to finish, but was ultimately worth it. Harman offers a super insightful and convincing look at the history of class struggle on a global scale. "People's History" taught me about numerous historical episodes that I'd previously had no idea about, and I genuinely feel like my understanding of the world we currently live in has increased exponentially as a result. Whilst not perfect (no history text ever is, especially those that take a broad scrope like this) this book is an excellent resource and is worth the slog.
arieger's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is a great book if you want an alternative view of history. After years of reading standard history books, I found it very refreshing. If you are looking for a book that focuses on who was king of where when, look elsewhere.