jg12389's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I like the international scope and scale of the history and how the author tied US movements back to other struggles in Latin America, Cuba, Africa, etc. I also liked how it touched on a lot of important events, movements, and historical figures without explaining every little thing. If you have foundational level knowledge of antiracism and human/civil rights history, you'll find this book right up your alley. One critique was that much of the book was spent discussing the actions, words, and philosophies of men. I wish there was more recognition of the women, particularly women of color, who spearheaded and were the driving forces behind many of the movements toward civil rights in the US and abroad.
rvaquero_'s review against another edition
5.0
Words matter and Paul Ortiz tells it how it is!! He doesn't sugarcoat anything.
Normally when you pick up a US history book it should move you to tears, you should weep, or cry out of joy and feel astonished because this country has an astonishing history. In his writing, Ortiz delivers that and also reminds us that we need to have a curriculum that shows us how people like us without any power whatsoever changed this country or tried to change it and what the unresolved problems are of the society.
A must-have for your home and classroom library!
Normally when you pick up a US history book it should move you to tears, you should weep, or cry out of joy and feel astonished because this country has an astonishing history. In his writing, Ortiz delivers that and also reminds us that we need to have a curriculum that shows us how people like us without any power whatsoever changed this country or tried to change it and what the unresolved problems are of the society.
A must-have for your home and classroom library!
danicapage's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this one on audio. It was dense and there was a lot to process. A lot of the history Paul Ortiz narrated here I hadn’t previously known.
I loved the intersection between LatinX-African American history. I learned a great deal more about the history of labor history in particular and also how we failed as a country to encourage and promote democracy in other countries.
Some of it I did know, but most was new.
I gave it a three instead of a four because I had a harder time getting through it in comparison to other history books because it was so dense. Maybe it would have been better had I read it instead.
I loved the intersection between LatinX-African American history. I learned a great deal more about the history of labor history in particular and also how we failed as a country to encourage and promote democracy in other countries.
Some of it I did know, but most was new.
I gave it a three instead of a four because I had a harder time getting through it in comparison to other history books because it was so dense. Maybe it would have been better had I read it instead.
pliego29's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
laceygage's review against another edition
3.0
This book has tons of great information in it, but it was difficult to read. It is well-cited, and my eyes were opened many times. I only wish it had been a little more readable, as I am very interested in the topic and selected this book for the purpose of learning more. I DID learn from this book, it just took a lot of effort to get through it.