A review by ajsterkel
A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
3.0
I read A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn. It's an upside-down look at US history. Instead of focusing on presidents and business leaders, it tells the story of working-class people. I have mixed feelings about it. If you're interested in US history, then it's a must-read because it focuses on events and topics that other history books overlook. I'm glad I read it. I learned a lot, but the writing style is bland and boring! This book is a complete slog. It took me a month to read because I'd fall asleep after 10 pages.
I pushed through because the information is interesting. The book highlights how the US government almost always sides with money and businesses over humans. If working-class people want something (such as child labor laws or leaving the doors of a factory unlocked so workers don't die in fires), then the working-class people have to do more than vote. Historically, US politicians don't care about people until those people disrupt the money and businesses. Then the politicians will notice and (occasionally) fix the problems.
I found the end of the book way more readable than the beginning. Once it started talking about events that happened during my lifetime, it became easier to stay engaged in the story. I guess this just proves that I'm selfish and think of myself as the main character of the universe. Nothing interesting happened before me!
I pushed through because the information is interesting. The book highlights how the US government almost always sides with money and businesses over humans. If working-class people want something (such as child labor laws or leaving the doors of a factory unlocked so workers don't die in fires), then the working-class people have to do more than vote. Historically, US politicians don't care about people until those people disrupt the money and businesses. Then the politicians will notice and (occasionally) fix the problems.
I found the end of the book way more readable than the beginning. Once it started talking about events that happened during my lifetime, it became easier to stay engaged in the story. I guess this just proves that I'm selfish and think of myself as the main character of the universe. Nothing interesting happened before me!