A People’s History of the United States

If you have not yet read “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn, I highly encourage you to do so. It’s not an easy read, but it is a meaningful one. The book helps show the whole picture of American history I never got in school. It’s told from the point of view of many who “lost” the struggle in historical context: workers, women, enslaved people, the ones who pushed back and made change even when no one was listening.

Instead of just presidents and wars, Zinn tells it from the ground level. A few of the stories of struggle and oppression were things I knew. Many of these stories are things I didn’t. Every chapter rearranges and expands what I thought I knew. The Columbus part? Brutal. The labor movement stories? Inspiring and infuriating at the same time. The fight for freedom, rights, dignity, and recognition is dirty and painful. It is also something that needs to be heard. It’s not about feeling guilty — it’s about understanding what actually happened and how much ordinary people have done to move things forward.

If you ever wondered why history felt so flat in textbooks, this book fills in some of the missing voices. It’s uncomfortable in spots (as I said), but in a good way — like your mind is expanding. I keep stopping to Google people I’ve never heard of and thinking, how did I not know this?

This book has direct quotes from historical documents that contain harsh language. It isn’t meant for children. I would recommend it be read by at least high school level students if not college students and adults.

I highly recommend A People’s History of the United States if you want to see American history from the bottom up instead of top down.

You can purchase the book using my Amazon affiliate link or borrow it from your local library.