Born into a family of Jewish immigrants in 1920s Brooklyn, Howard Zinn was a visionary historian, philosopher, and political activist who dedicated his life’s work to social change. zinn wrote more than 20 books affirming the power of people to shape history through direct action, including the groundbreaking 1980 publication pethe history of the united states of the people . 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth, and the Howard Zinn Centennial will honor his legacy throughout the year.
Growing up in a working-class family with no books at home, Zinn’s parents introduced him to literature by sending him a dime and a coupon to the New York Post Office every month to receive a volume of Zinn’s works. Charles Dickens. he continued to read about fascism in europe through george seldes caesar sawdust and hitler’s brown book of terror, and engaged in political debates with the young communists in his neighborhood. invited to a peaceful demonstration in times square, the mounted police charged and left zinn unconscious, marking a turning point in his social ideology:
You are reading: Best howard zinn books
“from that point on, I was no longer a liberal, a believer in the self-correcting character of American democracy…the situation called for not just a new president or new laws, but an uprooting of the old order, the introduction of a new type of society: cooperative, peaceful, egalitarian.”
During World War II, Zinn served in the Air Force and flew bombing missions over Europe, an experience that would embolden his view that the only “just war” is a war against war, and inform his strong belief on the importance of understanding. history. In 1956, she accepted a position as chair of the history and social science departments at Spelman College, America’s oldest historically black women’s college, where she was active in the civil rights movement and wrote an impassioned first-hand account of the fight in sncc: new abolitionists.
After being fired by the university for his support of student protesters, Zinn taught political science at Boston University until his retirement in 1988. He recounts his journey to radicalism in the 2002 memoir You Can’t be neutral on a moving train.
In a long reading list for Socialist Worker, Zinn outlined some of the books that shaped his historical and political thought. From the Christopher Columbus controversy to Reconstruction and the civil rights movement, find his recommendations on Amazon below, or support Social Justice Books, a sister program of the Zinn Educational Project, by getting your copies through Bookshop.org. Supplement with the radical reading lists of Angela Davis, Ibram X. kendi, malcolm x, noam chomsky and rage against the machine.
Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early America by Gary Nash
“a pioneering work of ‘multiculturalism’ dealing with racial interactions in the colonial period.” -hz
bury my heart in the wounded knee by dee brown
“a moving collection of American Indian statements and recollections, giving you their point of view in a vivid and passionate way.” -hz
From slavery to freedom by john hope franklin
“the classic overview of African-American history from the nation’s leading black historian.” -hz
There’s a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America by Vincent Harding
“excellent start in black history”. -hz
a documentary history of black people in the united states by herbert aptheker
“an extremely valuable collection, I’m tempted to say indispensable, not at all dry, as some documentaries are.” -hz
Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution by Eric Foner
“a rich, vivid and epic account of those extraordinary years from 1863 to 1877, written by one of the leading ‘new historians’”. -hz
Looking West: The Metaphysics of Indian Hating and Empire Building by richard drinnon
“a brilliantly written account of the imperial expansion of the united states, not only in the american continent against the indians, but also abroad in the philippines and in vietnam”. -hz
american working class struggles by samuel yellen
“This brings to life the great labor conflicts in American history, from the railroad strikes of 1877 to the San Francisco General Strike of 1934.” -hz
the female experience: an american documentary by gerda lerner
“a wonderful collection of women’s writing from across the us. uu. story, dealing with childhood, marriage, housework, old age, education, industrial work, politics, and sexual freedom. -hz
black women in white america: a documentary history by gerda lerner
“a rare look into the lives, the minds, the spirits of that doubly oppressed group, ranging from slavery to our time, a wonderful sourcebook.” -hz
nonviolence in america by staughton lynd and alice lynd
“a valuable survey of the ideas, in their own words, of early Quaker dissenters, abolitionists, anarchists, progressives, conscientious objectors, trade unionists, civil rights workers, and peace activists, from the colonial period to the 1980s 1960”. -hz
richard hofstadter’s american political tradition
“a beautifully written classic of american history, an iconoclastic take on american political leaders, including jefferson, jackson, lincoln, wilson and the two roosevelts, suggesting more consensus than difference at the top of the hierarchy politics”. -hz
See Also: Learn a Language By Reading: 5 Easy-to-Follow Steps
year 501 of noam chomsky
“here, the nation’s most distinguished intellectual maverick brings us a wealth of information on recent american foreign policy and puts it into historical perspective, stretching back to the age of columbus.” -hz
voices of freedom by henry hampton, steve fayer, with sarah flynn
“an oral history of the black civil rights movement, from the 1950s to the 1980s, much of its material comes from research done for the television documentary, eyes on the prize”. -hz
strangers from another shore by ronald takaki
“gives us what has evidently been missing from our traditional histories, the history of Asian Americans, from the early years of the republic, through the dramatic and tragic experiences of Chinese and Japanese immigrants, to the recent arrival of refugees from Southeast Asia.” -hz
500 Years of the Chicano People: 500 Years of Chicano History by elizabeth martinez.
“filled with wonderful photos, but also an exciting bilingual text loaded with valuable history.” -hz
the american revolution by alfred young
“an excellent set of essays by young historians on various aspects of the American Revolution.” -hz
battle cry for freedom by james mcpherson
“along with traditional military history, there is a lot of political and social history and mcpherson pays attention to the role of blacks throughout that period”. -hz
black reconstruction by w.e.b. du bois
“a direct opposition to traditional racist accounts of reconstruction, presenting the narrative from a black point of view”. -hz
the age of reconstruction by kenneth stampp
“for a shorter description of the reconstruction than du bois or foner”. -hz
carrying the cross by david garrow
“the best biography of martin luther king jr., pointing out those elements of his philosophy that have been ignored”. -hz
parting the waters by taylor branch
“parting the waters tells the story of the movement with more attention than is usually given to grassroots activists and the youth of the student nonviolent coordinating committee.” -hz
Memoirs of the Southern Civil Rights Movement by Danny Lyon
“an excellent photo essay complement to these books, with wonderful photos and text.” -hz
Minds Left Free: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South
“what makes this unique is that it consists of interviews conducted by young black students in mississippi (8th and 9th graders) with older black people talking about the movement.” -hz
the sixties by todd gitlin
“a vivid, well-written, thoughtful story by one of the activists of that time”. -hz
the diary of christopher columbus
“one of many editions of his account of his travels.” -hz
The devastation of the Indians by Bartolme de las Casas
“as close as we can get to an eyewitness account of terrorism inflicted on indigenous people.” -hz
kirkpatrick’s conquest of paradise comes out
“a treasure trove of information on the experience of columbus and on the treatment of that experience throughout the centuries”. -hz
columbus: your company by hans koning
“a succinct and pioneering critique of Columbus and his raids”. -hz
open veins of latin america by eduardo galeano
“continues the story of european conquest by tracing relations between the united states and latin america from columbus to the present day. a poetic and powerful story.” -hz
See Also: 5 Picture Books For Teaching Theme – Stellar Teaching Co
A Different Mirror: A Multicultural America Story by Ronald Takaki
“a comprehensive and important study of the history of ethnic groups (including Indian, Black, Jewish, Irish, Asian, Chicano, and others). unique.” -hz
larry gonick’s caricature of the history of the united states
“fun and remarkably rich in content.” -hz
the other america by philip foner and reinhard schultz
“a fascinating book of art – paintings and photographs – of the history of working people in the united states.” -hz
boston by upton sinclair
freedom walk, citizen tom paine & the american by howard fast
“very enjoyable, with original points of view”. -hz
johnny got his gun from dalton trumbo (also recorded by ratm)
“a powerful anti-war novel written between the two world wars”. -hz
born on the fourth of july by ron kovic
“a poignant memoir of a seriously wounded vietnam veteran who turned against the war.” -hz
the grapes of wrath by john steinbeck (also recorded by bob dylan, bruce springsteen, gabriel garcia márquez, hugh jackman, nelson mandela, ray bradbury & tom wolfe)
“a powerful introduction to the depression years”. -hz
the autobiography of malcolm x by malcolm x and alex haley (also recorded by angie thomas, colin kaepernick, gabrielle union, ibram x. kendi, janelle monáe, kareem abdul-jabbar, rose mcgowan, tupac shakur and questlove)
living my life by emma goldman
“the fascinating story of this anarchist-feminist who outraged the nation in the early years of this century.” -hz
black boy by richard wright
“about his upbringing in the south”. -hz
a century of struggle by eleanor flexner
“summary of women’s movements, with lots of colorful material”. -hz
we were there by barbara mayer wertheimer
“an excellent history of working women, from colonial times to the first world war”. -hz
women and fiction by susan cahill
“a rich and wonderful collection of short stories written by some of the best women writers”. -hz
being a black woman by mel watkins and jay david
“essays and fiction written by and about black women, including the work of maya angelou, lena horne, langston hughes, richard wright, and lorraine hansberry.” -hz
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (also filmed by Alice Walker, Florence Welch, Ibram X. Kendi, Janet Mock, and Zadie Smith)
“a classic of black literature, written in the 1930s, a forerunner in its originality, honesty and power of alice walker novels today”. -hz
in search of our mothers gardens by alice walker
“a fascinating set of essays, some autobiographical, some literary critics, some social commentary”. -hz
a better country by john sanford
(via Socialist Worker)
See Also: Iris Johansen – Book Series In Order