A biography of iconic radical historian Howard Zinn, examining his life and work as a progressive icon and thought leader through the story of the times that shaped him as well as the United States of America.
Admiring ... Zirin...does a lively job of portraying the historian’s deeply engaged life ... Zirin’s book evokes these battles well but falls short of being a judicious assessment of his subject. In Zirin’s eyes, Zinn was always right ... The biography also tends toward clichés and overstatements.
An effusive biography ... Zirin, a staunch admirer of his subject from the first page to the last, mounts a robust defense of A People’s History. He focuses as much on the book’s effect as on the text itself, emphasizing that it has inspired generations of readers to continue to learn about America’s origins. ... Zirin handily establishes that Zinn’s intention was to make readers feel empowered, not ashamed.
The People’s Historian also replicates one of ’s flaws: It can flatten complex problems and people into apparently simple ones ... Zirin’s weakest chapter is the one on A People’s History itself. He has assigned himself the task of defending Zinn from criticisms, even relatively friendly ones ... [An] admiring biography.
