The People's History & the Cold War

[alice wellintown]

Right, it is political hack; Zinn makes no excuses and none are
needed. Cranks don't have shame or care what crtitics may find
offesive. And I agree that his style is far more important than his
substance. Actually prefer the comic book version.

On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 11:43 PM, Ian Livingston
<igrlivingston at gmail.com> wrote:
> I think it rather interesting that the harshest criticism comes from
> Harvard, a bastion of conservative elitism. Also, I think it is
> interesting that the negative criticism focuses most on the book not
> being what Zinn explicitly says it is not: centrist history. He is
> providing a framework by which to fill in what is left out of the
> histories students of my era and loca read for class. I rather enjoy
> his style, which is very lively, after the fashion of the Durants and
> a handful of other lefties I've read over the years. If he's a hack
> and a crank, the world needs more hacks and cranks to document what
> the cautious effetes gloss over.
>
> On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 7:41 PM, Richard Fiero <rfiero at gmail.com> wrote:
>> If one only likes official history written by the winners, one may not like
>> Thomas Pynchon
>>
>>
>> Michael Bailey wrote:
>>>
>>> Paul Mackin wrote:
>>> >
>>> > I've never read it but here's Wikipedia's take on People History . . .
>>> >
>>> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History_of_the_United_States
>>> >
>>> > Most of the criticism from historians is pretty negative.
>>> >
>>>
>>> at least they don't accuse him of mistakes of fact. and even the
>>> harshest critics have some kind words for him.
>>>
>>> I haven't read _People's History_ either, and I'm not sure when I'll
>>> have the time.
>>>
>>> Haven't even finished _Typee_ yet...but forging ahead slowly!
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "Less than any man have I  excuse for prejudice; and I feel for all
> creeds the warm sympathy of one who has come to learn that even the
> trust in reason is a precarious faith, and that we are all fragments
> of darkness groping for the sun. I know no more about the ultimates
> than the simplest urchin in the streets." -- Will Durant