The People's History & the Cold War

[alice wellintown]

>>
> What about the argument that People's History's easy-to-read style and
> clear-cut demarcation between good and evil make the book something high
> school students or college freshmen might actually be induced to read,
> whereas otherwise they would never read a book with history in the title at
> all?  (history majors excluded of course)

You can nudge a book with its cover. Pynchon's latest, Inherent Vice,
like a ceptic tank, has lush green grass on its cover. And what's in a
rose by any other smell as sweet is wherefore a name has no meaning
olfactory but to a chemist.
Sure, the clash of good and evil, the underdog appeals to American
kids and the minors. No History major would make more of Zinn  than
mental floss american history or who built america or countless others
like it. I do like the comic book version best. And, anything to get
kids who won't read reading is not all bad. Most young people don't
know history 101, so anything that can get them to first base is
better than nothing. Zinn, the NY times. I like narrative history; a
book like molly's job or nickled and dimed can work to get young
people to connect.