Photo by Robert Birnbaum (courtesy of the photographer)

Howard Zinn (1922–2010)

Author of A People's History of the United States

Includes the names: Howard Zinn, Howard Zinn, Howard Zinn, by Howard Zinn, Говард Зинн, Говард Зинн

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A committed radical historian and activist, Howard Zinn approaches the study of the past from the point of view of those whom he feels have been exploited by the powerful. Zinn was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1922. After working in local shipyards during his teens, he joined the U.S. Army Air Force, where he saw combat as a bombardier in World War II. He received a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University in 1958 and was a postdoctoral fellow in East Asian studies at Harvard University. While teaching at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, Zinn joined the civil rights movement and wrote The Southern Mystique (1964) and SNCC: The New Abolitionists (1964). He also became an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, writing Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal (1967) and visiting Hanoi to receive the first American prisoners released by the North Vietnamese. Zinn's best-known and most-praised work, as well as his most controversial, is A People's History of the United States (1980). It explores American history under the thesis that most historians have favored those in power, leaving another story untold. Zinn discusses such topics as Native American views of Columbus and the socialist and anarchist opposition to World War I in examining his theory that historical change is most often due to "mass movements of ordinary people." Zinn's other books include You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times (1995) and Artists in Times of War (2004). He has also written the plays Emma (1976), Daughter of Venus (1985), and Marx in Soho (1999). (Bowker Author Biography) Howard Zinn grew up in the immigrant slums of Brooklyn, where he worked in shipyards in his late teens. He saw combat duty as an air force bombardier in World War II, and afterward received his doctorate in history from Columbia University. His first book, "La Guardia in Congress", was an Albert Beveridge Prize winner. In 1956, he moved with his wife and children to Atlanta to become chairman of the history department of Spelman College. He has since written and edited many more books, including A People's History of the United States, SNCC: The New Abolitionist; Disobedience and Democracy; The Politics of History; The Pentagon Papers: Critical Essays; You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times; and The Zinn Reader (Seven Stories Press, 1997). Zinn is also the author of three plays, Emma, Daughter of Venus, and Marx in Soho. Among the many honors Zinn has received is the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction. A professor emeritus of political science at Boston University, he lives with his wife, Roslyn, in the Boston area, near their children and grandchildren. (Publisher Provided) — biography from A People's History of the United States… (more)

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Works by Howard Zinn

A People's History of the United States 14,096 copies, 147 reviews

Voices of a People's History of the United States (Editor) 705 copies, 2 reviews

You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times 700 copies, 17 reviews

The Twentieth Century: A People's History 629 copies, 5 reviews

The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy 589 copies, 6 reviews

Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology 413 copies, 2 reviews

A Young People's History of the United States [sound recording] 366 copies, 5 reviews

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress 317 copies, 3 reviews

Terrorism and War 253 copies, 3 reviews

Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice 211 copies, 3 reviews

The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace 203 copies

Original Zinn: Conversations on History and Politics 161 copies, 1 review

A People's History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth… 160 copies, 2 reviews

The People Speak: American Voices, Some Famous, Some Little Known 145 copies, 6 reviews

Artists in Times of War and Other Essays 145 copies, 1 review

Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law and Order 143 copies, 1 review

The Politics of History 139 copies

A Young People’s History of the United States, Volume 1: Columbus to the… 137 copies, 3 reviews

Howard Zinn on History 132 copies

Howard Zinn on War 130 copies

Marx in Soho: A Play on History 125 copies, 2 reviews

A Young People's History of the United States, Volume 2: Class Struggle to… 122 copies, 2 reviews

SNCC: The New Abolitionists 110 copies, 1 review

The Future of History: Interviews with David Barsamian 87 copies, 2 reviews

Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of… 86 copies, 1 review

Emma 81 copies, 1 review

Howard Zinn Speaks: Collected Speeches 1963 to 2009 78 copies, 1 review

A People's History of the United States, Abridged Teaching Edition,… 71 copies

The Bomb 68 copies, 1 review

A Young People's History of the United States (Enhanced Omnibus… 64 copies, 1 review

Postwar America: 1945-1971 57 copies

New Deal thought 51 copies

Failure to Quit: Reflections of an Optimistic Historian 51 copies

Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal 47 copies, 1 review

The Southern Mystique 46 copies, 1 review

Howard Zinn on Race 41 copies, 1 review

Just War 40 copies

The Historic Unfulfilled Promise (City Lights Open Media) 37 copies, 1 review

The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency 37 copies

Justice in Everyday Life: The Way It Really Works (Radical 60s) (Vol 6) 32 copies, 1 review

Howard Zinn on Democratic Education 29 copies

A People's History of the United States, Vol. 2: The Civil War to the… 28 copies

Artburn (Preface; some editions) 28 copies, 1 review

Three Plays: The Political Theater of Howard Zinn: Emma, Marx in Soho,… 26 copies

Truth Has a Power of Its Own: Conversations about A People's History 26 copies, 2 reviews

A People's History of the United States: American Beginnings to… 25 copies

Playbook (Author) 16 copies

The Other Civil War: Slavery and Struggle in Civil War America 16 copies

LaGuardia in Congress 15 copies

Stories Hollywood Never Tells 15 copies, 2 reviews

Uncommon Sense from the Writings of Howard Zinn 15 copies, 1 review

The Pentagon Papers: Critical Essays: Volume Five (Editor) 13 copies

The State of the Union: Notes on an Obama Administration 12 copies

Heroes & Martyrs: Emma Goldman, Sacco & Vanzetti and the Revolutionary… 10 copies, 1 review

Readings from Voices of a People's History of the United States (Narrator) 8 copies

Justice?: Eyewitness accounts 6 copies

Hiroshima: Breaking the Silence 6 copies

The Common Cradle of Concern 5 copies

Some Truths Are Not Self-Evident 5 copies

Teaching with Voices of a People's History of the United States by Howard… 4 copies

The F-Word 03: A Feminist Handbook for the Revolution 4 copies

Power, history and warfare 4 copies

A gigantic mistake : articles and essays for your intellectual… 3 copies

THE INDISPENSIBLE ZINN 3 copies

L'impero americano 3 copies

La bombe - de l'inutilité des bombardements 3 copies

The People's History Project: Collected Lectures Of Howard Zinn… 3 copies

Vi racconto l'America. Alla scoperta del Nuovo Mondo 2 copies

Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress: 1492-1992 2 copies

Nadie Es Neutral En Un Tren En Marcha 2 copies

Det amerikanska folkets historia makten och medborgarna frn̄ Columbus… 1 copy

A Life of Activism: Howard Zinn in His Own Words -- Selected Writings for… 1 copy

التاريخ الشعبي للولايات المتحدة: الجزء… 1 copy

Artistas En Tiempos De Guerra 1 copy

Istorijski eseji o američkoj demokratiji 1 copy

The Case for Socialism (Updated Edition) 1 copy

War and Civil Disobedience (PM Audio) 1 copy

Eine Geschichte des amerikanischen Volkes. Band 1: Kolonialismus,… 1 copy

1492-1992 (PM Audio) 1 copy

Se révolter si nécessaire: Textes & discours (1962-2010) 1 copy

The Conspiracy of Law 1 copy

Estados Unidos. Por qué tener esperanzas en tiempos… 1 copy

The People's Voice: Howard Zinn: Collection of Articles and Interviews 1 copy

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Also by Howard Zinn

The Iron Heel (Introduction, some editions) 1,391 copies, 37 reviews

Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies (Contributor) 950 copies, 5 reviews

A People's History of American Empire: The American Empire Project, A… (Contributor) 682 copies, 23 reviews

You Are Being Lied To: The Disinformation Guide to Media Distortion,… (Contributor, some editions) 671 copies, 3 reviews

A People's History of the Supreme Court (Foreword) 643 copies, 10 reviews

Reporting Civil Rights, Part 1: American Journalism 1941-1963 (Contributor) 219 copies

Reporting Civil Rights, Part 2: American Journalism 1963-1973 (Contributor) 200 copies

Encyclopedia of the American Left (Contributor, some editions) 105 copies

A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (Contributor) 102 copies, 1 review

Life of an Anarchist: The Alexander Berkman Reader (Introduction, some editions) 90 copies

War No More: Three Centuries of American Antiwar and Peace Writing (Contributor) 79 copies, 1 review

Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States (Introduction) 45 copies

Take My Advice: Letters to the Next Generation from People Who Know a… (Contributor) 44 copies

The Antislavery Vanguard: New Essays on the Abolitionists (Contributor) 44 copies

Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation (Foreword, some editions) 22 copies

Prescription for Survival: A Doctor's Journey to End Nuclear Madness (BK… (Foreword) 17 copies

Democracy in Print: The best of the Progressive Magazine, 1909-2009 (Contributor) 12 copies

Transforming Teacher Unions : Fighting for Better Schools and Social… (Contributor) 12 copies

Three American Radicals: John Swinton, Charles P. Steinmetz, and William… (Foreword) 6 copies

Race Traitor 10 (Contributor) 3 copies

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history

Common Knowledge

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Canonical name

Legal name

Other names

Date of birth

1922-08-24

Date of death

2010-01-27

Burial location

Gender

male

Nationality

USA

Country (for map)

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Place of death

Santa Monica, California, USA

Cause of death

heart attack

Places of residence

Newton, Massachusetts, USA

Auburndale, Massachusetts, USA

Education

New York University (BA | 1951)

Columbia University (MA | 1952 | PhD | 1958)

Occupations

Relationships

Agents

Organizations

Awards and honors

Lannan Literary Award (Nonfiction, 1998)

Upton Sinclair Award (1999)

Haven's Center Award for Lifetime Contribution to Critical Scholarship (2006)

Short biography

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, and socialist thinker. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn wrote over 20 books, including his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United States. In 2007, he published a version of it for younger readers, A Young People's History of the United States.

Zinn described himself as "something of an anarchist, something of a socialist. Maybe a democratic socialist." He wrote extensively about the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war movement and labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train (Beacon Press, 2002), was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work. Zinn died of a heart attack in 2010, at age 87.

Disambiguation notice