New Releases by Howard Zinn

D''Hiroshima à l''Irak, en passant par la guerre du Vietnam, les bombardements aériens sont au cour de la stratégie militaire américaine. Des analystes ont réfuté l''utilité stratégique de cette pratique, en montrant qu''elle relève davantage de la "passion technologique" que de la "raison militaire". Selon Howard Zinn, cette critique est recevable, mais trop courte. Il faut, soutient-il dans cet essai, condamner les bombardements intensifs en raison des atrocités qu''ils infligent à des centaines de milliers d''êtres humains, pour la plupart des civils. Quiconque saisit l''horreur des tapis de bombes, des bombes incendiaires et de la bombe atomique comprendra que rien ne les justifie pas même une "guerre juste". Howard Zinn parle d''expérience. Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il a participé de plein gré à des bombardements, dont celui de la ville de Royan, en France. Il accueillit avec joie le bombardement atomique d''Hiroshima parce qu''il mettait fin à la guerre. Dans La bombe, il raconte comment la prise de conscience des conséquences de ces événements a fait de lui un farouche opposant à la politique militaire américaine.

Howard Zinn''s personal, historical, and political views on the significance of the U.S. bombings of Royan and Hiroshima

Notre manière de penser est une question de vie ou de mort. Si ceux qui tiennent les rênes de la société se montrent capables de contrôler nos idées, ils sont assurés de rester au pouvoir. Nul besoin de soldats dans les rues. Nous nous contrôlerons nous-mêmes. Notre ordre social résulte d''un processus de sélection au cours duquel certaines idées sont promues par le biais de puissantes machines culturelles. Nous devons réexaminer ces idées et comprendre comment elles s''opposent à notre expérience du monde. Nous serons alors en mesure de contester l''idéologie dominante. De l''exercice de la justice aux motivations réelles des guerres, en passant par les conditions d''entretien de la violence économique et sociale, l''auteur illustre la manière dont la tenue des affaires du monde, c''est-à-dire de nos affaires, devrait être entre nos mains. Et toujours chez Howard Zinn le même optimisme sur la nature et le destin de l''humanité : l''histoire ne réserve que des surprises, et elles ne sont pas toutes mauvaises.

World-renowned historian Howard Zinn has turned to drama to explore the legacy of Karl Marx and Emma Goldman and to delve into the intricacies of political and social conscience perhaps more deeply than traditional history permits. Three Plays brings together all this work, including the previously unpublished Daughter of Venus, along with a new introductory essay on political theater, and prefaces to each of the plays.

Howard Zinn establishes LaGuardia''s tenure in Congress as a vital link between the Progressive and New Deal eras, offering a lively and informative account of his many formative legislative battles and his political philosophy.

“A shotgun blast of revisionism that aims to shatter all the comfortable myths of American political discourse.” — Los Angeles Times From the bestselling author of A People''s History of the United States comes this selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at American political ideology. Howard Zinn brings to Passionate Declarations the same astringent style and provocative point of view that led more than a million people to buy his book A People''s History of the United States. He directs his critique here to what he calls "American orthodoxies" —that set of beliefs guardians of our culture consider sacrosanct: justifications for war, cynicism about human nature and violence, pride in our economic system, certainty of our freedom of speech, romanticization of representative government, confidence in our system of justice. Those orthodoxies, he believes, have a chilling effect on our capacity to think independently and to become active citizens in the long struggle for peace and justice.

“Professor Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history....[His] chapter on Vietnam—bringing to life once again the fire-free zones, secret bombings, massacres, and cover-ups—should be required reading.”—New York Times Book Review Containing just the Twentieth Century chapters from Howard Zinn’s bestselling A People’s History of the United States, this reissue is brought up-to-date with coverage of events and developments since 2001, analyzing such incidents in modern political history such as the Gulf War, the post-Cold War “peace dividend,” and the continuing debate over welfare, the Clinton presidency, and the “war on terrorism.” Highlighting not just the usual terms of presidential administrations and congressional activities, this book provides readers with a “bottom-to-top” perspective, giving voice to our nation’s minorities and letting the stories of such groups as African Americans, women, Native Americans, and the laborers of all nationalities be told in their own words. Challenging traditional interpretations of U.S. history, The Twentieth Century is the book for readers interested in gaining a more realistic and complete picture of our world."

Collected here is a brief history of America told through stories applauding the enduring spirit of dissent. To celebrate the millionth copy sold of his book, A People''s History of the United States, Howard Zinn drew on the words of Americans—some famous, some little known—across the range of American history. These words were read by a remarkable cast at an event held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City that included James Earl Jones, Alice Walker, Kurt Vonnegut, Alfre Woodard, Marisa Tomei, Danny Glover, Harris Yulin, Andre Gregory, and others. From that celebration, this book was born. Here in their own words, and interwoven with commentary by Zinn, are Columbus on the Arawaks; Plough Jogger, a farmer and participant in Shays'' Rebellion; Harriet Hanson, a Lowell mill worker; Frederick Douglass; Mark Twain; Mother Jones; Emma Goldman; Helen Keller; Eugene V. Debs; Langston Hughes; Genova Johnson Dollinger on a sit-down strike at General Motors in Flint, Michigan; an interrogation from a 1953 HUAC hearing; Fannie Lou Hamer, a sharecropper and member of the Freedom Democratic Party; Malcolm X; and James Lawrence Harrington, a Gulf War resister, among others.

Adaptation en bande dessinée du best-seller d''Howard Zinn, voici un ouvrage qui porte un regard nouveau sur l''histoire des Etats-Unis. La parole y est donnée aux acteurs les plus modestes de l''Histoire, Indiens de Wounded Knee, esclaves en fuite, soldats noirs de la guerre hispano-américaine, mineurs en lutte, militants pacifistes, victimes des guerres menées au nom de l''impérialisme américain. Cette vision populaire de l''Histoire vient bousculer de manière salutaire les versions officielles et consensuelles, et souffle un vent optimiste de liberté d''expression retrouvée.

Adapted from the bestselling grassroots history of the United States, the story of America in the world, told in comics form Since its landmark publication in 1980, A People''s History of the United States has had six new editions, sold more than 1.7 million copies, become required classroom reading throughout the country, and been turned into an acclaimed play. More than a successful book, A People''s History triggered a revolution in the way history is told, displacing the official versions with their emphasis on great men in high places to chronicle events as they were lived, from the bottom up. Now Howard Zinn, historian Paul Buhle, and cartoonist Mike Konopacki have collaborated to retell, in vibrant comics form, a most immediate and relevant chapter of A People''s History: the centuries-long story of America''s actions in the world. Narrated by Zinn, this version opens with the events of 9/11 and then jumps back to explore the cycles of U.S. expansionism from Wounded Knee to Iraq, stopping along the way at World War I, Central America, Vietnam, and the Iranian revolution. The book also follows the story of Zinn, the son of poor Jewish immigrants, from his childhood in the Brooklyn slums to his role as one of America''s leading historians. Shifting from world-shattering events to one family''s small revolutions, A People''s History of American Empire presents the classic ground-level history of America in a dazzling new form.

Presents a collection of lessons and activities for teaching American history for students in middle school and high school.

Geschiedenis van de Verenigde Staten vanuit een sociaal-betrokken invalshoek.

A Young People''s History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, slaves, immigrants, women, Native Americans, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. Volume 1 begins with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leads the reader through the earliest struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the 18th and 19th centuries. Volume 2 picks the thread up in the early 20th century, covering both World Wars, Vietnam, the Black Rights movement, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism. Zinn presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals. A Young People''s History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People''s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.

A Young People''s History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, slaves, immigrants, women, Native Americans, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. Volume 1 begins with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leads the reader through the earliest struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the 18th and 19th centuries. Volume 2 picks the thread up in the early 20th century, covering both World Wars, Vietnam, the Black Rights movement, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism. Zinn presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals. A Young People''s History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People''s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is a major collection of essays on American history, race, class, justice and ordinary people who stand up to power. Zinn approaches the telling of U.S. history from an active, engaged point of view, drawing upon untold histories to comment on the most controversial issues facing us today: government dishonesty, terrorism, the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, the loss of our liberties, immigration and the responsibility of the citizen to confront power for the common good. A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is an invaluable post-9/11 era addition to the themes that run through Howard Zinn''s bestselling classic, A People''s History of the United States. "Thank you, Howard Zinn. Thank you for telling us what none of our leaders are willing to: The truth. And you tell it with such brilliance, such humanity. It is a personal honor to be able to say I am a better citizen because of you."—Michael Moore, director of Fahrenheit 9/11 "This strong, incisive book by Howard Zinn provides us with a penetrating critique of current U.S. policies and embraces the sweep of history. . . . A Power Governments Cannot Suppress leaves us with the faith that citizens have what it takes to confront power and to reverse the dangerous and unjust acts of our government."—Jonathan Kozol, author of The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America "Find here the voice of the well-educated and honorable and capable and humane United States of America, which might have existed if only absolute power had not corrupted its third-rate leaders so absolutely."—Kurt Vonnegut, author of A Man Without a Country "Howard Zinn is a unique voice of sanity, clarity, and wisdom who reads history not only to understand the present but to shape the future . . . . Profoundly insightful . . . A Power Governments Cannot Suppress should be read by every American, over and over again."—Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine "Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history. . ."—New York Times Book Review "Zinn collects here almost three dozen brief, passionate essays that follow in the tradition of his landmark work, A People''s History of the United States . . . Readers seeking to break out of their ideological comfort zones will find much to ponder here."—Publishers Weekly Howard Zinn is an acclaimed historian, playwright, and combat veteran of World War II. He is the author of more than two dozen books, including his masterpiece A People''s History of the United States, and The Historic Unfulfilled Promise (City Lights).

Howard Zinn''s personal account of a New York demonstration and police riot in the late 30''s that left him with a life-long radical point-of-view.

From the author of the classic college campus favorite and perennial seller "A People''s History of the United States" comes a short, intense polemic on the political direction of those United States, leading toward what seems to Zinn like perpetual war. "Just War" is based on a lecture given in Rome, where, as Zinn addressed an Italian audience, a public known for its negative opinions of recent American foreign policy, he could be direct about his own feelings. "I come from a country which is at war, as it has been almost continuously: and for that I feel shame." His rousing call to the only "just war," the "war against war," which concludes that "perhaps it will take a combination of factors to end war: but we must all play a part," is a must-read for those who know and trust his work, and, for those concerned about current events and looking for strong and morally driven perspectives, it is an excellent introduction to a great thinker.

Notre manière de penser n''est pas un sujet de controverse intellectuelle mais une question de vie ou de mort. Si ceux qui tiennent les rênes de la société - politiciens, chefs d''entreprise et magnats de la presse - se montrent capables de contrôler nos idées, ils sont à peu près assurés de conserver leur pouvoir. Nul besoin de soldats dans les rues. Nous nous contrôlerons nous-mêmes. On est moins tenté de protester quand on pense vivre dans une société " pluraliste ". Nous avons bien deux grands partis, mais les autres ne sont pas encouragés et encore moins financés. Nous avons bien une " presse libre ", mais elle est dominée par l''argent. Nous vivons dans une société où le catalogue des idées disponibles se trouve limité quand certaines autres dominent le débat. La prédominance de cette idéologie n''est pas le fait d''un groupe de conspirateurs diaboliques qui aurait réussi à imposer à la société un point de vue particulier. Il s''agit d''un processus de sélection non naturelle au cours duquel certaines idées orthodoxes sont promues, financées et mises en avant par le biais des plus puissantes machines culturelles du pays. Nous devons réexaminer ces croyances et réaliser qu''elles ne sont pas le produit de nos vœux les plus chers, qu''elles ne naissent pas d''une réflexion indépendante et qu''elles ne correspondent pas à l''expérience que nous avons du monde réel. Nous serons alors en mesure de questionner et de contester l''idéologie dominante. C''est ce que je me propose de faire dans ce livre.