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nationofkim's review against another edition
5.0
excellent collection of essays. if you find the task of reading "a people's history..." a little too daunting then this would be a good introduction to zinn.
krobcecil's review against another edition
4.0
As I ready myself to not only vote for Obama's re-election, but join in the campaign, Howard Zinn's final book reminds me how much I've compromised my own political thinking in the post-Bush age. In multiple chapters Zinn writes convincingly about war as nationalist terrorism; that governments factor civilian casualties as collateral damage necessary to reach their goals. While he reminds me of how far I've strayed, Obama has continued wars I voted for him thinking he would end, he has not persuaded me that not voting for Obama would be better than voting for Obama. In 2000 I let my convictions convince me a vote for Nadar would be a vote against the two-party establishment. The inconvenient truth is that Gore would have an infinitely better president than Bush. No matter how poor Obama has been at passing progressive policies, he has put Kagan and Sotomayor on the court to balance the radical justices on the right side of the bench. All of this detracts, however, from Zinn's central thesis that government and all of its branches are essentially rotting components of the same rotten tree. That the whole point of governments is to suppress its citizens, that no president can be considered a hero when their heroics are measured against their evils. That the true heroes are those who do not allow this suppression to overturn their convictions, those who are willing to commit non-violent "treason" in the name of social justice and true equality. I agree with him almost across the board, but will still vote for Obama because I have never considered myself very heroic.
dalewahl's review against another edition
4.0
This book should be required reading. For everyone. Zinn takes American government of today and puts it in context of yesterday. He looks at our current wars and shows how they came to be. Plenty of analysis of contemporary affairs with a splash of history, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress puts a human face on our country's actions in the world and at home.
As an American, this book with embarrass you. As a human, this book will enrage you. As an optimist, this book will depress you. But Howard Zinn contends that it should not. He wishes to instill hope in you, that things can change. A Power Governments Cannot Suppress will likely open your eyes to many issues and the reasons behind them of which you may be utterly unaware. Seeing them in all their historical breadth is daunting and even terrifying, but he will show you pieces of heart to light the way. And encourage you to follow your own in the future.
As an American, this book with embarrass you. As a human, this book will enrage you. As an optimist, this book will depress you. But Howard Zinn contends that it should not. He wishes to instill hope in you, that things can change. A Power Governments Cannot Suppress will likely open your eyes to many issues and the reasons behind them of which you may be utterly unaware. Seeing them in all their historical breadth is daunting and even terrifying, but he will show you pieces of heart to light the way. And encourage you to follow your own in the future.
ikoch's review against another edition
4.0
Broken up into several short essays, Zinn's book tells remarkable stories of ordinary Americans standing up for what they believe in that might have been skipped or glossed over in your high school history classes. Some essays were weaker than others, but overall, each essay provided a lot of valuable food for thought and remain painfully relevant years after their original publication.
loppear's review
4.0
Essays from the early Iraq war, what already seemed to be the dragging indefinite Iraq War, asking us to consider why we fight, why we fear, why we embrace American nationalism and patriotism and comfortable lies about our country's history and our own histories.
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