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A review by leeroyuk
A People's History of American Empire: The American Empire Project, a Graphic Adaptation by Paul Buhle, Mike Konopacki, Howard Zinn
3.0
A better title would be "A history of American Bastardry". It doesn't just cover imperial foreign policy, but oppression at home, and how successive leaders have murdered and trampled on the rights of their own people. And of course, it covers imperial policy: overthrowing democratically elected leaders, financing paramilitary groups that don't stop at murdering children, encouraging chemical weapon use, causing millions of deaths indirectly through sanctions (and saying "We think it was worth it"), and cultivating terrorist groups, which then, of course, turned on their master and attacked the World Trade Centre.
We all know how ruthless the USA can be, but you will be astonished at some of the details. Eye opening.
But it did feel very one-sided. It is history through the lens of moral judgement, which inevitably gives greater weight to the subject's darker actions and overlooks the subtleties of how power changes, develops, and even reforms. Zinn recounts all of the horrible things America's leaders have done at home and abroad without any focus on reforms, development of political institutions, and says the only hope lies in political agitation.
As a technical point, do not read this on the Ipad kindle app, the lettering was distorted, with unfinished sentences and tiny font, which made it difficult to read. Like they had rushed to get it finished and not proof read it. Disappointing.
We all know how ruthless the USA can be, but you will be astonished at some of the details. Eye opening.
But it did feel very one-sided. It is history through the lens of moral judgement, which inevitably gives greater weight to the subject's darker actions and overlooks the subtleties of how power changes, develops, and even reforms. Zinn recounts all of the horrible things America's leaders have done at home and abroad without any focus on reforms, development of political institutions, and says the only hope lies in political agitation.
As a technical point, do not read this on the Ipad kindle app, the lettering was distorted, with unfinished sentences and tiny font, which made it difficult to read. Like they had rushed to get it finished and not proof read it. Disappointing.