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A review by jjohnsen
A People's History of American Empire: The American Empire Project, a Graphic Adaptation by Paul Buhle, Mike Konopacki, Howard Zinn
4.0
Howard Zinn is the author of the excellent People’s History of the United States, and this is a graphical adaptation of much of the material in the book. It’s similar to the book [b:Lies My Teacher Told Me|296662|Lies My Teacher Told Me Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong|James W. Loewen|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71BRY08379L._SL75_.gif|15653], going through different events and talking about what most of us have been taught about history is usually full of factual errors.
He discusses the many events that have led the United States to go to war, how big business reacted when workers decided to form unions, and different cultural battles throughout time. Like many problems, almost everything seems to come down to money. While giving a mostly upbeat look at the United States, he doesn’t shy away from showing how we used things like the belief that God gave us this land as an excuse to kill native Americans, enslave blacks and put Japanese people into prison camps.
It’s simple to follow unlike some of his previous books that spend chapters on each area, the art is mediocre, but not a distraction. I was interested from beginning to end. The book isn’t worried about showing former leaders of the country as less-than-perfect, something I think we usually forget.
Zinn weaves his own life story through the book, which isn’t as interesting, but gives some contrast between what is happening all around the country, and how it the affects him.
He discusses the many events that have led the United States to go to war, how big business reacted when workers decided to form unions, and different cultural battles throughout time. Like many problems, almost everything seems to come down to money. While giving a mostly upbeat look at the United States, he doesn’t shy away from showing how we used things like the belief that God gave us this land as an excuse to kill native Americans, enslave blacks and put Japanese people into prison camps.
It’s simple to follow unlike some of his previous books that spend chapters on each area, the art is mediocre, but not a distraction. I was interested from beginning to end. The book isn’t worried about showing former leaders of the country as less-than-perfect, something I think we usually forget.
Zinn weaves his own life story through the book, which isn’t as interesting, but gives some contrast between what is happening all around the country, and how it the affects him.