 First edition | |
| Author | Martin Duberman |
|---|---|
| Genre | biography |
| Published | 2012 |
| Publisher | The New Press |
| ISBN | 978-1-59558-678-0 |
Howard Zinn: A Life on the Left is a biography of Howard Zinn, written by Martin Duberman and published in 2012.
| First edition | |
| Author | Martin Duberman |
|---|---|
| Genre | biography |
| Published | 2012 |
| Publisher | The New Press |
| ISBN | 978-1-59558-678-0 |
Howard Zinn: A Life on the Left is a biography of Howard Zinn, written by Martin Duberman and published in 2012.
John Tirman, the head of the MIT Center for International Studies since 2004, notes that Duberman fills in Zinn's history beyond what other sources "commonly focused on" following his death, highlighting not only Zinn's role as orator and activist, but also "his considerable intellectual achievements," including how "he challenged the notion of objectivity." Tirman describes Duberman as "a strong writer who brings an easy familiarity to this subject" while not shying "away from thorny topics." However, Tirman notes that the book lacks an exploration of the dynamics between Zinn and others in his activist circle: Noam Chomsky, Frances Fox Piven, and others. Further, Tirman notes the omission of a discussion on the decline of the left through the '60s and '70s. Nonetheless, Tirman says that "Duberman's biography captures what was so attractive about this radical historian." [1]
Michael Kammen, a professor of American cultural history at Cornell, say that "[Zinn] could not be more fortunate in his amicable biographer." Kammen describes the book as "not merely judicious. It is laudatory where praise is warranted yet critical in many respects, too." Though Kammen warns that, "As the biography proceeds, the values and voices of these two writers increasingly merge, especially in chapter 11, devoted to 'The Nineties,'" he notes that the book "contains countless dividends for the general reader." [2]
Kirkus Reviews suggests this book is best for readers who have a favourable impression of Zinn, for Duberman "clearly has no interest in challenging [Zinn's] fundamental underpinnings." [3]
Howard Zinn was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist intellectual and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn wrote more than 20 books, including his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United States in 1980. In 2007, he published a version of it for younger readers, A Young People's History of the United States.
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Van Morrison: No Surrender is a biography of musician Van Morrison, written by Johnny Rogan. It was first published in 2005 by Secker & Warburg, and another edition was published by Vintage Books in 2006. Rogan interviewed musicians and friends of Morrison, and spent 20 years researching the book and four years writing it. The book is comprehensive, and goes into detail about multiple facets of Morrison's life. Rogan recounts Morrison's youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and how early experiences there informed his music. He discusses how Morrison joined various bands before experiencing success with Them. Morrison later signed a contract with Bert Berns and moved to New York, where he became quite popular after recording "Brown Eyed Girl" and albums Astral Weeks and Moondance. Rogan comments on Morrison's exploration of spirituality, and describes how these experiences influenced his musical work. The biography discusses Morrison's move to Britain and then Dublin, and his relationship with model Michelle Rocca.
A People's History of the United States is a 1980 nonfiction book by American historian and political scientist Howard Zinn. In the book, Zinn presented what he considered to be a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country". Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen as the exploitation and manipulation of the majority by rigged systems that hugely favor a small aggregate of elite rulers from across the orthodox political parties.
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